Costumes From The Golden Age Of Hollywood

Fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood should start salivating now with the news that one of Brisbane’s best kept secrets is to be shared with the public. Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood runs at the Museum of Brisbane in City Hall from 22 Nov to 25 May, 2015. 

Brisbane-based collector, Nicholas Inglis, has spent two decades acquiring some of the most iconic costumes seen in your favourite Hollywood films of yesteryear, with the outfits having been worn by some huge names. Try these on for size: Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis and Marlon Brando. Gloria Swanson’s pink silk nightgown from Sunset Boulevard makes an appearance, as well as a two-metre wide ball gown from the 1938 film, Marie Antoinette, and swimsuits worn by Busby Berkeley synchronised swimming queen, Esther Williams.

The Museum of Brisbane has spent the last three years in preparation for this rare and precious collection which also includes countless items of memorabilia. Co-curators, Christopher Salter and Dr Nadia Buick, had heard about a mysterious Hollywood collection somewhere in Brisbane and eventually tracked down Inglis, with the result being a selection of nearly 70 costumes, dozens of accessories and props, and over 100 photographs and sketches from the 1920s to the 1960s.

The world-premiere exhibition is guaranteed to bring in the crowds who love nostalgia and a well-made frock. It’s a testament to a different era in the movies, when people escaped from their drab lives and times of war into a world where costumes created by studio-employed artisans made everyone look very glamorous, darling.

Read more here

by Vicki Englund