Movie costumes offer subtle hints about a character’s personality, circumstances, and evolution throughout the film. This is why costume designers play such a crucial, yet often unrecognized, role. Given the close link between character and costume, designers frequently build strong working relationships with the lead actresses who wear their designs on screen.
During Hollywood’s Golden Age, designers and actresses were often contract employees of specific studios, leading to frequent collaborations on multiple projects. This environment fostered trust and rapport between them. While today’s film industry no longer operates on this contract system, several costume designers and actresses still manage to establish strong working relationships and even friendships.
This article highlights notable partnerships between costume designers and actresses from both classic and modern eras, providing a glimpse into the fascinating world of costume design.
12 Notable Collaborations Between Costume Designers and Actresses
1. Travis Banton & Carole Lombard
– Films: I Take This Woman, Rhumba, Love Before Breakfast, Nothing Sacred, True Confession, Made for Each Other, My Man Godfrey
2. Adrian & Joan Crawford
– Films: Over thirty including Our Modern Maidens, Possessed, Letty Lynton, Sadie McKee, The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The Women
3. Edith Head & Grace Kelly
– Films: The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Country Girl, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief
4. Jacqueline Durran & Keira Knightley
– Films: Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina
5. Givenchy & Audrey Hepburn
– Films: Sabrina, Funny Face, Love in the Afternoon, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, Paris When it Sizzles, How To Steal a Million
6. Jean Louis & Rita Hayworth
– Films: Tonight and Every Night, Gilda, Down to Earth, The Loves of Carmen, Affair in Trinidad, Salome, Pal Joey
7. Theadora Van Runkle & Faye Dunaway
– Films: Bonnie & Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Arrangement, Dunaway’s 1968 Oscar Gown
8. Orry-Kelly & Bette Davis
– Films: 46 in total including Marked Woman, The Petrified Forest, Jezebel, Dark Victory, The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex, The Old Maid, The Letter, The Little Foxes, Now, Voyager
9. Ann Roth & Meryl Streep
– Films: Silkwood, Heartburn, Postcards from the Edge, The Hours, Evening, Julie & Julia, Mamma Mia!, Doubt, Hope Springs, The Post
10. William Travilla & Marilyn Monroe
– Films: Monkey Business, Don’t Bother to Knock, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, There’s No Business Like Show Business, River of No Return, Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop
11. Walter Plunkett & Katharine Hepburn
– Films: Christopher Strong, Morning Glory, Spitfire, Little Women, The Little Minister, Mary of Scotland, A Woman Rebels, Alice Adams, Quality Street, Adam’s Rib, The Sea of Grass, Song of Love
12. Helen Rose & Elizabeth Taylor
– Films: A Date with Judy, The Big Hangover, Father of the Bride, Love is Better Than Ever, Father’s Little Dividend, The Girl Who Had Everything, Rhapsody, The Last Time I Saw Paris, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butterfield 8, Taylor’s first Wedding Gown
Do you love movie costumes? What are some of your favorite costume films?
