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Film Costume Mystery Reveals Possible Scandal in Hollywood’s Golden Era

Curator investigates authenticity of iconic 1930s and '40s movie gowns found in abandoned Los Angeles jail
Published on Dec 7, 2024

[Photo credit: Pasadena Museum of History]

A fashionable Hollywood scandal has emerged as a collection of glamorous film costumes from the 1930s and 1940s becomes the center of an authentication mystery.

Kevin Jones, Senior Curator at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) Museum in downtown Los Angeles and sleuth of this story, is investigating 11 original crepe gowns from Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Jones will present his findings at the Pasadena Museum of History (PMH) on Thursday, Dec. 12, with tickets priced at $18 for general admission and $13 for PMH members.

The gowns were part of a 1960 collaboration between Paramount Pictures’ costume designer Edith Head and synthetic fabric manufacturer Celanese, showcased in fashion shows across the United States.

The collection, used to promote Celanese’s new “Star in Crepe” material, spent more than two decades stored in an abandoned Los Angeles city jail before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in 1990.

Jones discovered troubling discrepancies when preparing the gowns for exhibition, noting that half of the gowns looked spurious when compared to their historical publicity photographs.

The inconsistencies have raised questions about whether the dresses were altered, if they are the same ones used in the Celanese promotion, or if they might be different iconic costumes altogether.

The presentation at PMH, which explores this previously unknown chapter in Hollywood costume history, will begin at 7 p.m., with museum galleries opening at 6:00 p.m. for early viewing.

Space is limited and advance reservations are required.

For more information, visit https://pasadenahistory.org/events/edith-head/.

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