Born in Connecticut in 1903, Gilbert Adrian was exposed to the fine arts of fashion from a young age by his parents who ran a successful millinery business. Adrian’s passion came alive as he studied costume design at the Parson’s New York School for Fine And Applied Art in New York City, ultimately transferring to Parson’s Paris branch to be closer to Parisian style and couture. While in Paris, he was noticed for his talent, and as a result, returned to New York to design for Irving Berlin’s Music Box Revue on Broadway.

Adrian’s first big break for costume design for the movies happened in 1925 in the first MGM film of Mae Murray, The Merry Widow. Following that, he started working with Cecil B. DeMille, and in 1928, they both moved to MGM, where Adrian remained at the studio until 1942. At MGM, Adrian meets his first muse, Greta Garbo, whom he transformed into a goddess of glamour adulated by women worldwide. Adrian dressed and transfigured the constellation of all their stars including Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Judy Garland and many others for some of their most memorable film roles.

For the next decade, by becoming Director of MGM’s Costume Department, Adrian upset the notion of glamour in just thirteen years of his career. He possessed the instinct for designing for the camera and the shot, dressing his stars in the most dramatic, scene stealing silhouettes, of signature bias-cut gowns, sharp tailored suits, and draw dropping fabric and embellishment choices. For example, he made the masculine shoulders of Joan Crawford more distinct and used shoulder-padded tops to enhance them. This look made her the diva we know today and invented the silhouette of the 1940s.

Joan Crawford, Letty Lynton — Joan Crawford, *Letty Lynton*

Not only were his designs glamorous and inspiring, they were also universal and democratic, as Adrian would design all the garments in a film, from the top star to the lesser associated supporting roles. His creations transcended the screen and soon became desired worldwide. In 1932, his white mousseline de soie dress worn by Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton was copied for the masses and sold over 500,000 units of this one dress throughout the country. Adrian knew how women liked to look, feel, and move in a beautiful dress, on screen or off.

When Garbo left the studio Adrian declared “When the glamour goes for Garbo, it goes for me as well”. As a result, in 1941, Adrian left MGM to open up his own clothing store in Beverly Hills. Even though he was advised that it wouldn’t be the best time with the war, he had already made up his mind. He created two lines for retail, one labeled “Adrian Original” for special couture creations and private clients, and another as “Adrian Custom”, a more encompassing American designer line with off-the-rack designs.

Although he knew his Hollywood designs were too extreme for off-screen, he adapted their esprit, grace and glamour into his collections. The war and its limitations on production and fabric further influenced Adrian as he adjusted to the new reality, making a virtue of the war’s restrictions by eliminating cuffs, lapels and reducing the size of collars and the number of pockets. Adrian was a master of marrying the construction of the silhouette with the proportions, and became known for elements such as diagonal closings, dolman and kimono sleeves. For the next decade, he provided women with that special touch of glamour and its unique sense of style, enhancing the woman’s spirit. Adrian retired from business in 1952 after suffering a heart attack. He lived the remainder of his life in Brazil, before passing at age 56 in 1959. His legacy, however, lives on, in the movies, in the clothes, and in the minds of young designers who look to Adrian for inspiration.

THE STYLE ICON: Adrian