Top Ten dresses worn by Joan Crawford (with links!!!)
The ONLY good thing about Today We Live is this amaaaaaaaaazingly ridiculous gown Joan Crawford wears towards the beginning of the film (maybe in her first scene?). TCM host Robert Osbourne described it as looking like an ironing board was attached to it. It remains my all-time fave Joan outfit because this insane creation absolutely sucks everything into it including the narrative. You can't even concentrate on the dialogue which is just as well.
The outfit was designed by the great Gilbert Adrian. Adrian's concoctions could be wild; my all-time fave dress from ANY designer is his beach outfit from the fashion show in The Women.
This is the only pic I could find and sadly, it fails to show that there's an actual mannequin hand on the front! Utterly nutter! (There are two great pix of it in Gowns By Adrian by Howard Gutner - great pix all around but Gutner stupidly ignores Adrian's homosexuality.)
But Adrian was attentive to narrative purpose. If he had veto power over Crawford, he would never have allowed such a creation into Today We Live. But since the narrative is in such shambles anyway, it works perfectly.
Thinking of this wretched film made me realize that it was time to share my top ten fave Joan outfits with the world. Lumiere! Musique!
1. The "ironing board" from Today We Live
2. The white silk crepe and black bugle beads gown from Letty Lynton
3. The kite lapel/"Crawford Collar" from No More Ladies
4. The silky ribbons at the end of Susan and God
5. A dress she models in Mannequin that looks as if a huge chunk of fabric has been ripped out of it
Sorry, no link.
6. Her "lounging" outfit from Female on the Beach
7. This number from Our Modern Maidens
8. The Jean Louis cape from Queen Bee
9. The "where's her head?" fur from Letty Lynton
10. Off the rack for Rain
The outfit was designed by the great Gilbert Adrian. Adrian's concoctions could be wild; my all-time fave dress from ANY designer is his beach outfit from the fashion show in The Women.
This is the only pic I could find and sadly, it fails to show that there's an actual mannequin hand on the front! Utterly nutter! (There are two great pix of it in Gowns By Adrian by Howard Gutner - great pix all around but Gutner stupidly ignores Adrian's homosexuality.)
But Adrian was attentive to narrative purpose. If he had veto power over Crawford, he would never have allowed such a creation into Today We Live. But since the narrative is in such shambles anyway, it works perfectly.
Thinking of this wretched film made me realize that it was time to share my top ten fave Joan outfits with the world. Lumiere! Musique!
1. The "ironing board" from Today We Live
2. The white silk crepe and black bugle beads gown from Letty Lynton
3. The kite lapel/"Crawford Collar" from No More Ladies
4. The silky ribbons at the end of Susan and God
5. A dress she models in Mannequin that looks as if a huge chunk of fabric has been ripped out of it
Sorry, no link.
6. Her "lounging" outfit from Female on the Beach
7. This number from Our Modern Maidens
8. The Jean Louis cape from Queen Bee
9. The "where's her head?" fur from Letty Lynton
10. Off the rack for Rain
posted by Kevin John Bozelka at 8:45 PM
2 Comments:
I'm Howard Gutner, the author of Gowns by Adrian, the person who so "stupidly" ignored Adrian's homosexuality. If you'll note the title of the book, it's Gowns by Adrian: The MGM Years 1928-1941. It's NOT a biography, or a look at his private life, but an examination of his WORK at MGM.
Got it?
O if you want to see some amazing pictures of Joan you MUST go to this Website, especially the Letty Lynton page! This Joan site is the best!
http://legendaryjoancrawford.com
http://legendaryjoancrawford.com/lettylyntona.html
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