Celebrity Fashion: How It All Started

Celebrity fashion. Why are we so fascinated by the subject? Whether we admit it or not, there's no denying the fact that we like to see how famous people dress. As the summer movie season gets in to full gear, it's as great a time as any to look at one of most-requested topics I get: celebrity fashion.

How Motion Pictures Changed Everything

Moving pictures first made their appearance in the 1890's. While Thomas Edison is generally credited with inventing the medium, several men were instrumental in giving birth to this process, including the brothers Lumire, who invented the first portable movie camera, and George Eastman, who created film for motion pictures.

The first movies lasted only minutes and had no sound. Nonetheless, they created a sensation. By 1910, the Eastman Company had perfected the technology of fashioning and developing vast lengths of film. Within a matter of years, going to the movies on Saturday was a part of our culture.

1916 marked the emergence of costume design in cinema. Up until that time, film actors usually supplied their own clothes, if the story was contemporary, or directors rented outfits from costume companies, if the film was a period piece.

But Parisian-born director Louis J. Gasnier had a particular "look" in mind when he was working on a movie with serial queen Pearl White. He summoned a tailor and had him assemble an outfit for the actress consisting of a black suit, white blouse, loose tie, and velour beret. The result? Secretaries of the day made this ensemble standard business dress-which it still is, in varying degrees. It was the first emergence of Hollywood celebrity fashion.

The "Big Players" In Costume Design

Gilbert Adrian. Orry Kelly. Edith Head. If you were alive in the 40's, 50's and 60's, you probably recognize those names. If you weren't, you've no doubt see their work. For each made an indelible impression on celebrity fashion history.

Gilbert Adrian, known simply as Adrian, began designing clothes for Broadway and had worked his way to MGM in Hollywood by the grand old age of 20. His ideas were fresh, innovative, and very dramatic, and helped establish MGM as the "glamour" studio, where audiences could watch and dream about a jet-set life.

His first muse was Greta Garbo, whose "Mata Hari" costumes caused a sensation in 1931. He later poured Jean Harlow into those slinky gowns that became her signature, and gave Joan Crawford the shoulder pads that started a revolution. For "Letty Lynton" (1942), he put Joan in a ruffled white organdy gown to highlight her broad shoulders, conceal her hips, and make her look taller. The result? Macy's in New York sold 500,000 copies of the gown!

Adrian opened his own atelier in Los Angeles later that same year, and won the Coty award for fashion just two years later. He retired to Brazil in 1952 to paint landscapes.

Getting Fashion Tips from Celebrity Fashion

Celebrity fashion is something that we all pay attention to, whether we realize it or not. We all check out the magazines at the grocery store checkout and we all take notice of what is in the windows of our favorite clothing stores in the malls and what models and celebrities are wearing on television.

Celebrity fashion paves the way for every day people to develop a style all their own, and even to stay on top of the trends. Unlike most of us, celebrities have fashion advisors that can tell them what is hot and what is not, and most of them listen! All we have to do is follow the cue of most celebrities and we can be just as trendy and as hip as they are.

Hair Every year there are new hair styles that celebrities make popular. Jennifer Aniston is one of the most popular as we have all been mimicking her beautiful hair for the last fifteen years or so since she was better known as Rachel. In 2005 most of the hairstyles were straight and those that didn't have the straight locks got them by using sedu hair straighteners.

The sedu hair straightener is a ceramic device that can straighten one's hair without damaging it. Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Paris Hilton have sported these hairstyles. Though it would be easy to assume that all of these celebrities have beautiful hair that is straight, all of them wear these fashions with the help of the sedu style straightener.

Accessories Accessories are another fashion cue that we often take from celebrities. For a long time personalized necklaces were the thing, but now simple is better. Simple diamond necklaces are really popular, as are the "o" pendants and three stone diamond pendants. Simple and elegant are the jewels that will be worn in the form of necklaces, but rings and bracelets are becoming more and chunkier when you look at what your favorite celebrities are wearing right now. Big bags and small bags, there don't seem to be much in between.

Big bags and small bags are the extremes that are in right now and everyone seems to be doing the sequined purses and belts, which can dress up a pair of jeans or make a more formal outfit flashier. Leg warmers! Leg warmers are back, although not everyone can pull these 80s fashion accessories back, but you may just see some of your favorite celebrities sporting them in those candid shots that we all love so much!

Shoes We get many of our cues for shoes from celebrity fashion plates as well. It doesn't seem to matter what season we are in; we are all flipping through magazines to see what the stars are wearing. Again, the stars have advisors to tell them what is hot, but we can simply buy a two or three dollar magazine and check in with our favorite stars. Casual definitely seems to be in right now with our favorite celebrities sporting fashions such as flip-flops for the spring and summer! Many celebrity fashion gurus say you needn't go any further than Payless to get some great shoes. Payless shoes was even mentioned as being a great place to buy shoes on a recent episode of America's Next Top Model.

Clothes You'll typically find that celebrity fashion isn't unlike what you or I would wear on an every day basis. Jeans, t-shirts, they're all the rage. Bootleg jeans and capris are in again this year as well as low rise and super lose rise jeans, and you'll definitely see your favorite stars wearing them in the magazines.

Tank tops and peasant tops will be in again, as well as lacy tops. If you're looking for something to wear to the beach, remember that the bikini is in! It's important to remember that you don't have to spend as much as the stars do to copy celebrity fashion. While they may be able to afford to spend $500 on a pair of jeans, you can spend much, much less and create the same look!