A historical project inspired by Dior's New Look of the 1950s. In this project, I approach designing what the great actress Ava Gardner would have worn in this time period.
Research
Ava Gardner was born in 1922 to poor cotton and tobacco farmers in North Carolina. In 1941, she signed a contract with MGM studios and her career finally started. Her love life was a rollercoaster and it was said that she forever looked for love throughout her life. Between the years of 1942 and 1957, she married three times and divorced three times and was to to do whatever she wanted. She openly dated married men, had a few affairs while married, courted bullfighters and drank as much as she wanted. Ava did not believe in her own acting and often criticized the movie industry and stardom society. She may not have been one of the most talented actresses of her time but she was loved by the camera; as soon as it turned on, the audience could only be mesmerized by her beauty. “I was lazy. I would have been a hell of a lot better actress had I taken it more seriously. I never had the proper respect for acting. Quite often, I learned my lines on the way to the studio.” Ava is still described as one of the most beautiful actresses in hollywood history. It was said that she had the face of an angel and the body of a goddess. Her image mostly consisted of the femme fatale, sexy and sensual. Her sultry voice and looks seducing as much her co-stars as her audience.
Initial sketches
The first design is set to portray the essence of the 1950s New Look. The softness of the beige with slight accents of dusty pink beads and the contrasting burgundy were all classics within Dior's colour palette. With the asymmetrical hemline and fluffy petticoat the look stays faithful to the era, however a touch of Ava Gardner's personality come through with the slightly too low sweetheart neckline, reflecting her sensual image.
The second look mostly relies on Ava Gardner's seductive image. She was known to wear tight formfitting dresses accentuating her hourglass figure. Taking inspiration from her iconic looks, I blended in the light and feminine colour palette Dior was known for and added the iconic skirt cape of the 1950s.
As for the third and chosen design, I chose to develop further Ava Gardner's personality. It is a design in which she could be seen in at a gala and in a shady bar dancing later in the evening. To keep with the prompt, I made sure to keep the classic New Look silhouette and fine beaded details but kept darker colours and made the neckline deeper than would be acceptable to accentuate her figure. Of course like in all the other designs, jewelry takes an important place as her love for it was deeply known.
Final design
