Film Fashion: Bringing Up Baby, 1938

Last week we went to see the movie "Bringing Up Baby" on the big screen at our local historic theater. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in a screwball comedy on a rainy winter weeknight? Count me in!

I have always been a fan of vintage fashions, but the costumes in this movie were nothing short of fantastic. I almost think the script was written to provide Ms. Hepburn with an unbelievable number of costume changes. And Mr. Grant... well, we'll get to his big scene.


This publicity photo does not do justice to the dramatic dress (and veil!) that Ms. Hepburn, as Susan, wears in one of the movie's early scenes. Words cannot describe how perfectly the gown suits the actress, highlighting her tiny waist and her long legs. Imagine how extraordinarily attractive Cary Grant's David is in a white tie and tails, and then let me tell you that I barely noticed him next to this dress. Unfortunately there is a major wardrobe malfunction, and the dress... well, you'll just have to watch the movie for yourself.

The next time we see Susan she is wearing this --


-- this absolute confection of a gown. That's a floor-length white nightgown under a transparent chiffon robe, with a large polka-dot pattern and deep ruffles at the wrists and neck. It is difficult to imagine any contemporary actress who could pull off this look.

The leopard, of course, is Baby.

As for David, the plot requires him to clean up after helping a farmer with a load of chickens and Susan... well, it's difficult to explain. Let's just get right to Cary Grant in a marabou-trimmed robe:


Seriously, just see the movie. The plot wraps up with a very long evening involving David and Susan, Aunt Elizabeth, a jilted fiancee, an intercostal clavicle, a dog, two leopards, and a million dollars. And while Susan's costume is not so fabulous for this portion of the movie, I was reminded of the point once made about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: she did everything he did, backwards, while wearing heels. At one point Susan breaks off a heel, and spends the rest of the scene bobbing up and down comically from foot to foot.

Of course David and Susan fall in love, and (spoiler alert) the museum gets the million dollars. I just love a happy ending.