#jack bear

One Dress a Day Challenge

Not-a-Dress November

Darling Lili / Gloria Paul as "Crêpes Suzette"

It's tempting to ask, "Why bother with lavish costumes for a striptease act if they're just going to come off anyway?" But the beading on the robe and underthings is really beautiful and detailed, and it adds to the sense that this is a high-class act. I've added a close-up below. And that's not even mentioning the enormous hat! It's impressive how well she balances it while dancing.

You can see in one of the photos that the robe was apparently on display at an Edith Head retrospective exhibit, but Edith Head wasn't credited on this film. Donald Brooks was, but only on Julie Andrews' costumes. It's a bit of a mystery! (Later update: I tracked down the article that image came from, and apparently the designer of the garment, Jack Bear, was a protege of Edith's.)

Fun fact: This film was rated G.

EDIT to add: The beaded robe is only onscreen for a hot second, but a photo featured at the exhibit shows that it had a long train and a sort of gathered section around knee-length. You can also see the shape when it was reworn in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Jack trying to assert himself.

Dukie Bear being disrespectful to his mentor.