Orry-Kelly (31 December 1897 – 27 February 1964) was born as Orry George Kelly in the New South Wales coastal town of Kiama, about 80 miles south of Sydney, in 1897, and he was sent to Sydney at age 17 to study banking, where he developed his interest in theatre.
In 1923, he went to New York(where he met his then room mate as well as claimed lover Cary Grant), hoping to become actor but instead working for odd jobs with his drawing talent, until finding job to dress Broadway actresses including Katharine Hepburn. In 1932 Kelly started working in Hollywood as costume designer of Warner Brothers, and in the following 30 years Kelly worked in more than 280 films, became one of the most important costume designers of Golden Hollywood, alongside Travis Banton and Gilbert Adrian, winning 3 Oscars(1951: An American in Paris; 1957: Les girls; 1959: Some like it hot) and was nominated for another film in which he designed the costumes: Gympsy(1962). Although his name was most closely associated with stars like Kay Francis, Dolores del Rio and Bette Davis, for whom he created costumes in more than 30 films, many of Kelly's most iconic designs for Hollywood are those he created for next generation of Hollywood stars like Ingrid Bergman, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood, and were created after he did not work for Warner Brothers anymore. 
Bette Davis in film Dark Victory, 1939, costumed designed by Orry Kelly
Orry Kelly fitting Kay Francis, his favorite mannequine
Dolores Del Rio in film "I Live for Love" (1935), Costume designer by Orry Kelly
For Ingrid Bergman in film Casablanca, 1942
For Ava Gardner in film One touch of Venus, 1948
Orry Kelly fitting Ava Gardner for her film "One Touch of Venus" (1948).
For Leslie Caron in film An American in Paris(1951)
Leslie Caron in film An American in Paris(1951), costume designed by Orry Kelly
Leslie Caron in film An American in Paris(1951), costume designed by Orry Kelly
Leslie Caron in film An American in Paris(1951), costume designed by Orry Kelly
Leslie Caron in film An American in Paris(1951), costume designed by Orry Kelly
For Marilyn Monroe in film Some like it hot, 1959
Orry-Kelly with Marilyn Monroe during a fitting for film Some Like It Hot
Marilyn Monroe in film Some Like It Hot(1959) wearing cocktail dress designed by Orry Kelly
Marilyn Monroe in film Some Like It Hot(1959) wearing black dress designed by Orry Kelly
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 Marguerite Kelsey by Meredith Frampton, 1928, Tate Gallery, London In 1928, British painter Meredith Frampton RA (17 March 1894 – 16 September 1984) painted the portrait of a woman in white dress, which features bateau neckline, short sleeves, and column silhouette.
This painting is now in the Tate Museum in London and it has been described as the "epitome of modern classicism".  Meredith Frampton is very meticulous with the outfits of Marguerite Kelsey, both the dress and the red ballet shoes are chosen and supplied by the painter himself. And it is not the first time Meredith Frampton chooses the outfits of his model. In 1935, when he painted Portrait of A Young Woman, Frampton not only had several of the objects in the painting made specially for the painting, his mother also made the dress worn by the model, Margaret Austin-Jones, which is a floor-length silk dress in ivory color with a pale pink wrap top.  Portrait of a young woman by Meredith Frampton modeled by Margaret Austin-Jones, 1935, Tate Gallery Meredith Frampton was born in the St John's Wood area of London and was the only child of the sculptor Sir George Frampton and his wife, the painter Christabel Cockerell. Frampton was educated at Westminster School and went on to attend the Royal Academy Schools between 1912 and 1915, where he won both a first prize and a silver medal. During the First World War, Frampton served in the British Army, and after the war Frampton resumed his artistic career and established himself as among the most highly regarded of British painters during the period. Frampton painted portraits of the Duke of York, who was to become King George VI, academics and scientists, and a series of full length portraits of women from fashionable society.  