The dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962 has become one of the most recognizable garments in history. Far less famous is the man who designed it. More than 60 years after Monroe donned the crystal-studded gown, it returned to the headlines when Kim Kardashian borrowed the fragile original for the 2022 Met Gala, igniting a fierce debate among fashion historians and conservators.
The man behind the dress was French costume designer Jean Louis. Born Jean Louis Berthault, he dropped his surname in true Hollywood fashion and went on to shape the screen personas of some of cinema’s greatest stars, includingRita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Kim Novak and Monroe.
Now, for the first time, Louis’ remarkable career is being told in full. Jean Louis: Hollywood’s Bombshell Designer (Rizzoli), by brothers and veteran fashion publicists Roger and Mauricio Padilha, traces the couturier’s journey from Paris to Hollywood, where he became one of the defining costume designers of the studio era. Along the way, he won an Academy Award for his work on the 1956 Judy Holliday comedy The Solid Gold Cadillac.
Featuring a foreword by Novak, whom Louis dressed in Pal Joey (1957) and Bell, Book and Candle (1958) before the pair became lifelong friends, the lavishly illustrated volume explores his collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Julie Andrews, Ann-Margret, Gina Lollobrigida and Claudia Cardinale, among other legends. It also showcases hundreds of original sketches, photographs and rarely seen archival materials.
Clockwise: Marilyn Monroe at JFK’s birthday in 1962; Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly Last Summer (1959); Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946); Carol Channing in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Courtesy of Rizzoli
While Louis created countless memorable costumes for the screen, his legacy remains forever entwined with Monroe’s illusion gown. So form-fitting that it had to be sewn directly onto the actress before she stepped onstage at Madison Square Garden, the dress created the impression of nudity, scandalized audiences in 1962 and forever changed the language of celebrity spectacle.
Without it, it’s difficult to imagine Cher’s Bob Mackie-designed barely there look at the 1986 Oscars, or Bianca Censori’s headline-grabbing near-nude appearances, or the current naked-dressing red carpet trend. Six decades later, the gown remains a cultural touchstone, selling for a record $4.8 million at auction in 2016.
Publishing Sept. 15, the book makes the case that the oft-married Louis, who died in 1997 at 89, deserves recognition not simply as the designer of Monroe’s most famous dress, but as one of the principal architects of Hollywood glamour. By the time of his death, he was married to his fourth wife, former client Loretta Young, the Oscar-winning star of The Farmer’s Daughter.
L-R Betty Grable (flanked by Jack Lemmon, left, and Gower Champion) in Three for the Show (1955); Ann-Margret; Kim Novak, who wrote the foreword to Jean Louis: Hollywood’s Bombshell Designer, published in September by Rizzoli. 7 5 Madison Square Garden, the dress created the impression of nudity, scandalized audiences in 1962 and forever changed the language of celebrity spectacle. Without it, it’s difficult to imagine Cher’s Bob Mackie-designed barely there look at the 1986 Oscars, or Bianca Censori’s headline-grabbing near-nude appearances, or the current naked dressing red carpet trend. Six decades later, the gown remains a cultural touchstone, selling for a record $4.8 million at auction in 2016. Publishing Sept. 15, the book makes the case that the oft-married Louis, who died in 1997 at 89, deserves recognition not simply as the designer of Monroe’s most famous dress, but as one of the principal architects of Hollywood glamour. By the time of his death, he was married to his fourth wife, former client Loretta Young, the Oscar
Courtesy of Rizzoli
This story appeared in the Aug. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.