On the Block: The Debbie Reynolds Auction

One of the world's largest collection of the most iconic costumes in Hollywood film history goes on the block June 18th. Collected over half a century by actress (and icon herself) Debbie Reynolds, dealer Profiles in History will auction some 3500 sketches, 20,000 original photographs and scores of props, costume sketches and movie posters.

Some of the highlights include Scarlett's green velvet and bird feather "drapery" hat from Gone With the Wind, Marilyn's infamous subway grate white dress from The Seven Year Itch and Elizabeth Taylor's gilt headdress from Cleopatra. Claudette Colbert's gold lame gown from the 1934 version of Cleopatra. The Little Tramp's bowler hat and Judy Garland's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz along with Audrey Hepburn's black and white costume from My Fair Lady are must haves. Costumes from Travilla, Edith Head and Travis Banton will be featured as well.

The star of Singin in the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown began her collection in 1970 when MGM studio was purchased and consolidated and the studios goodies were sold to an auctioneer.  She sifted through 300,000 costumes, scripts, furniture and props, curating a wonderful array of memorabilia fit for a museum. Reynolds spent decades trying to find the proper home but to no avail.

It is sad to think this incredible collection of Hollywood history won't make it to a museum and hopefully private collectors will give it a good home.

Monroe's subway dress

Audrey Hepburn's hat  from My Fair Lady

Marilyn Monroe's gown from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Click your heels three times

Scarlett's hat in Gone With the Wind

Elizabeth Taylor's headdress in Cleopatra above and below

Claudette Colbert's gilded creation in 1934's Cleopatra

Elizabeth Taylor's costume in  National Velvet

If you want to own a piece of film history, the auction takes place Saturday, June 18th at the Paley Center for Media, 465 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills at noon. And if you can't be there or Charlton Heston's Ben Hur tunic is not in your budget (it's rumored that Monroe's subway dress will fetch up to two million dollars), the catalogue is a must read and can be purchased here.

Photo Credits: Profiles in History, Twentieth Century Fox, MGM

Shelf Life: The Season's Top Design Tomes

Many thanks to editor Wendy Goodman of New York Magazine for naming Designs on Film as one of the seasons "Top Design Tomes." I am proud to be in such wonderful company and you can read more about this and her selections here.

She cites the designs of Cleopatra (1963) as one of her favorites. I agree as these sets were some of the richest and most opulent in film history.

Elizabeth Taylor as the pampered Queen of the Nile

The film was one of the most expensive films ever made at that time

Filming was shot in England to look like Alexandria, Egypt and then moved to Italy, hence the inflated budget

I am a big fan of Wendy's work and be sure to catch her new book The World of Gloria Vanderbilt (Abrams, 2010) which debuted earlier in the month. The images and insider's view of the history of this renaissance woman are as stunning as the cover.

Photo Credits: Twentieth Century Fox, Abrams Books

A Tale of Four Cleos

Word out of Hollywood is actress Angelina Jolie will play Cleopatra in the biopic based on the best selling book Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra: A Life (Little, Brown). Will fourth time be the charm for Cleopatra?


While the first Cleopatra of note was silent film star Theda Bara in 1917, Claudette Colbert really put the exotic Queen on the map in Cecil B. Demille's 1934 production. The film is pure Demille filled with campy, over the top sets and lavish costumes. Although widely panned by critics, the film was nominated for Best Picture.

The sets tried to depict the period of the times but also reflected the art deco trends of the decade as well.

Production sketch for Cleopatra 

Perhaps the most controversial Cleo of all was the 1963 mega-production starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Considered one of the most expensive films of its time, the film was also known for its romantic pairing of two celestial stars of all time, Taylor and Burton. The backstory of the filming was more entertaining than the actual movie itself, with a production plagued by affairs, illness (Taylor had an emergency tracheotomy for starters), bad weather, cast replacements, financial problems, moving entire sets from London to Rome and lawsuits etc. The film's 42 million dollar budget nearly sank Twentieth Century Fox (chronicled in a fascinating documentary "Cleopatra: The Film that Changed Hollywood"). 

The legendary production designer/renaissance painter, illustrator and set designer John De Cuir Sr. (coined Hollywood's Da Vinci) built the spectacular sets of Alexandria and the number of costumes hit a record 26,000. Seventy sets were built on such a vast scope (such as the Sphinx below) that it was rumored to cause a lumber shortage in Italy. for The dress above for Ms. Taylor was reported to be made of 24 carat gold cloth. Andy Warhol considered the film to be one of the most influential in design -- even trendy sixties stylist Vidal Sassoon designed a tribute hairstyle.

One of the many incredible works of art/production sketches by John De Cuir Sr. 

And for more on the Burton-Taylor saga, check out this month's Vanity Fair with Liz on the cover.


Wonder who will play Marc Antony to Angelina's Cleo? I guess Brad Pitt is too obvious a choice.

Photo Credits: Top, Design by Oliver Messel for Cleopatra's head-dress in the film of Caesar and Cleopatra

Watercolour on paper, Victoria and Albert Museum, John De Cuir Jr., Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures.