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Lady in the Dark

Dress
1944
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Film costume worn by Ginger Rogers as Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark, designed by Edith Head and Mitchell Leisen, 1944. Rogers wore this costume for the ‘The Saga of Jenny’ sequence in the musical, which was staged in a circus. In 1944, this single costume was the most expensive ever produced in Hollywood. Legendary designer Edith Head is credited as the designer, with strong influence and a design concept from Mitchell Leisen, a former costume designer turned film director. Rogers wore two versions of the dress, one for singing and static close-ups and a lighter version for dancing.

According to Edith Head in Edith Head’s Hollywood, ‘as Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark, Ginger was the fashion-editor of the world’s greatest fashion magazine. Her costumes were superlative. She was constantly having daydreams that she was a glamorous sexpot instead of a tailored-editor type and the dreams created a perfect plot excuse for fabulous gowns. It has come to be known as the mink dress, but actually it was a mink over-skirt that was lined with sequins, worn over a matching sequined bodysuit. It cost about thirty-five thousand dollars to make in those days and couldn’t be made today without a limitless wardrobe budget’.

The British Film Institute (BFI) acquired its costume collection for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of British, European, American and Japanese films and covers the period from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant film costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Dress
  • Boleros
TitleLady in the Dark (generic title)
Brief description
Film costume worn by Ginger Rogers as Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark, designed by Edith Head and Mitchell Leisen, 1944

Gallery label
Gallery Rotation, 2022 COSTUME WORN BY GINGER ROGERS IN LADY IN THE DARK 1944 Ginger Rogers wore this costume as a fashion editor day-dreaming of glamour. It featured in a circus fantasy sequence in the musical film. The mink overskirt lined with sequins cost around $35,000. It is considered the most expensive costume in Hollywood history. Rogers wore two versions of the dress, one for singing and static close-ups (seen here), and another lighter version for dancing. Designed by Edith Head and Mitchell Leisen Net with sequins and mink fur Given by the British Film Institute Museum no. S.207:1-2015(07/03/2022)
Credit line
Given by the British Film Institute
Summary
Film costume worn by Ginger Rogers as Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark, designed by Edith Head and Mitchell Leisen, 1944. Rogers wore this costume for the ‘The Saga of Jenny’ sequence in the musical, which was staged in a circus. In 1944, this single costume was the most expensive ever produced in Hollywood. Legendary designer Edith Head is credited as the designer, with strong influence and a design concept from Mitchell Leisen, a former costume designer turned film director. Rogers wore two versions of the dress, one for singing and static close-ups and a lighter version for dancing.

According to Edith Head in Edith Head’s Hollywood, ‘as Liza Elliott in Lady in the Dark, Ginger was the fashion-editor of the world’s greatest fashion magazine. Her costumes were superlative. She was constantly having daydreams that she was a glamorous sexpot instead of a tailored-editor type and the dreams created a perfect plot excuse for fabulous gowns. It has come to be known as the mink dress, but actually it was a mink over-skirt that was lined with sequins, worn over a matching sequined bodysuit. It cost about thirty-five thousand dollars to make in those days and couldn’t be made today without a limitless wardrobe budget’.

The British Film Institute (BFI) acquired its costume collection for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of British, European, American and Japanese films and covers the period from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant film costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.

Collection
Accession number
S.207:1 to 2-2015

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Record createdMay 29, 2015
Record URL
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