The Style Essentials--Jean Harlow Draped in Deco Decadence in 1933's DINNER AT EIGHT (2024)

In doing a Month (or so) of Art Deco, I would be remiss if I did not include George Cukor's 1933 classic Dinner at Eight. It is an iconic moment for both film and fashion...one of those rare occasions in which a great star is put into the hands of an equally great costume designer. In this case, it is platinum blonde bombshellJean Harlow who was put in the artistic hands ofAdrian. It was a match made in heaven and out came a masterpiece of Art Deco film design.

Like Grand Hotel (1932) before it, Dinner at Eightis an ensemble piece filled with the giants of the early film industry. Jean is first and foremost...shining so brightly it's easy to forget she's acting among some of the greatest talent film has ever seen. John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler, Billie Burke, and on and on. The parts are worthy of the talent, too...each character is richly written with both wit and pathos, which is customary for any George Kaufman-Edna Ferber play. Something is always simmering just beneath the surface, andHerman Mankiewicz and Francis Marin brought this out even more with their sophisticated screenplay. This seasoned group of actors, which includes the best of Broadway as well,knew the depth and talent behind their scripts.

But I'm going to gloss over all of these heavyweights for the one reason I come back to Dinner at Eight again and again--Jean Harlow. Though I love her more in movies like Red Dust(1932), you cannot avoid the fact that this is a great moment on film. It is a moment that largely defined what was sexy in the 1930s...and even now. Adrian had three opportunities to dress her for Dinner at Eight and each is a look that has become iconic. First is when we meet Jean's character Kitty...in bed, no less...in a silk halter gown as loungewear. At some angles, it almost suggests a pantsuit and may have inspired 1970s design from the likes of Halston. She makes her second appearance while getting ready for the party in a sequined robe with sleeves made of ostrich feathers. And her last look is the silk bias-cut gown so iconic that it embodies the 1930s Art Deco style that continues to inspire design today.

Adrian loved to add flourish to garments and it's interesting to watch what he does in Dinner at Eight. You'll see how often he transforms outfits just by tying a shrug around Jean's neck. In her opening scene, the shrug she wears around her husband is relatively innocent, covered in sequins and gauzy ruffles. But that changes when her lover comes to visit...she switches to one covered in luxurious fur that slips easily off her shoulders. Finally at the end of the movie, she wears yet another fur-covered shrug at the party and interestingly it never comes off. As a minimalist, I often think that's a shame. It would have been wonderful to start with the shrug and then remove it...both because of the dramatic effect and also to give us a good look of Jean in that gown. Luckily photographer George Hurrell thought the same, and MGM allowed his camera to capture the images that Cukor's did not. I share some of the photographs below and think you'll agree the gown definitely deserved some screen time.

Though Jean herself spends a significant amount of time onscreen in Dinner at Eight, I still always feel the moments with her go by too quickly. It's almost as if I cannot believe I'm looking at such sultry perfection. Because of this, I'm thrilled to share these screen shots so we can all better appreciate how sophisticated and sexy she is in this wardrobe from Adrian. So much in design today is taken from it...its influence could be seen at this year's Oscars,for example, in Badgley Mischka's dress for Penelope Ann Miller. Though of course they did their own beautiful interpretation, even they will acknowledge that Adrian was the master who started it all.

And with that, my dear guest, welcome to Dinner at Eight.