Great Costumes from Classic Movies Paper Dolls: 30 Fashions by Adrian, Edith Head, Walter Plunkett and Others (Dover Paper Dolls) [Paperback]

Tom Tierney (Author), Paper Dolls (Author), Paper Dolls for Grownups (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2003 | Series: Dover Paper Dolls

This handsome collection pays tribute to 7 great Hollywood designers including Travis Banton, Jean Louis, Irene, and Orry-Kelly. 2 female figures — with separate attachable heads for each star — model exquisite gowns created for Leigh (Gone with the Wind), Turner (Ziegfeld Girl), Dietrich (Shanghai Express), others. 2 dolls and 30 full-color costumes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (August 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486427722
• ISBN-13: 978-0486427720
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Teens > Sports & Hobbies > Arts & Crafts
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Textiles & Costume
  • #89 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Obsessions > Teddy Bears

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Costumes, April 6, 2005

By 

Nevada Snow - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Costumes from Classic Movies Paper Dolls: 30 Fashions by Adrian, Edith Head, Walter Plunkett and Others (Dover Paper Dolls) (Paperback)

This is an inspired tribute by Tom Tierney the great costume designers of Hollywood's golden era. As is expected from Mr Tierney, the pieces are beautifully rendered and we are reminded of the time when costumes played a starring role in movies.

A few aspects of this work lowered my overall rating of its quality. Firstly, the rather odd concept was off-putting, that is, two dolls who serve as supports for costumes with detachable heads portraying the stars who wore them. Secondly, some of the heads don't look at all like the actresses in question, most notably Katharine Hepburn (the head actually looks like Raquel Welch), Marlene Dietrich and Rita Hayworth. Finally, some costumes have appeared in other works by Mr Tierney. Given the wealth of Hollywood costumes to choose from, there was no need for repetition.

That aside, there are some delightful illustrations. I especially liked the amusing portrayal of Jack Lemmon in "Some Like It Hot". The red gown from "Jezebel", the wedding dress from "thoroughly Modern Millie" and the draped dress with a fur stole from "Sunset Boulevard" were also outstanding.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but could be better, April 19, 2007

By 

Robert Sanchez "hollywood history lover" (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great Costumes from Classic Movies Paper Dolls: 30 Fashions by Adrian, Edith Head, Walter Plunkett and Others (Dover Paper Dolls) (Paperback)

The costumes and dolls pictured in this book are up to Mr. Tierney's usual fine standards. I agree with the previous poster that some of the doll faces don't quite look like the intended stars, and that some costumes have been used in other books and the inclusion of other stars and/or other costumes for variety's sake would have been nice.

My main reason for giving this item 4 stars rather than 5 are two errors in reproducing the costumes, which meticulous research could have avoided. The doll of Joan Crawford wears a costume from "The Women", a red sequined dance dress. The dress should be gold. Joan Crawford famously quoted of her rival, Norma Shearer, in the same movie, "Norma got the guy, but I got the gold sequined dress."

The doll of Bette Davis wears a black cocktail dress (from "All About Eve") which comes to just below the knee. In the film, the dress came to the ankle and was actually made of a heavy brown silk, with elbow-length cuffs and pockets at the waist, both trimmed in sable.

Overall, I think this is an outstanding effort to examine classic Hollywood costuming with biographical data on the designers.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie Nostalgia, January 17, 2010

By 

Lynn Jacek "Movie groupie" (Clarkston, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great Costumes from Classic Movies Paper Dolls: 30 Fashions by Adrian, Edith Head, Walter Plunkett and Others (Dover Paper Dolls) (Paperback)

As a teen I wanted to be a Fashion designer for the movies. Edith Head was my idol. So I gave myself this small Christmas present. I was delighted with the bios of the designers, the costumes, the "heads" of the stars. Every friend who saw it had the same reaction. They didn't know such books existed. I will continue to buy these for myself each Christmas and birthday. Tom Tierney - a new collection for me, and it doesn't take up much space.