I started watching this movie on a flight and was instantly drawn-in by the outfits and costumes. Because the flight was going to end before I could finish the movie I started jumping around and trying to see as many of the costume changes as I could - so needless to say I'm a little hazy on the plot. (Also this movie is from 1953 and centers around the shenanigans of two showgirls suspected of being gold-diggers by the rich father of a love-interest, so you know, maybe not a huge loss there.) GPB stars Marilyn Monroe (playing Lorelei Lee) and Jane Russell (playing Dorothy Shaw), who come across as talented and beautiful and both wear the heck out of every single thing in this movie.
Seeing their outfits makes me want to dig out anything I have that's tailored, pay more attention to accessories, and has ignited in me a lust for the perfect red lipstick to wear casually (which is saying something since I typically wear lipstick about once a year).
I mean, this is how the main characters are dressed in the opening musical number:
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| I took all the photos myself, via screenshot, so the quality isn't always great. |
The incredible fit and over the top sparkle won me over immediately and I'm pleased to report that they both wear that bold red lip for the entire film. This striking visual start was followed closely by this next look, which is when I stopped what I was doing, paused the movie and played it back a few times to see what exactly was going on here.
I'd never realized that what all my power-suits have been lacking is a power hat. Meanwhile Lorelei is over there giving me wealthy jungle-cat vibes. It is a little hard to see but when she removed the leopard print scarf is when I really fell in love with this dress. It has a wrap-around neck, that is somehow both conservative and extremely sexy. The fit on this is amazing and I love that they layered some necklaces underneath the neck of the dress, allowing it to be the focus.
While much of the film involves formal wear, there are a few moments of more "everyday" pieces. Dorothy's coat here is amazing and I would 100% wear it today. It also seems like it would be reversible. She has it paired with turquoise earrings (hard to see in this photo) which feels very fresh.
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| Also, they are on a cruise here, which helps explain the background a bit. |
Here is where the witch tells Lorelei that diamond shall be her crown, and diamond shall be her shroud. Wait - wrong show.
You're a fool if you think Dorothy has only one reversible coat.
Also Lorelei's outfit here (it was really hard to get a standing shot) made me think of a Gucci look that was on a lot of magazine covers a few years back, albeit in a different color scheme.
Moving on, I don't love the orange color of Lorelei's next dress but the fit is insane. I generally avoid tight clothing, especially things that constrict the waist. It makes me feel uncomfortable, which is why I don't really wear high-waisted anything and consider control-top pantyhose to be the bane of my existence, so I can't even imagine the boning and corseting that goes into the undergarments of these looks. Big props to Marilyn and Jane.
Like I mentioned, I missed a fair amount of plotting so it seemed like they changed gowns on the same day but maybe it happened over the course of a week? Regardless, in the new look Dorothy looks like a rich boss who you'd better not cross. Ever. I'm not sure I've ever looked that glamorous and ice-cold in my life, but I have it as a new goal.
Here's a better look at the rest of the dress, while Lorelei is rocking this cute little jacket and laying out her master plot.
I think some things start to go wrong for our duo but they buck up and end up in Paris on a shopping spree. The general image was lovely, which is why I chose this photo, but a better look at their neck-accessory-situations is below.
Whenever I wear a hat or a scarf I often think it is too overpowering and take it off but these two have hats, scarves and/or a statement collar AND gloves and it looks tres chic. This also brings us to our final musical number, the famous, Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend. While the human chandelier on the left side does raise more questions than answers, overall this is gorgeous and somehow the carpet and wall color and the dresses do not clash.
Marilyn is wearing the heck out of that dress. It was designed by William Travilla, who designed dresses for many of Marilyn's movies, including the white pleated dress from the Seven Year Itch. I love that all of her jewels are layered over the long pink gloves.
The film ends with our ladies in a double wedding (sure!) wearing matching wedding dresses (because!) to different men (whew!) who at least are also matching (fair is fair).
The end!
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