SueSueApplegate

Sansfin, this was such an interesting post. Thank you for sharing these personal insights.

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year!

*SueSue, those Lucille Ball pictures are great!* --kingrat Thank you so much, King! I added a few more, thanks to your hearty enthusiasm! Can't wait to see you in 2012! An early bloom.... Contemplation.... Sensually stylish glam shot Smoky sensuality Another Travis Banton Fashion Statement...

Lovely Lucille Ball... In a Travis Banton design... Zowee, Lucille! (Ball in another Banton with Brent) Evidently, Lucille Ball was no stranger to fashion do's and don'ts. Her brush with Banton fame occured during the filming of *Lover Come Back*, (1946) with George Brent, Wallace Ford, Franklin Pangborn, and Vera Zorina, possibly retitled *When Lovers Meet* in reissue to avoid being confused with the more popular 1960's version with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Ball strode the fifties' fashion avenue like a colossus. Her clothing on the iconic *I Love Lucy* show set the trends for those little gals in Poughkeepsie, Ponca City, and Altoona. Hausfrau in a house frock... Remember how she helped to popularize slacks? Even her dishes used on the popular series, Ivy by Franciscan, were some of the most popular china patterns in America. Ever seen these in Grandmother's Cupboard? She was always a stylish gal!

Kyle, this is a lovely post! All your research and archival skills are definitely appreciated. The posters, biographical information, and details about the models highlight all the expressive artwork in the advertisements. I enjoyed Neil Hamilton's work, and he is probably most well known for his stint as Commission Gordon on episodes of Batman! Thank you so much for such a "stylish" post! I think Arrow shirts would never regret sponsoring the TCM Film Festival 2012!

