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Many fashion designers linked their name to well-known performers, with artistic collaborations manifesting both on the stage and in everyday life.
These partnerships often contributed to the global success of both personalities. In recent times, the connection between actors, musicians and fashion brands has come to be a powerful communication tool to promote a specific endeavour and ‘brand’ it, exploiting the visual power of fashion to create unforgettable pop-culture moments: think about Jennifer Lopez wearing the now famous jungle dress by Donatella Versace, who also re-edited the dress 20 years after Lopez first wore it on the red carpet, causing a sensation - and pushed Google to develop their image search engine!
These kinds of things have been happening since the birth of couture: Charles Worth was the favourite of Sarah Bernhardt, Mae West loved the surrealist designs by Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior famously dressed - and was inspired by - dancer Margot Fonteyn. And the list goes on, with fascinating stories behind each pair.
The case of Maria Callas is particularly interesting, since her very transformation into 'La Divina' was credited to Italian couturière Biki (Elvira Leonardi Bouyeure). Biki met Maria Callas in 1951.
From that date on she, and her son-in-law Alain Reynaud, created complete looks for Callas, numbering dresses and accessories to help her style herself up. Biki also gave indications on gestures and poses, to really shape the glamorous image of Callas on stage and in life.
One of the most famous partnerships - and friendship - is the one between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy.
After meeting in 1953, Givenchy first worked with Hepburn on the set of the 1954 film Sabrina, the film in which Hepburn plays a somewhat dowdy teenager who goes to Paris and is transformed into a lady of elegance and class. Givenchy and Hepburn then co-designed all of the outfits for her character Jo Stockton in the 1957 film Funny Face.
Hepburn and Givenchy then continued to work together on the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, which placed Hepburn permanently at the top of Hollywood fashion history, thanks to the black dress Hepburn wore in the film's opening scene and which became one of the most iconic dresses in the history of cinema.
Givenchy and Hepburn became lifelong friends, to the extent that the actress described the designer as her 'best friend' and he, in turn, said he saw her as a 'sister'. Hepburn has always preferred Givenchy's designs, both on and off screen.
From Cecil Beaton's Vogue shoots to award ceremonies, Hepburn was rarely seen wearing another designer's clothes; so much so that Hepburn also chose Givenchy as the designer for her wedding dress, which she wore to her wedding to second husband Andrea Dotti in 1969.
After the end of World War II, Rome and Cinecittà became the hub of Italian cinema and international jet-set. One of the most famous ateliers where stars used to get dressed was that of the Sorelle Fontana.
Ava Gardner was a special client, who not only asked sisters Zoe, Micol and Giovanna Fontana to curate her entire wardrobe, but also imposed the clause on the American major film production companies that all her stage clothes must be created and made by their atelier. This would be the case for her films The Bible by John Huston, Le Dernier Rivage by Stanley Kramer and The Barefoot Contessa by Joseph Mankiewicz.
One of the most famous creations for Gardner was the 'Pretino', a knee-length cassock-style dress in black wool and silk, which was to be used for a film by the actress in which she dressed as a monsignor, but the film was cancelled. The dress was originally called 'Morning Prayer', and was to be purple. Instead, it was decided to have it in black with a red profile and purple buttons, completed by a monsignor's hat with cord and tassels, called 'Saturno', and a cardinal chain with a cross on the chest.
The entire Sorelle Fontana Autumn-Winter 1956-57 collection was then developed inspired by the Pretino. The collection caused a scandal in the press, since it was considered blasphemous due to the use, seen as improper, of the pearl and metal rosary. Being Catholics, the Fontanas proved they had asked for authorisation from the Vatican, which agreed and sent them a cardinal's dress to copy. Pope Pius XII was therefore much less scandalised than the American press, and indeed enthusiastically called the three sisters for a private audience in 1957.
Fascinated by the Pretino, director Federico Fellini asked his costume designer Piero Gherardi for a dress that could recall it, to be worn by Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita. This contributed to further increasing the fame of the garment, which still remains imprinted in Western culture today.
When Catherine Deneuve, the wife of British photographer David Bailey, was about to meet Queen Elizabeth II, she decided to be dressed by a fellow French designer. Deneuve was 22 and very decisive: she chose Yves Saint Laurent, who had opened his own label with partner Pierre Berge in 1960, after serving as designer for the maison Dior. Saint Laurent then went on to design Deneuve’s wardrobe for Luis Buñuel’s movie Belle de jour.
Deneuve and YSL remained close friends till his death in 2008. Her personal collection of YSL garments was sold at an important auction at Christie’s in 2019.
Performers and their clothing choices - and the people they selected to design their wardrobes for the stage and for life - also influenced public perception of femininity and masculinity, reaffirming or challenging gender roles. While considered a glamorous femme fatale dressed by womenswear designers and costume mavericks, Marlene Dietrich preferred to go to men’s tailors for her everyday wardrobe. As early as in the 1930s, she paved the way for women to wear garments considered suitable only for men.
