In the filmography of director Harry Marshall, who died on July 19 in a California hospital, there were many pictures. However, the film of his life was Pretty Woman (1990), which glorified both Marshall himself and then little-known actress Julia Roberts.
The evolution of the style of the main character of "Pretty Woman" Vivian is just as interesting to watch as the development of her relationship with the financier Edward. From a vulgar prostitute in boots and ultrashort shorts, she turns into an elegant lady in a wide-brimmed hat and white gloves. Costume designer Marilyn Vance, who worked on Pretty Woman, recalled in one of her interviews that most of the clothes for the heroes of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere were made to order, and not bought in stores. In order for the costumes to fully match the characters, Marilyn had to conduct a real investigation. “I understood how they live, how much they earn, what are the features of their character,” said the designer. Gere, then 40, and 22-year-old Roberts showed miracles of patience as fitting and color matching took hours. In 1980-1990s everythingwhat viewers saw on the screen was a figment of the costume designer's imagination - in contrast to today's paintings, in which the characters' wardrobe is made up of items bought in the store. The result of careful work is memorable images that tell this story along with the characters of "Pretty Woman".
Mini and boots
"Cinderella in vinyl boots" - this is how The New York Times described the main character of "Pretty Woman". In the film, Vivian wears a defiant mini dress and over the knee boots. Marilyn Vance had to make four copies of the dress, because the fabric she bought was not of the best quality. Vance partially copied the design of her '60s swimsuit. A massive ring connected the top and bottom. And the faux leather over-the- knee boots arrived on set from NaNain London Chelsea. Harry Marshall wanted the heroine to wear high heels, but Vance insisted on high boots. The image of Vivian turned out to be so frank that Edward covered her with his trench coat in the hotel lobby. The coat was also made to order in silk because Vance could not find a finished piece in the right shade of gray. “Wearing this dress was a real nightmare,” Julia Roberts recalled. “During the filming on location, the guys whistled and made stupid comments about me. It wasn't fun at all. I felt insulted. I would never dress like that in my life."
The idea for a red oversized men's blazer, which Roberts' heroine wore as an outerwear, belonged to Harry Marshall - he really wanted the thing to look like Vivian got from her ex.
Black cocktail dress
“I had gold and black lace and tried different fabrics underneath, including beige and gold, before opting for black. I also sewed a bolero for the dress - when the heroine does not wear it, it lies on the armchair. After that, local tailors copied this bolero, and I would love to receive a dollar from every copy they managed to sell,”Marilyn Vance recalled.
Shot from the movie "Pretty Woman" (1990) © kinopoisk.ru
Polo Tournament Dress
The polka dot dress that Vivian wore to the polo tournament showed the elegance she had found. “It had to be simple, discreet and feminine. None of us expected it to have such an effect,”said Marilyn Vance. The designer found silk for the dress in one of the Hollywood fabric stores. According to Vance, she had to plead with the owners to let her into the basement, where the best cuts are usually kept. In the end, Marilyn was allowed to enter there - and she found a piece of fabric that was enough for exactly one dress. Doubts remained only about the length - to the ankle, but with Chanel ballet flats, or with a knee- length skirt and heeled sandals of the same brand. Roberts wanted heels. Having decided on the length, Vance thought about other points: the polka-dot silk dress was supplemented with a belt Anne Klein, a boater with a remnant ribbon and handmade pearl earrings.
Red evening dress
Vivian goes to the opera in a dizzying red dress inspired by the painting "Portrait of Madame X" by American artist John Sargent. However, initially Harry Marshall expressed a desire for the dress to be black. “But I wanted it to be red, and insisted on it,” said Marilyn Vance. - Besides, Marshall wanted to order a ball gown, but, in my opinion, that would be too much. We came up with four designs to find the right one, and we barely had enough fabric. " Since then, the Hollywood costume studio Western Costumes, which made the iconic dress, has received dozens of orders for the exact same dress every year from men who want to repeat everything like in the movies.
One of the most famous scenes of the film - Gere presents his lover with a gold necklace made of diamonds and rubies, which he borrowed for one night. The necklace, specially made for the film by the Parisian jeweler FRED, consisted of 23 heart-cut rubies set with diamonds. Its estimated cost was then $ 440 thousand - $ 1 million.
Shot from the movie "Pretty Woman" (1990) © kinopoisk.ru
Blazer and Jeans looks
At the end of the film, Vivian decides to leave her profession and go to college. She's no longer a call girl, but a sane, confident and life-changing woman. And in this new life Vivian enters in a blue blazer, jeans and a T-shirt - a simple, but at the same time, not devoid of elegance image.
Shot from the movie "Pretty Woman" (1990) © kinopoisk.ru
Costumes for Richard
Richard Gere's only ready-to-wear outfit was the tuxedo that the protagonist wore for the opera. Everything else, including shirts and ties, was custom made from Cerruti fabrics specially selected by Marilyn Vance in Italy. “In the 1990s, there were a lot of tweeds for men's suits, and they were baggy and heavy,” Vance said, “but I needed a clean gabardine, because its elegance was more in line with the status of a successful businessman who could afford bespoke suits. As a result, we sewed everything ourselves. Richard had to go through so many fittings ….
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