Hollywood Scandal! Edith Head and Celanese “Star in Crepe”

Thursday, December 12 | 7:00 pm

A fashionable Hollywood scandal – what could be more scintillating?

Kevin Jones, Senior Curator at the ASU FIDM Museum in downtown Los Angeles and sleuth of this story, takes us on a journey through the murky, mysterious history of a collection of fabulous 1930s-1940s-era film costumes. In 1960, rayon manufacturer Celanese teamed with Paramount Pictures’ Academy Award-winning costume designer Edith Head to launch a new synthetic material branded “Star in Crepe” by showcasing eleven original crepe gowns from Hollywood’s Golden Era in fashion shows held around the United States. In 1990, the gown collection came as a loan to FIDM from the City of Los Angeles, after being stored in an abandoned city J*il for more than twenty years.

Here, the plot thickens. While dressing the gowns for an exhibition, some of them did not look as they appeared in publicity photos. Half of the gowns looked spurious! Were these the same garments? Had they been altered? Are they the same gowns used for the Celanese promotion? If not, which famous dresses are these? Who were the legendary leading ladies who wore these beautiful creations? Curator/detective Kevin Jones clues us in on the unfolding drama.

Presentation will begin at 7:00 pm; PMH Galleries will be open for viewing at 6:00 pm.

Space is limited; advance reservations required.

Image: Costume designer Edith Head. Photofest

Host or Publisher Pasadena Museum of History