Fashion

Not only was Deanna Durbin an extremely attractive lady, she was also very fashionable. Deanna wore some of the most beautiful outfits ever seen on a Hollywood star!!

Deanna Durbin with fashion designer Vera West:



Deanna Durbin said: "I used to wonder why the movies spent so much money on lovely fabrics and fine workmanship. It seemed to me that they at least could fudge a little on sewing the seams. But it turns out that the camera sees a lot more than the human eye does, and if a dress isn't exactly right on the screen, it looks sleazy."

When 14 year old Deanna Durbin turned up at Universal Studios for an audition, she wore a cheap cotton dress. Who would have guessed that she would end up wearing the most beautiful outfits in the world!

Deanna soon learned that there was a good many departments of dress where she could stand improvement. When they were pointed out to her, she never forgot. She became definitely clothes conscious.

Clothes are important in helping to smooth out the immature bumps and bulges of a girl's awkward age. No one realized that more than Deanna.

For instance, the awkward points of a teenage girl are quite likely to be her feet, her shoulders, her too short waist, and her too big waistline. Deanna found that by wearing two toned shoes it softened her feet lines, made their size indeterminate.

The short waist and thick midriff vanished via the optical illusion, when she adopted the rule to wear always a small belt or some trick waistline gadget to gather her in. Her shoulders evened out with the padding.

By closely observing Deanna in her movies, you'll note that little jackets or flat hanging jerkins are usually part of an outfit in which she looks particularly nice. Those are deliberate camouflages of a growing girl's weak points.

Deanna had her screen and private clothes made at the studio. She favoured plain tailored clothes and sports dresses. The average dress she wore before the camera cost $25 and after the picture was over Deanna bought it from the studio for $12.50.

The biggest crisis in Deanna's career was keeping her looking young for the public, even though she was maturing. Vera West, Universal's expert clothes designer, managed that illusion by giving her high-waisted dresses, full sexless skirts - and by using bolero jackets to cover her bust.

At first Deanna's bob was short and too babyish, with frizzy bangs. It was out of keeping with her intelligent eyes and her mature voice. Her hair was curled indiscriminately and her make-up was too heavy.

Later her bob became long and dusted her shoulders. It curled back discretely from her face and fell in long waves curled up at the end. It was soft, natural and pleasing. Deanna had a little natural wave in her hair which came out best in a bob. The curling encouraged the wave along its natural lines. She took advantage of her natural good points and developed them.

Deanna's hair was soft and glistened after it was brushed, so she stroked it religiously. Alma Armstrong was her studio hairdresser who wished that all the stars were as easy to work on as Deanna. Also, Deanna liked her eyes best when they were blue, so her favourite dress colour was blue. Because Deanna's skin was flawless and glowing, make-up artist Billy Ely used only the lightest application of lipstick and powder.






Jack Pierce was head of the make-up department at Universal. He not only worked on the face of Deanna Durbin, but also that of Boris Karloff. During the latter part of Deanna's career, Universal surrounded her with top talent costume designers like Walter Plunkett, Edith Head, and Orry George Kelly. And Juliette Marglen took care of Deanna's nails at "The Fingernail Hospital" in Hollywood.

Doris Nolan helping Deanna Durbin with her make-up:



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Just after 19-year-old Deanna Durbin married Vaughn Paul in 1941, she decided to update her wardrobe. First she bought a tailored, high-necked dress in harvest gold wool with a matching, collarless jacket that made it look like a suit. The only trim on the belted, self-buttoned jacket was a pair of pin-tucked pockets high on the bodice. Deanna's accessories included a sable scarf, brown suede gloves, envelope bag and shoes. Her matching gold hat was stitched felt, with a peaked crown of red, blue, and gold feather wings. For those formal afternoons, Deanna chose simple black crepe. The deep dolman sleeves, self-belted girdle waistline and bloused bodice emphasized the slim skirt. And for a dramatic note she wore a diamond flower pin near the high neckline. For that dress she had several different hats, graded in formality - to make it serve for almost any dressy afternoon or non-dressy evening occasion. Because sports were so much a part of every Californian's life, Deanna added two more autumn flavoured sports outfits to those in her trousseau. The first was a slack suit entirely of suede - just the thing for nippy days. In two tones of lime green, the lighter shirt was classically cut, accented by hand-picked stitching. The same stitching set the crease down the slacks, back and front, also outlined the slack pockets. Her tiny cap - trimmed with a turkey feather - was in the darker green of the slacks, as, too, were her perforated suede sandals. Her second choice was for spectator sports, ideal for football games she and Vaughn Paul planned attending in the autumn. Made of rabbit hair jersey in natural tan, the suave lines of patch pockets, zippered front closing and sloping shoulders were banded in matching grosgrain ribbon. With it Deanna wore a jaunty natural and brown plaid buccaneer hat with a turned-up brim, pinned back by a tall quill, and matching plaid bag. Later on Deanna planned to go wild on hostessy clothes when she and Vaughn moved into the new house they were building in Brentwood. In the meantime, they were living in a hotel. Deanna also purchased two robes for relaxing. One was a zip-front housecoat on princess lines in white satin with scattered pink roses all over it. The other was a coat-robe in white crepe with a pastel floral print. Dubonne satin banded the bell sleeves and outlined the crossed-over front opening. For those rare dancing times, Deanna purchased a dinner dress in red and white striped taffeta. In her usual demure style, the dress had an off the shoulder neckline, bouffant skirt, edged with a wide, pleated ruffle around the hem.

Nobody was more pleased than Deanna Durbin about her transistion from a schoolgirl to a woman of fashion!

"I served my time in those," Deanna said. "You know - big smile, apple in one hand and a geography book in the other. Even after I graduated to high heels I was afraid I was going to pose in flats and bobbysocks because I was the only girl of that age on the lot. But just then they hired Gloria Jean! Oh, boy, was I glad!"

This gown designed by Vera West for THE AMAZING MRS HOLLIDAY has shimmering myriads of crystal-cut beads on draped bodice, dramatized with raised motiff of large birds posed at the shoulder and knee:

This beautiful dress Deanna is wearing is of white crepe, patterned with graceful long stem roses tied with black lace bows. The simplicity of the narrow silhouette is heightened by the effective style note of draped lines continuing from one side of the bodice through a half band at the waste, which finishes in rippled poplum:

This smart riding outfit was designed by Vera West for THAT CERTAIN AGE. The outfit has beige whipcord breeches with matching leather belt topped off with cocoa brown cashmere sweater and soft suede bolero in matching beige. Her English riding boots are of soft brown, matching her sweater:

This is the commencement exercise dress Deanna wore at the start of FIRST LOVE. Oyster-white thread lace was used for the corselet bodice with its panel front. The sleeves are full at the shoulder and long, buttoning tightly at the wrist with a row of tiny buttons and loops which come half way up the elbow. The high neck-line is finished with a pointed collar edged with the embossed oyster-white tulle which makes the skirt, fitted over the hip and flaring full down to its floor length. The edge of the lace bodice and its panel front are emphasized with a narrow cording:

In this photo Deanna is wearing a powder blue beach sweater with a design of music notes on the bodice. Her shorts are of navy blue gaberdine with large white buttons and striped at the sides in light blue:

Deanna looks fabulous in this summer outfit of crisp white pique with a brilliant accent of red. The heart-shaped motif of the twin patch pockets is repeated in the cut of the neckline A dainty triple row of stiching in red and colourful red poinsettias appliqued on pockets and sleeves add a trim note to the costume:

Here Deanna is wearing a lovely white evening gown combining the delicate beauty of lace and net. Worn over a sheath of white taffeta it has a snug fitting bodice of lace with full sleves shirred in tight at the elbow. Double shirred panels of net form the front of the bodice and are defined with narrow cording of net. The appliqued edges of the low waste line fit smoothly over the frothy net skirt:

Deanna waering a navy wool suit. The slim skirt is topped by a fitted jacket with shoulder yoke and sleeves of sage yellow. The belt is half navy and half sage yellow with loops at the side:

Here Deanna is wearing a two-piece white crepe dress. The slim skirt of the dress is topped by smoothly fitted over-blouse, draped to the sides. Wide bands of blue and red accent the bottom of the blouse and form brief sleeves. With this outfit, Deanna wears a templet hat of white silk fringe and white accessories:

At the Academy Awards, Deanna wore this beautiful gown in satin designed with puff sleeves and fitted bodice. She chose a simple bow to accent her hair: