Edelweiss Patterns Rosemary Clooney’s “White Christmas” Costume
You don’t have to be dreaming of a White Christmas to love the 1950s costumes that Rosemary Clooney wore in the 1954 classic film, “White Christmas“. With the fitted bodices and huge, pouffy skirts held out by crinolines, Rosemary’s dresses were the epitome of 1950s fashion. Edith Head (the renowned Hollywood costume designer), concocted the most lovely gowns for Miss Clooney’s performance in this movie, so imagine how excited I was to discover that her original blue lace film costume had turned up online and was being restored to its former grandeur!
While I’m not a huge fan of all the White Christmas costumes (there were a number of skimpy ones in addition to the many beautiful gowns!), Rosemary’s blue lace dress was just stunning. She is seen wearing this evening gown for the initial “Sisters” song and dance sequence.
As shown in the photographs, this film costume is comprised of a multi-layered tulle skirt and a sweetheart neckined bodice which is overlaid with sparkly Venetian lace. The colorized version of the film portrays the dress as being a medium bright-blue, though it has now faded to a perinwinkle skirt and light blue bodice.
Discovering the Dress
When the owners of the Rosemary Clooney House spotted this dress on Ebay, they snatched it up immediately! While the vintage store that was selling wasn’t aware of just how famous this dress was, these Clooney enthusiasts felt sure they had found the original costume. As this museum already owned a number of film costumes from “White Christmas”, they could compare sewing techniques such as seam finishes and zipper installation.
While these all seemed to suggest this dress was indeed the authentic gown, the Rosemary Clooney staff resorted to one final step to make sure they had found the actual movie costume – By printing larger than life sized photographs of stills from the movie, the team compared every minute detail of dress, right down to each lace swirl, and found that this is in fact Rosemary Clooney’s famous blue dress.
Red Dress from “White Christmas”
This gown is now on display at the Rosemary Clooney House in Kentucky, which also houses a replica of the stunning red satin Christmas gown which she wore for the film’s finale. The original version of this costume has not yet turned up, but some seamstress did a terrific job of replicating it.
I love watching White Christmas all year round! My favorite dress is Judy’s pink “Best things happen while your dancing” dress. Thank you for this post!
Glad you liked it, Olivia! I have to agree with you that Vera Ellen’s pink dancing dress is just gorgeous – and it reminds me quite a bit of Liesl’s dancing dress with the pouffy sleeves and circular skirt.
Happy sewing!
Katrina
Diana French was the seamtress who recreated Rosemary’s red dress. It was made for her daughter, Miss America 2000 Heather French Henry, to wear in a concert in Louisville in ’05. It was a rush job,as they had hoped to obtain the original, but was not to be found. There are certain design elements that are not identical. The re-production has set in sleeves, not batwinged and the collar is a regular shirt style while the original was a rolled shawl collar. The most difficult decision was how to apply the faux fur, but everyone agreed it turned out swell. Heather, a Fashion Desiger herself, has since made a copy of Vera’s dress and was worn by Rosemary’s niece, Mica Darley Emerson as she and Heather appeared and sang together in Augusta’s White Christmas Parade last Dec. Enjoyed seeing your site.
Wow, that is some fantastic info, Ronnie! Because the photograph of the reproduction dress is so small online, I was unable to see many of the details, but it sounds like you have compared the two dresses very well. Thanks for sharing!
[…] Crosby had first met Kathryn Grant during the filming of the movie “White Christmas” in 1954, where she was helping with the wardrobe department during her interim between film jobs. […]
I want to buy my mom a dress like Vera Ellen’s red dress at the end of White Christmas. She loves the movie and that dress!
Oh, that sounds wonderful, Kris! I’m sure anyone would love a dress like that. : ) I’d love to see pictures if you find one for her!
As I am watching white christmas for the umpteenth time I wondered where some of the fabulous dresses were from the movie. I am so glad to know they have been saved and preserved. They were from a time that will nev er come again. Lyn. Calgary alberta Canada
I would like to buy a dress like this for myself. Can you help?
Hi Shannon! I know how you feel – this is one of the most beautiful movie costumes from all of the 1950s! I have never ever seen a dress like this for sale anywhere, so my suggestion would be to find a seamstress who is very comfortable with recreating film costumes, and have her custom-fit it for you! The process might be a little involved, but I’m sure it would be well worth it!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
are patterns available for any of the dresses for White Christmas? I would love to purchase the patterns.
thanks
don
Hello, Don,
No, unfortunately there are no patterns on the market which are replicas of the White Christmas movie costumes. This costume that I made was from a pattern I drafted myself, but perhaps someday there will be a pattern on the market for it!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
I love Judy’s engagement dress… It is just beautiful. I would love to make it.
Nancy, I think that dress is gorgeous, too! It would take a bit of work with all the beading on the sweater, but it would be lovely!
Happy sewing,
Katrina