Claudette Colbert wore this lovely lame lounger in *Cleopatra*. It was designed by the famous Travis Banton. Another lovely Travis Banton outfit, and Claudette is actually wearing this one! Look what I found in the Texas State Historical Association's *Handbook of Texas* online: BANTON, TRAVIS (1894–1958). Travis Banton, Hollywood costume designer known for the "Paramount Look," the son of Rennie B. and Maggie (Jones) Banton, was born at Waco, Texas, on August 18, 1894. When he was two the family moved to New York. Banton's parents later joined him in Hollywood. During his early years in New York his talents developed in art, theater, and custom fashion design. He served in the navy during World War I, enrolled at Columbia University to please his parents, and studied at the Art Students League and the New York School of Fine and Applied Art. He worked on his own as a dress designer and at the fashion house of Lucile. While he was an apprentice with Madame Francis (or Frances) his designs were selected by Mary Pickford for her wedding to Douglas Fairbanks. After designing for Norma Talmadge in the East Coast film Poppy (1917), he soon distinguished himself with costumes for the Ziegfeld Follies and other stage productions, an interest he resumed at the end of his life by dressing Rosalind Russell in the 1956 Broadway production of Auntie Mame. At the time of his death, Banton was designing for Dinah Shore's television show. He won accolades for dressing some of the world's most popular and glamorous actresses during Hollywood's golden era. His best work was executed before the establishment in 1948 of the now-coveted Academy Award for costume design. In 1924 Walter Wanger brought Banton to Hollywood, where he was contracted by Paramount studios as an assistant to Howard Greer. Banton garnered instant acclaim for dressing star Leatrice Joy and mannequins in the style show for The Dressmaker from Paris (1925). As Paramount's chief designer between 1929 and 1938, followed by freelance film and TV work as part of his couture business, Banton dressed more than 160 films. He played a major role in creating images for movie greats Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, and Mae West. The essence of film-costume elegance appears in the visual classics of Dietrich vehicles such as The Scarlet Empress (1934) and Angel (1937). For the latter, Banton's staff labored weeks; one hand-sewn garment was a Fabergé-inspired gown of chiffon lavished with beading and bordered with Russian sable at a reported cost of $8,000. Banton also designed for Tallulah Bankhead, Clara Bow, Kitty Carlisle, Ruth Chatterton, Kay Francis, Miriam Hopkins, Ida Lupino, Pola Negri (see CHALUPEC, BARBARA A.), Merle Oberon, Gail Patrick, Sylvia Sidney, Lilyan Tashman, and Florence A. Vidor. Of the films he dressed, many are recognized as classics–1927: Wings; 1928: The Wild Party; 1930: Morocco; 1931: Dishonoured, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; 1932: Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, Night After Night, Trouble In Paradise, A Farewell to Arms, No Man of Her Own, The Sign of the Cross, Sinners In the Sun; 1933: Design for Living, I'm No Angel, Death Takes A Holiday, Bolero; 1934: We're Not Dressing, Rumba, Belle of the Nineties, Ruggles of Red Gap, The Gilded Lily; 1935: The Devil is A Woman, The Crusades, Goin' to Town, So Red the Rose, Anything Goes; 1936: Desire, My Man Godfrey, The Big Broadcast of 1937, Love Before Breakfast; 1937: Maid of Salem, I Met Him in Paris, Nothing Sacred; 1938: Made for Each Other, Fools for Scandal; 1939: Intermezzo, A Love Story; 1941: Charley's Aunt; 1946: Sister Kenny; 1947: Mourning Becomes Electra; 1948: Letters From An Unknown Woman; and 1950: Valentino. Praising Banton's inspiration, imagination, and intensity, distinguished designers have acknowledged his influence. Edith Head, former Banton assistant at Paramount who went on to win a record number of Oscars, declared: "He was a god there...nobody [would|http://forums.tcm.com/] dare oppose him about anything, including the budgets...Travis was a marvelous designer. Any talent I might have would have lain undiscovered if he hadn't lighted the way for me. In my opinion, he was the greatest." In explaining his adaptations of two Banton dresses, Norman Norell observed that Banton "has been underrated and that his talent surpassed Adrian's, since Banton's costumes were timeless and established many famous images, as with the Mae West look." Two decades after the designer's death, Cecil Beaton praised the Angel creations and judged Banton "one of the most important of the golden years of Hollywood." Though Banton has been lauded through the years for the originality, fine workmanship, and understated elegance of his costumes, scholars have neglected his genius as an image maker, both on and off screen, for celebrated women such as Marlene Dietrich. Banton's ability paralleled Adrian's acknowledged role as creator of the Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford (Lucille Fay Leseurqv) image. Banton helped invent the Dietrich look along with a unique apparel style that included male attire, like the tuxedo in Morocco (1930), the leather flight suit in Dishonored (1931), and the military uniform in The Scarlet Empress (1934). On her arrival in Hollywood, Dietrich's new svelte and chic silhouette was engineered by Banton. This contrasted with her pudgy appearance as star of The Blue Angel, a 1930 landmark film produced by UFA in Germany. Often credited, however, for the Dietrich look are director Josef von Sternberg and, to a lesser extent, Marlene Dietrich's lighting director, cinematographer, and stills and portrait photographer. This evaluation has relegated Banton to the pages of glossy coffee-table books. Yet Banton acted like a sculptor of cloth and flesh, influencing Dietrich's regimen of weight loss, massage, and exercise. In addition he advised her on demeanor, attitude, and body presentation. Banton's sketch pad and valued counsel likewise transformed Carole Lombard into a new persona of taste and class, reminiscent of Parisian haute couture, a world that he admired and emulated in private life. For the Mae West image, he produced a shapelier and more sexually explicit silhouette with a touch of parody that has been labeled high camp. Though he preferred sophisticated modern dress, his skill in interpreting historical periods inspired such trend-setting consumer adaptations as Claudette Colbert's garb in Cleopatra (1934). Paramount rewarded these Banton products with salary, publicity, a private domain of artisan workrooms, and a luxury office. Convinced of the commercial value of screen fashion, Adolph Zukor, a former furrier, demanded costume excellence and reveled in the Banton fashion gems. The highly charged position, however, proved bittersweet and gradually took a toll on Banton's life. One studio crisis requiring Zukor's negotiation focused on Claudette Colbert, a longtime Banton admirer, and the costuming for Cleopatra. After rejecting two sets of costume sketches, she streaked Banton's third set of beautifully painted drawings with blood deliberately drawn from her finger to emphasize her displeasure. Another conflict involved a fitting with an ungrateful Nancy Carroll, who slowly ripped an exquisitely crafted garment from her body while Banton and his staff stared in dismay. Frustration and wounded pride escalated with each clash of taste with executives and actresses who were prone to costuming that Banton judged tacky, gaudy, and vulgar. During his tenure at Twentieth Century-Fox (from 1939 to 1941), where he worked for Howard Greer, a feud began with Alice Faye, who resented Banton's references to Dietrich's good taste; Faye later acknowledged the successful costuming for Lillian Russell (1939). From 1945 to 1948 Banton worked as head stylist for Universal Studios. His erratic behavior involving absenteeism and alcohol shortened his life; in this he was not unlike other talented colleagues with emotional and alcohol-related problems, such as Orry-Kelly, Howard Greer, and Irene, who committed suicide at age sixty-one. Banton once quipped that he should have left movies when Adrian did in 1942. He agreed with fellow film and couture colleague Howard Greer that life amid all that world-famous glamour, luxury, and notoriety was not what it seemed and that he missed the theater, opera, ballet, shops, and cuisine of New York and Paris. Late in life he recalled that in Hollywood he had "loathed those endless barbecue things, deadly-dull afternoons spent staring at people wallowing in swimming pools...[in a place where|http://forums.tcm.com/] even the French champagne went flat as soon as it was poured." He admitted, however, to a certain ambivalence, for he needed the studio earnings that supplied the art, antiques, and extravagant lifestyle compatible with his tastes. Throughout his troubled times women who were grateful for their metamorphosis remained loyal. Carole Lombard requested Banton's designs for her costumes at other studios, including her David O. Selznick pictures. Marlene Dietrich performed in the signature white top hat and tails until the end of her career. Merle Oberon summarized the feelings of this loyal following when she insisted that Banton dress her as George Sand in the 1945 film A Song to Remember. She explained that Banton "knew what the character ought to look like but also understood what an actress was happiest wearing, which is very rare for a costume designer. I never found it necessary to make a single change on any of his drawings." Banton died on February 2, 1958, in Los Angeles. He was buried on February 4 at the Little Church of the Flowers in Glendale, California. An extensive collection of Banton's drawings is housed in the Brooklyn Museum. For more information about anything from that wonderful place, Texas, yawl, go to : http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbacl

Hadda, this is a wonderful post! I can't wait to hear more!

HAVE A STYLISHLY CLASSIC CHRISTMAS! It's wonderful to be together .... with family... and friends! Happy Holidays From Sue Sue!

*Just received this official update, and it looks like it will be another exciting year at the TCM Festival 2012!* In celebration of the central theme of the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival, we are excited to announce that we will be including programming tracks that put a spotlight on the style of Film Noir, the Art Deco movement, the legendary costumes of Travis Banton, and the illustrious 100 year history of Paramount Studios with a special focus on the Robert Evans era. Additional programming tracks will be announced in the coming weeks. We are also thrilled to announce legendary producer Robert Evans, renowned film noir historian Eddie Muller and preservationist and producer Serge Bromberg will be in attendance. *Paramount Renaissance* *The TCM Classic Film Festival will mark the 100th Anniversary of Paramount Pictures with screenings of five films from the studio's remarkable years under the leadership of Robert Evans.* * LOVE STORY (1970) - Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal star in the story of young love that helped save Paramount from bankruptcy. * THE GODFATHER PART II (1974) - Winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Francis Ford Coppola directs a star-studded cast lead by Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall. * CHINATOWN (1974) - Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston star in this neo-noir directed by Roman Polanski. * MARATHON MAN (1976) - Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier and Roy Scheider star in this thriller based on the book and screenplay by William Goldman and directed by John Schlesinger. * BLACK SUNDAY (1977) - Director John Frankenheimer’s tale of terrorism at the Super Bowl stars Bruce Dern, Robert Shaw and Marthe Keller. *Style in the Movies – The Legendary Costumes of Travis Banton* *Travis Banton dressed the likes of Mae West, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard and a host of other glamorous stars—he also was the costume designer who trained Edith Head. Films will include:* * NOTHING SACRED (1937) - The first screwball comedy to be shot in color, William Wellman directs Fredric March as a newspaper man who turns a dying woman, played by Carole Lombard, in to a media sensation. *Style in the Movies – The Noir Style* *This collection explores the unique style of film noir, known for its often-shadowy black-and-white photography and stylistic set design. Films will include:* * GUN CRAZY (1950) - John Dall and Peggy Cummins star as lovesick sharpshooters on a crime spree in this Joseph H. Lewis directed classic. * CRY DANGER (1951) - Dick Powell stars as an ex-con out to find the culprits who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. *Style in the Movies – Deco Design* *In addition to previously announced screening of SWING TIME (1936), the lineup will include:* * OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS (1928) - A new print of director Harry Beaumont’s Jazz-age silent melodrama starring Joan Crawford. *Additional Events & Screenings* * GIRL SHY (1924) - Composer Robert Israel will be on hand to conduct his original score to Harold Lloyd's delightful comedy. *Rarities and Shorts – Presented by Serge Bromberg* *As only he can, Bromberg will share a special presentation of rarities and rarely seen shorts from the earliest days of film.* For more information, go to the Festivals website: http://www.tcm.com/festival/

From the Huffington Post on 12/1/2011: Debbie Reynolds has endured a notoriously difficult personal life. The actress' first marriage to Eddie Fisher ended in 1959 -- after four years and two children -- when Fisher left her for a widowed Elizabeth Taylor, despite the fact that the two women were close friends. While Reynolds was understandably livid -- for a while, at least -- she later welcomed Taylor back into her life, and the two remained lifelong friends. So we wondered: how the heck does a friendship bounce back from a betrayal as significant as that? HuffPost Divorce had a chance to ask the iconic entertainer just that question Thursday at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, following a tour she hosted of never-before-displayed treasures from her massive collection of film memorabilia, set to go up for auction Saturday (Reynolds was in attendance as part of the day-long TedxWomen conference organized in conjunction with the Paley). Below, her candid comments: Elizabeth Taylor ran off with your husband. You later became friends with her. You even have memorabilia from her films in your collection. How did you move past her betrayal? Elizabeth and I were good friends when we were young -- 17. And then when we got older and Eddie [Fisher|http://forums.tcm.com/] left with Elizabeth, things changed, of course. But we wound up to be very good friends again, and laughed about it. Elizabeth was a very strong, powerful woman. When she saw something that she wanted, she got it. And that just happened to be my husband. How do you get to that positive point with a friend after a situation like that? Did it have anything to do with the fact that you married and divorced twice more after splitting from Fisher? You have to look at what life is all about, and is it worth it? And, is he worth it? The friendship was perhaps worth more. Divorce and marriage are very close. You read about it every day. Somebody splits up and they stay friends. Someone else splits up and they're terrible enemies and they kill each other. Well, that didn't happen in my life -- it was just a split -- and I was bright enough to know that I respected my friendship with Liz, and I felt that we both had something more to do with it other than being angry with each other. Was there one moment you remember where you said, 'OK, we're over this?' Yes. We got on the same boat to go to Europe -- the Queen Elizabeth. I sent a note to her and she sent a note to me in passing, and then we had dinner together. She was married to Richard Burton by then. I had been remarried at that point. And we just said, 'let's call it a day.' And we got smashed. And we had a great evening, and stayed friends since then. *Since I've already posted about Debbie Reynold's Auction, I think it's time I make an update post for Elizabeth Taylor's, and if I heard one word nineteen different times yesterday, it was the word "style." All the pundits and pontificators were buzzing about the record-selling prices reached by the auction items that celebrated Elizabeth Taylor and her "stylish" jewels. So now it's my turn....* I think this ruby and diamond ring is delightful. I just wanted to let everyone know just in case you haven't finished shopping for me. The Mike Todd Tiara... I was fascinated by this bracelet! But La Peregrina is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry in the whole collection. And what a collection. From the Berkshire Eagle.... NEW YORK -- Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection sold for a record-setting $115 million -- including more than $11.8 million for a pearl necklace and more than $8.8 million for a diamond ring given to her by Richard Burton -- at a Christie’s auction Tuesday night of memorabilia amassed by the late actress. The pearl, diamond and ruby necklace, known as "La Peregrina," reached the world record price of $11,842,500. The price surpassed the previous auction record for a pearl, set in 2007 with the sale of The Baroda Pearls for $7,096,000. Burton bought the necklace at auction in 1969 for Taylor for $37,000. Taylor died in Los Angeles in March at age 79. A jewelry lover, she had pieces from some of the most famous names in the jewelry world in her collection. The 33.19-carat diamond ring sold for $8,818,500. The ring was purchased by a private buyer from Asia, according to a Christie’s spokesman. Among the other high-profile items was a diamond bracelet given to the "National Velvet" and "Cleopatra" actress by singer Michael Jackson, with an estimated sale price of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $194,500. All prices include the buyer’s premium. Part of the proceeds will go to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which she established in 1991 to help people living with AIDS. Follow this link to read more about it: http://www.elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org/ If you haven't had enough, here's just one more article on the auction: http://news.ph.msn.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5658149 For actual auction info, go to Christie's: http://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylor/the_sales.aspx

