Irene, a designer from the golden age of Hollywood
Subtitle: the MGM years 1942-1949
By: Frank Billecci & Lauranne B. Fisher
Contributors: Fisher, Lauranne B.
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 144
ISBN-13: 9780764345555
Subjects: Costume designers; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Biography; Pictorial works; Fashion designers
Description: Hollywood's Golden Age was graced with thousands of breathtaking looks by a designer who was known simply as Irene. Based on unprecedented access to the records and remembrances of Irene's personal artist, Virginia Fisher, this insider's look tells the story of Irene's years at MGM studios. Marvellously illustrated with over 150 original sketches and photography from the time period, Irene's exhilarating story, filled with memories that have a cloying edge and are, at times, chilling, comes to life in this thoroughly researched resource on her career and legacy. From her early years as a designer with a successful dress shop catering to Hollywood clientele to her ascendancy at MGM studios to the beginning of her own label, Irene, Inc., this book captures Irene's struggles and triumphs surrounding her time at MGM. Complete with a filmography of Irene's designs and full of insightful cameos by stars like Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and others, this is the book for film and costume historians, fashion designers, and fans of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-142), filmogrpahy (pages 129-136) and index.
Table of contents: title: Foreword : A letter from Virginia Fisher, Christmas, 2011; title: Irene's early years in Hollywood; title: Irene begins designing at MGM; title: Marion Herwood joins Irene's expanding staff; title: Virginia Fisher becomes Irene's personal artist; title: Esther Williams and Lucille Ball take center stage; title: Hectic days at MGM; title: Irene, Inc. materializes with help from backers; title: MGM signs Irene to a second contract; title: Irene creates a staff for Irene, Inc.; title: Irene's final days at MGM.