Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the first Academy Awards event in 1928, Janet Gaynor had received advance word of her "best actress" award for three silent films the year before. For the ceremony she wore a store-bought Peter Pan–collared dress, but for future events she sought the advice of designer Gilbert Adrian, whom she married. In this entertaining look at the history of Academy Award fashion, Cosgrove, who covered the Oscars for British Vogue and the BBC, demonstrates that the Gaynor-Adrian pairing was the start of many between star designers and actresses—Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn, Edith Head and Grace Kelly, Thea van Runkle and Faye Dunaway, Scaasi and Streisand, Halston and Liza, Bob Mackie and Cher. Earlier screen queens (and their producers and minders) had quickly learned that a drop-dead appearance at the awards ceremony led to invaluable glam photos and inches in print: Carole Lombard, Vivien Leigh, Garbo and especially perfectionist Marlene Dietrich who, after experimenting, turned to Dior. Cosgrave could have simply served up a deep dish of anecdotes, gossip and tales of rivalry, but she has gone several steps further to deliver a carefully researched and footnoted book that belongs in every Hollywood historian's library and is sure to be consulted for a long time to come. 90 b&w photos and illus., 12-page color insert (not seen by PW). (Feb.)
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Product Description

At the Academy Awards, the answer to who wore what matters just as much as who won what.  Focusing on the actresses nominated for Oscars and a few seminal presenters, Made for Each Other traces the fashion trends of the widely watched Oscar ceremony. From the splendor of Vivien Leigh to the spare war-era chic of Ingrid Bergman, from the arresting glamor of Marlene Dietrich to Barbra Streisand’s daring sequined Arnold Scaasi pantsuit, Bronwyn Cosgrave delivers a revealing account of the entertainers who have helped shape the look of the Academy Awards and the international couturiers and behind-the-scenes fashion players on whom they’ve relied. Delving deep into the partnerships that have defined Oscar fashion—Claudette Colbert and Travis Banton; Grace Kelly and Edith Head; Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy; Elizabeth Taylor and Helen Rose; Liza Minelli and Halston; Cher and Bob Mackie; Jodie Foster and Georgio Armani; Nicole Kidman and John Galliano; Hilary Swank and Randolph Duke—Cosgrave demonstrates that from the beginning fashion was as integral to Oscar night as the films it celebrated. In a package befitting the glamorous subject, Made for Each Other includes previously unseen sketches of Oscar dresses by legendary couturiers, rare vintage photographs, and fashion illustrations of key dresses created especially for this book. For fashionistas and film buffs alike, Made for Each Other is a must have for anyone interested in this perfect pairing.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596910879
• ISBN-13: 978-1596910874
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #894,053 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read but full of typos, February 27, 2007

By	New York Foodie - See all my reviews

I agree with a previous review that this book would have benefited from a thorough editing. Michael Kors for Celine designed Rene Russo's costumes in The Thomas Crowne Affair, not Randolph Duke. Gwyneth Paltrow won in 1999, not 1991. Hogs and Heifers, where Julia Roberts danced on the bar and left her bra nailed to the ceiling is in the Meatpacking District, not Tribeca. Nothing too serious, but irritating nonetheless. There are some great stories told here and the later part of the book that deals with the jockeying for position of designers to dress particular actresses is fascinating. But where are some of the more famous Oscar flops and hits? Kim Bassinger's self-designed dress. Demi Moore's hot pants? Halley Berry's Reem Acra? Kate Winset's huge necklace after Titanic? Uma's milkmaid dress? Another 30 pages would have been appreciated!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of Oscars fashion, March 20, 2007

By	Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I bought this book assuming it was sort of a glossy, coffee table photography book. Imagine my surprise when it came and I realized there was more text than photos! This turned out to be a good thing, though, as the book is a fascinating, almost scholarly anthropological account of Academy Awards fashion. You'll find yourself being amazed at not only the hoops the designers jump through to please the actresses, but at the level of minutae and detail that goes into designing (and then sewing) a dress that will be viewed by literally billions of people. There are hair-raising stories of dresses gone wrong, a good, long look at the vintage gowns some actresses have chosen to wear, and a lot of information on the actual construction of these unique gowns. It's well worth it for the Oscars aficionado.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, February 18, 2007

By	RosaG (Wading River, NY) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed the stories behind the story. This book is well researched, but not very well written. The style is choppy and lacks flow. Sometimes it gets confusing and one needs to re-read a sentence to understand whom it is referring to. This book would have certainly benefited from a thorough editing. It gets worst towards the end, when it becomes more about the gossip than about the fashion itself.