Helenbaby, that is great! It all sounded like a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Dear TCM City friends, I had a wonderful phone call from Hadda, a TCM City poster and fellow traveler, last evening extolling the virtues of the first TCM cruise, and she also "hadda" fantastic time aboard the USS TCM. Hadda may be posting soon on the TCM Cruise forum. It sounded like so much fun, so look for her travel insights!

Dear Helenbaby, I had a wonderful phone call from Hadda, a TCM City poster and fellow traveler, last evening extolling the virtues of the first TCM cruise, and she also "hadda" fantastic time aboard the USS TCM, and may be posting soon on this forum. It sounded like so much fun!

Miss Debbie Reynolds, the perennial trouper. Stylish, lovable, popular, ...just keep those adjectives rolling in, just like that stylish gal, herself! Helen Rose also designed dresses for Debbie Reynolds, and one of the loveliest ones was an outfit for *Goodbye, Charlie*. Why, Debbie is always surprising us! And she just knows everybody, dahlinks..... She's got a great set of gams... Why, she's always ready to say "Howdy!" So I hope this stylish, popular gal can arrange a return trip to the TCM Film Festival in 2012. There are just lots of folks who would love to see her chat about Helen Rose, Fashion, and Style! Somehow she managed to preserve and maintain a mountain of historic Hollywood fashion and memorabilia all by her lil' ole lonesome self. Gee, I wonder why she hasn't been nominated, accepted, and honored at Kennedy Center yet. Did I miss something? Is her name on the list already? http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history/home.html Oh, well. There is always 2012. Maybe someone could start an email campaign. She also has been chairman of the board for The Thalians: http://www.debbiereynolds.com/thalians.htm

This is wonderful! I am so happy you are posting about your trip!

I hope everyone had a few moments to reflect on those dark December days of 1941 and remember our American servicemen who valiantly served the United States of America and gave their lives to protect us. My uncle was a galley cook on the ARIZONA and his name is on the momument at Pearl Harbor. Please remember how the efforts made on behalf of the safety of our country continue to inspire the American spirit. I never met him because I was born many years later, but I knew his spirit, valor, and humor through the lovingly told stories of my family who remembered his many gifts.

That trailblazing icon of stage and screen, Miss Lena Horne, in a Helen Rose creation. (Rose created most of Horne's MGM costumes.) Helen Rose writes lovingly and respectfully of Lena Horne in her autobiography, *Just Make Them* *Beautiful*, and recalled a moment in her memoirs when Lena Horne first reported to the hair department at MGM. The hairdresser turned to stone as soon as she saw the black singer and "refused to work on Lena," claimed Rose. "She said it was against union rules (which I doubted) and that we would have to send out for a black hairdresser. I blew up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Lena never lost her composure. She just sat quietly, never saying a word, behaving like the lady she is." Horne, who was, at times, self-conscious about her body image, according to biographer James Gavin, was gifted with Rose's wizardry for design "to spin the illusion that Lena Horne had one of the best bodies on the lot." Gavin's book, *Stormy Weather*, was published in 2009. During the filming of *Stormy Weather*, personal issues weighed on Horne heavily during the shoot. Wardrobe test photos show a young woman whose seesawing weight had risen. Rose, who designed the costumes for the movie, recalled how she and a depressed Horne bonded for moral support."At that time we were both rather timid and not too experienced in studio procedure or politics," Rose stated. "To keep our sanity, Lena and I talked about everything under the sun, except the studio. We talked of our families, our beliefs, our hopes and dreams." Through the years with her personal, professional, and political struggles, Lena Horne's armor might be nothing more but a chiffon sheath, but her attitude of strength and courage, ensured that she survived it all ...in style! Link to an interview with Gail Lumet Buckley, Lena Horne's daughter, on NPR: http://www.ibwff.com/2010/05/flashback-npr-interviews-gail-lumet-buckley-about-her-mother-lena-horne/

Thank you for those kind words of encouragement, Cinemaven! And, yes, I have done a little reporting before.... B-)

June Alyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, and Joan Blondell sporting those delightful Helen Rose creations.... Helen knew how to drape the divas! I especially enjoy all those costumes from *The Opposite Sex.* It would be abfab to have Joan Collins introduce the restored print of that film at TCM Festival 2012 with Robert Osborne. Can anyone arrange that for me? I just have to know more about Dolores Gray's three-tiered bouffant number with the sparkly azure clutch, Joan Collins' sunrise strapless in tulle with appliqued white poppies, Ann Sheridan's deep v-neck plunge with white satin gloves, Joan Blondell's off-the-shoulder satin number, and Ann Miller's strapless flowered mermaid...

Doris dons Helen in *Love Me or Leave Me* ... And this sparkly blue number has sass!

No, Cinemavester! I cannot believe that it is Mrs. Iselin, or Jessica Fletcher, or Nancy in *Gaslight*, or Edwina Brown in *National Velvet.* Angela Lansbury is a treasure! And I think that some of her most beautiful moments, even though her character of Em in *Harvey Girls* was a stinker up until the last reel, are in that film. She was absolutely gorgeous, and none of those images I posted here equal the beauty of her persona in the film. She just glows! She was Princess Gwendolyn in *The Court Jester,* and here's a commissary confidential in a regal Edith Head design. Here Angela dines on hamburger and french fries, and still retains at least a minimum of regality,

Angela Lansbury looked her loveliest in these Helen Rose creations for *The Harvey Girls.* ( ^ I think this was a publicity photo.) Angela-ooh-la-la...

Thanks Cinemave, and VDOVault for your kind words earlier in the column. "Just make them beautiful" was Louis B. Mayer's request when Helen Rose was emloyed at MGM. And she did. Starting at the age of 15, Helen Rose designed night club and stage costumes (some of them for vaudeville), and made some of the most popular wedding dresses of the 20th century for Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, and Grace Kelly. Rose, one of my favorite designers, also continues to inspire current fashionistas, if you consider the spouse of the future King of England a fashionista. (And I do!) For Grace Kelly's formal wedding gown, Rose used twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and one hundred yards of silk net. The 125-year-old rose point lace was purchased from a museum and thousands of tiny pearls were hand-sewn on the veil by a small army of wardrobe assistants. *Kate Middleton's Bridal Ensemble* *The design..* The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s. Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock. Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team. The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two metres 70 centimetres. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen's designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace. *The Fabrics...* French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition. All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies. The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team. *The Royal School of Needlework...* The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design. The lace motifs were pinned, 'framed up' and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimetres around each lace motif. The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean. The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19. The RSN's work was used primarily for the train and skirt of the Bride's dress, the bodice and sleeves, the Bride's shoes and the Bride's veil. *Veil...* The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil is held in place by a Cartier 'halo' tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen. The 'halo' tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday. For more information, visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/29/sarah-burton-kate-middleton-wedding-dress_n_855299.html Edited by: SueSueApplegate on Nov 28, 2011 5:46 PM

I hope the Brown Derby exhibit from the First TCM CLASSIC Cruise EVER can be part of the fun at TCM Film Festival 2012!

Now the Essential Passes are sold out. They really didn't last long this year!