A game of Patience by Meredith Frampton modeled by Marguerite Kelsey, 1937, Ferens Art Gallery in Hull In 1937 Marguerite Kelsey modeled again for Frampton and as a result he painted her with cards as "A Game of Patience". She spent two decades in New Zealand and return to the United Kingdom in the early 1980s suffering with arthritis. Besides Meredith Frampton, she also appears in notable works of art of other artists like Dame Laura Knight and Peter Edwards. And in 1994 Peter Edwards won the BP Portrait Award with Portrait of an Artist's Model (of Marguerite Kelsey) who was then in her eighties. Kelsey died in High Wycombe in 1995.  Marguerite Kelsey portrait by Alan Beeton in 1936 In the 1950s, as his eyesight worsened, Frampton and his wife moved to a hilltop house overlooking Monkton Deverill in Wiltshire. Frampton had designed the property in the 1930s and for the rest of his life he worked on improving and maintaining this house, which included his own furniture and clock designs. For many years Frampton's art was rarely shown in public and he was largely forgotten. However, he lived to see his retrospective at the Tate in 1982. It was his first one-man show and greatly restored his standing. Now Frampton's work is on display at the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery and Imperial War Museum. Further interestKate Middleton Duchess of Cambridge bespoke wing lapel wool silk coat dress by Alexander McQueen5/7/2020 The coat dressOn 5 July 2015, at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, held a small ceremony for christening their daughter Princess Charlotte, only immediate family, godparents and their spouses were invited. For the ceremony, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton wore a cream white coat dress with wing collar custom made for her by Alexander Mcqueen.  The bespoke coat dress is made of silk wool blend, featuring a fit-and-flare silhouette with inverted back pleat, a peaked shoulder and a very unusual wide wing lapel.  The detail of the coat dress   Worn When and whereTime: 5 July 2015 Event: Christening of Princess Charlotte, St Mary Magdalene Church on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. Style with: Hat by Jane Taylor millinery; Shoes by Russell and Bromley Fifth Avenue.     Time: 30 July 2017 Event: Ceremonies commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele, Belgium Style with: Hat from John Lock and Company. designed by Sylvia Fletcher, Marisabell style.    The coat dress in primrose yellow with cuff buttonsTime: 19 May 2018 Event: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. Accessories: Hat by Philip Treacy; shoes by Jimmy Choo Is it still the same dress or a new one? To the eyes of many, the coat dress wore by Kate Middleton for the royal wedding is exactly the same as the one she wore for Charlotte's Christening and other events, because they do look identical, even the seaming and the unusual darting details under the collar look just the same.   The only noted difference seems that the coat dress Kate wore for the royal wedding features four buttons on the cuff, as seen in the following pictures.    While the coat dress she wore for Charlotte's christening does not have.  And according to Royal Palace, The Duchess's outfit for the Royal Wedding is a "primrose yellow wool silk coat by Alexander McQueen". In this official photo of the royal wedding taking indoors, the color of the coat dress of Kate Middleton does look yellow against the color of Charlote's dress.  Another indoor photo showing the coat dress more clearly in the yellow tone, and from the way how Kate styled her dress with a hat with yellow flowers also hints she was matching it with the color of her dress.  Here is a look at how Kate Middleton wears this very elegant coat dress differently. From left to right: Kate Middleton in wing collar coat dress by Alexander Mcqueen for Charlotte Christening 2015, Trooping the Color 2016, Commemorations ceremony Belgium 2017 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding 2018 respectively  Left to right: Kate Middleton in wing collar coat dress by Alexander Mcqueen for Charlotte Christening 2015, Trooping the Color 2016, Commemorations ceremony Belgium 2017 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding 2018 respectively The coat dress in pale green with 3 quarter sleevesIn July 2018, less than two months after, when The Duchess of Cambridge attended RAF centenary Service, she wore another coat dress by Alexander McQueen with the same silhouette and tailoring details, except the shorter sleeves, and in a pale green color.   In 1952, the then young and unknown Audrey Hepburn was cast in Paramount film Roman Holiday directed by William Wyler as Princess Ann, Edith Head the head costume designer of Paramount designed her wardrobe. The Roman Holiday farewell dressIn the closing scene of the movie, Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann held a press conference where she would meet Joe, the reporter she fell in love for the last time. In that scene, she wore a white lace midi dress with a shawl collar, wrap-over bodice and fitted waist, styled with a pearl choker and a Juliet style hat.   Audrey Hepburn with director William Wyler of Roman Holiday wearing the Ann lace dress  Audrey Hepburn with director William Wyler of Roman Holiday wearing the Ann lace dress  Audrey Hepburn wearing Princess Ann lace dress for her screen test of Roman Holiday From the farewell dress to Oscar dress In 1954, at the 26th Annual Academy Awards, Audrey Hepburn wore a sleeveless floral lace dress with a belt. It is actually restyled from the Roman Holiday Farewell lace dress by Hubert de Givenchy, by then Audrey Hepburn's favorite designer. Audrey Hepburn won the best actress wearing the dainty lace dress.  Here is a video clip of Audrey Hepburn accepted her her Oscar award in the lace dress. In 2011, on November 29, the lace dress was sold at auction for £84,000 by Kerry Taylor, a British auction house.        In 1952, the then young and unknown Audrey Hepburn was cast in Paramount film Roman Holiday directed by William Wyler as Princess Ann, Edith Head the head costume designer of Paramount designed her wardrobe. And among all of her outfits, the white shirt and colored circle skirt ensemble is most iconic outfit Audrey wore in the movie.  The ensembleIt's a simple button down long sleeve shirt with undefined shoulder and a separate jabot, and a ankle long circle skirt with belt. As Edith Head explained: "You see, she's supposed to be a princess disguised as an ordinary girl on the streets of Rome. So we made her a simple costume, so she wouldn't look different." The white shirtIn the movie, Audrey Hepburn first wore the ensemble with the shirt sleeves buttoned as she left the embassy palace.    As the movie progresses, Audrey Hepburn would wear the shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Edith Head obviously endorsed Audrey wearing the shirt that way even during the screen test: "In the picture, she had to look casual, informal and we felt, due to the heat of Rome in summer, a girl would really do this sort of thing.". Edith Head's more thoughts on designing Audrey Hepburn's this ensemble can be seen in the following video:           During Audrey's test, Edith Head has also designed another two alternative jersey blouses for her, one with buttons, another slip on, but later the white shirt was chosen, perhaps as a Princess, the two jersey blouses could be too figure hugging.  Audrey Hepburn wore buttoned jersey with short sleeves for her screen test of Roman Holiday  Audrey Hepburn wore buttoned jersey with short sleeves for her screen test of Roman Holiday  Audrey Hepburn wore slip on jersey with cap sleeves for her screen test of Roman Holiday The circle skirtThe length and silouette The skirt is a circle skirt hitting below Audrey's mid calf, looking conservative and demure. It seems there exists an alternative skirt which Audrey Hepburn wore only for her screen test, one that is a little bit shorter with more volume(Or perhaps she is wearing some petticoat underneath?).  The possible alternative circle skirt Audrey Hepburn wore only for her screen test.  The color Blue or Beige? What is the color of Audrey Hepurn's circle skirt in Roman Holiday? Perhaps only Edith Head can answer this question by now. In some pictures, the color is sky blue, but then in another, it looks like a beige. And the doll makers seem like the beige version, and they all have Audrey Hepburn like doll wearing the beige skirt.         In 1957, Audrey Hepburn starred with Gary Cooper in the film Love in the afternoon(in French: Ariane) directed by Billy Wilder. By now, Hubert de Givenchy has become Audrey Hepburn's default designer, and in this film, Givenchy has made a few black dresses for Audrey Hepburn's personage Ariane, a young innocent music student. The silhouettes are all classic 50s style with wide skirts, but Givenchy use some designing details to indicate her identity as well as her transformation of moods as the film progresses. No. 1    For more details about this black dress, visit roger-viollet.fr  No.2 No. 3 No. 4 |
