#donald brooks

One Dress a Week Challenge

May: Gold & Silver

Darling Lili / Julie Andrews as Lili Schmidt

Lili wears this bead-encrusted golden dress for a night out with Bill, the dashing pilot she’s trying to seduce for information and may actually be falling for. According to the collector’s page (where I also found a lot of the pictures), it’s made of silk faille and chiffon and was constructed by the Western Costume Company in Hollywood.The tiara, gold shoes, and deep-blue fur-trimmed cape make it look like the ultimate in World War I-era luxuriousness. (As interpreted through a 1960s lens, of course.)

I think the imaginative design of the bodice is very attractive. I always thought of this as the “butterfly front” dress, but on studying it more closely, I’d say it’s actually more like a flower shape. I notice that the display photo is missing the central piece of sparkle, with the blue stone, which suggests it is probably a separate piece of jewelry.

One Dress a Week Challenge

May: Gold & Silver

Darling Lili / Julie Andrews as Lili Schmidt

This movie has not one, but two beautifully detailed gold dresses–and this one looks, if anything, even more extravagant than the other one! The side-opening cape and the sheer amount of golden detail give it a Byzantine appearance.