Adrian

Adrian

Source: LIFE Magazine, 8 May 1944

Adrian (1903-1959) was a fashion designer who significantly impacted American fashion though his stage and movie costumes, as well as his ready-to-wear creations. Born Adrian Adolph Greenburg in Connecticut, he later changed his name to Gilbert Adrian. His father owned a small millinery shop, his parents encouraged him to draw and sew, and he spent hours sketching animals at the zoo.

He attended the New York School for Fine and Applied Art (now Parsons School of Design) but left for the Paris branch at age 19. In Paris, he designed his date’s dress for a ball and thereby caught Irving Berlin’s attention, and he returned to New York to begin his career as a Broadway designer for Berlin and others.

Fiorello La Guardia presenting Gilbert Adrian with the 1944 Coty American Fashion Critics Award

Source: Wikimedia Commons

In the mid-1920s he moved to Hollywood, ending up at MGM (1928-1941) as chief costume designer. He designed costumes for over 250 films, including The Wizard of Oz, and dressed numerous Hollywood icons, including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn. During this period he revolutionized film costumes by merging high fashion with the studio wardrobe and creating costumes that were glamorous gowns fit for off-screen wear. He popularized sequined and embroidered designs for evening dress, created signature bias-cut gowns, and frequently used gingham checks.

Object ID #2004.03.390.ab

Note the padded shoulders, small collar, numerous pockets, and long jacket, all signature Adrian characteristics

Adrian left MGM to open his own fashion house in Los Angeles with two lines: “Adrian Original” for custom couture creations and “Adrian Custom” for ready-to-wear (though still expensive) items. Fabric restrictions during World War II prompted long-term changes in his designs, including eliminating cuffs and lapels and reducing the size of collars. His broad-shouldered women’s suits became perhaps his most popular look, with their padded shoulders, tapered waistlines, and jackets ending below the hip.

In both his costumes and his ready-to-wear line, he was known for complicated construction, fine handwork, and eccentric details, including the ingenious use of stripes, oddly placed or cleverly concealed pockets, and diagonal closings. He used oversize prints of animals and flowers to dramatic effect, and while his garments often look modern to us now, at the time they were simply thought of as beautiful, well-made clothes.

Adrian married his wife, the actress Janet Gaynor, in 1939, and his son Robin was born shortly thereafter. His fascination with animals continued throughout his life and his home was a farm with a menagerie of barnyard and wild animals. He ran his business until 1952, then lived in Brazil until he died in 1959.