 Judy Garland wearing the dress in a trailer for The Wizard of Oz | |
| Designer | Adrian |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Gingham pinafore |
In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, American entertainer Judy Garland wore a blue-and-white dress in her seminal role as Dorothy Gale throughout the film. Also nicknamed the "Dorothy dress",[1][2][3] it was designed for the film by MGM costume designer Adrian, who based it on L. Frank Baum's description of Dorothy's dress in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Several copies of the dress were made for Garland to wear during production, which were styled to make her appear younger and thinner on camera. The complete outfit consists of a checked blue-and-white gingham pinafore worn over a cream-colored blouse. It is often paired with ruby slippers, another famous clothing item from the film.
The dress was sewn on a treadle sewing machine to help it appear authentically homemade. Considerably modest in comparison to most of the film's costumes, the garment's simple, youthful design is meant to represent Dorothy's innocence, while its bright color symbolizes the character's journey from mundane Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, which were filmed in sepia tone and Technicolor, respectively. The "Dorothy dress" is often credited with helping popularize the use of gingham fabric in women's fashion during the 20th century, following the film's release in 1939.
Eventually becoming synonymous with Garland's public image, the character of Dorothy, and The Wizard of Oz, the dress is one of the most famous costumes in cinematic history. In the decades since the film's release, various original copies of the dress have been acquired, owned, and sold by different individuals. Several auction houses have sold the dress for upwards of a million dollars, making it one of the most valuable costumes in film history. The second of only two complete surviving dresses has been the subject of a lawsuit over ownership since 2022, renewing public interest in the garment.
- ^ Duhrn, Sarah (May 6, 2022). "A Once-Lost Dress from 'The Wizard of Oz' Goes to Auction—Maybe". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
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