The Museum of Fine Arts brings a glimpse into ’30s and ’40s Hollywood with its new exhibit, “Hollywood Glamour: Fashion and Jewelry from the Silver Screen.” The exhibit showcases iconic pieces of fashion and jewelry worn by famous actresses of the early Hollywood era. Some gowns were made by legendary designers, including Adrian, Travis Banton, and Chanel. Museum-goers can view these gowns, which were worn by the greatest film stars of the ‘30s and ‘40s–stars like Greta Garbo, Mae West, and Joan Crawford.
Designers not only created these costumes for style, but also to work well in front of the camera. Costume designers used mostly satin, lamé, and chiffon as fabrics because they adapted the best to black and white film. These fabrics didn’t rustle or make noise that would have been picked up by microphones during filming.
Among the dresses on display is a black silk satin piece by Travis Banton. It’s a closely fitted floor length gown with a floral pattern embroidered onto the sleeves. The dress was worn by actress Anna May Wong in 1934.
Another exquisite piece is the Chanel Haute Couture dress. Worn by actress Ina Claire in 1926, the dress is entirely embroidered with sequins. It has a lower neckline than most of the other dresses and falls just below the knee, with a silk netting and lining underneath.
Along the wall, visitors can find jewelry and accessories worn by the same legendary Hollywood actresses. Amid these is a necklace from Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin that belonged to June Knight in the late 1930s. The necklace is made of platinum, sapphire, and diamond.
Also featured in the exhibit are photographs taken by Edward Steichen of the most prestigious stars of that period. Visitors can also find more photos of Hollywood royalty in the additional exhibit “Karsh Goes Hollywood.” This exhibit includes twenty photos taken by photographer Yousuf Karsh, including shots of Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.
The entirety of the exhibition focuses on the extravagance of the early Hollywood era and its influence amongst American fashion and style.
The exhibit “Hollywood Glamour: Fashion and Jewelry from the Silver Screen” will be at the MFA from now until March 8, in the Loring Gallery of Textiles.