Opportunity to See Some Bonnie Cashin Costume Designs

katev

katev

"The Bag Whisperer!"
O.G.
Dec 18, 2009
16,810
18,330
#1
I knew that Bonnie Cashin (the original designer of women's accessories for Coach) had worked as a costume designer in Hollywood on a number of films but I had only ever seen her work in "Laura" starring Gene Tierney - I love that film and the clothes!

Lately, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has been showcasing Oscar-Winning movies and the other night I started to watch A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It is an old black & white classic from 1945. When the film started I was surprised and delighted to see "Bonnie Cashin" credited for costume design!

It is about a poor family living in Brooklyn in the early 1900s and their clothes are very convincing and appropriate for the period and their social status, but I think that Bonnie Cashin really had some fun in designing Joan Blondell's wardrobe!

She plays Aunt Sissy, a rather scandalous but good-hearted woman. If you are interested, there are a few clips from the film at the link below featuring Joan Blondell in 3 of her Aunt Sissy costumes! The second clip starts at 10:25 and the third clip begins at 13:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxUsJcGq9QQ
 
Last edited:
#5
Here are Bonnie's filmography and biography from IMDb:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143642/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1#CostumeDesigner

Biography for Bonnie Cashin

Date of Birth 28 September 1915, Oakland, California, USA
Date of Death 3 February 2000, New York City, New York, USA (after open-heart surgery)

Mini Biography
The daughter of an inventor and a dressmaker, Bonnie Cashin was inspired to design clothes by the age of eight, and, by sixteen, had her first paying job as a costume designer for the chorus line of a Los Angeles-based dance company. She received formal training in design at the Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles, and, after moving to New York in 1933, at the Art Students League. Her first work was as full-time costume designer for the Roxy Theatre's 'Roxyettes', followed by six years (1937-43) with prestigious suit manufacturers Adler & Adler. She returned to the West Coast in 1943 to sign a contract with 20th Century Fox, where she stayed until 1949, as part of the team headed by Charles Le Maire. During her tenure,she received most acclaim for the costumes she designed for Gene Tierney in Laura (1944), and for Irene Dunne in Anna and the King of Siam (1946).

In 1949, Cashin resumed her work with Adler & Adler, eventually opening her own salon, Bonnie Cashin designs Inc., in 1952. She established a singular reputation for elegant, innovative design in ready-to-wear clothes and sportswear, including canvas raincoats and jumpsuits for women. Moreover, she was among the first to introduce the 'layered look', by creating clothes which could be adapted to varying climatic conditions. She became notably affiliated with the leather manufacturer Sills & Co. (1953-77), and with the Coach handbag company (1961-74). In 1972, Cashin was inducted into the Coty American Fashion Critics Hall of Fame.

IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis

Spouse
Robert Sterner (? - ?) (divorced)

Costume Designer (30 titles)
1949 You're My Everything
1949 It Happens Every Spring (costumes designed by)
1949 Mr. Belvedere Goes to College
1948 Unfaithfully Yours
1948 The Snake Pit (costumes designed by)
1948 Cry of the City
1948 The Luck of the Irish
1948 Give My Regards to Broadway
1948 The Iron Curtain
1948 Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
1947 Nightmare Alley
1947 I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
1946 Three Little Girls in Blue
1946 Anna and the King of Siam (costumes)
1946 Do You Love Me
1946 Cluny Brown
1945 Fallen Angel
1945 The House on 92nd Street
1945 The Caribbean Mystery
1945 Junior Miss
1945 Where Do We Go from Here?
1945 The Bullfighters
1945 Diamond Horseshoe
1945 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (costumes)
1944 The Keys of the Kingdom
1944 Laura
1944 In the Meantime, Darling
1944 Home in Indiana
1944 Ladies of Washington
1943 Claudia

Costume and Wardrobe Department (2 titles)
1946 Smoky (costumes)
1944 The Eve of St. Mark (costumes)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back