My very first post on Filmland Follies was a Dress in Detail article where I analyzed the dress Ginger Rogers wore in Swing Time's "Never Gonna Dance." You can read it here!
Here is the second installment in this little series; it's about another of my favorite cinematic dresses. From one of Judy Garland's most quotable numbers, I present... the "I Don't Care" dress!
The Scene
In 1949, Judy Garland's career at MGM was coming to an end. In her time at the studio, she had made a string of wildly successful films, from Babes in Arms to the Wizard of Oz to Easter Parade. Sadly, by the end of the '40s, Judy was struggling mentally and physically and was unable to complete multiple films. 1949 saw her on suspension from MGM, when she was replaced in the Barkleys of Broadway by Ginger Rogers. After returning to work Judy made Words and Music and then In the Good Old Summertime.
In the Good Old Summertime was based on 1940's the Shop Around the Corner (starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan), which was in turn based on the 1937 play Parfumerie. It would be adapted yet again in 1998 as You've Got Mail (with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.)
The plot is such: Veronica Fisher (Judy) and Andrew Larkin (Van Johnson) work at the same music store, and they're constantly fighting. Whether it's fighting over customers or just bickering, it's pretty clear they hate each other. But - here's the catch - Andy and Veronica are both writing to secret romantic pen pals: each other, but they don't know it. Fun, right? During all this, there's a party hosted by the music store owner, Mr. Oberkugen (S.Z. Sakall.) Veronica entertains the guests alongside a barbershop quartet. She sings two songs - "Play that Barbershop Chord" and "I Don't Care." The latter was made famous by "Queen of Vaudeville" Eva Tanguay, who also became known as the "I Don't Care Girl" due to her signature song. But we're here to talk about Judy's version - and specifically, the dress!
The Designer
The fabulous costumes in Good Old Summertime were designed by Irene. Irene Lentz, known professionally as Irene, was a prominent Golden Age costume designer. She opened her own little dress shop, which gained the attention of luxury department store Bullocks Wilshire. Irene was hired at the store to design for their Ladies Custom Salon which catered to many famous film stars. She began to design for movie studios, earning her big break in 1937 when she designed Ginger Rogers' gowns for Shall We Dance. Irene would go on to costume films such as Vivacious Lady, You Were Never Lovelier, and Gaslight. In 1949 she created Judy Garland's Good Old Summertime wardrobe including the "I Don't Care" dress!
The Dress
The "I Don't Care" dress is made of jersey fabric, a stretchy woven knit that works wonderfully for draped garments such as this one. The bodice of the dress is boned. This is done to keep the stiff silhouette of the bodice and prevent wrinkles. It was also probably an homage to the time period the film is set in (the early 1900s.) While no Edwardian woman would be wearing a cherry-red off-the-shoulder gown, the bodice element is a nice touch.
There are more drapes of jersey on the sides, trimmed with small bouquets of fake jasmine flowers. The many twirly layers of the skirt include some white petticoats trimmed in lace, another semi-historical detail.
Now for the sleeves - possibly my favorite part! The dress actually has sleeves under the beautiful crossed draping on the front. The fabric wraps around to disguise these little sleeves which hold it up.
While I can't say much for the historical accuracy (besides a very-'40s-MGM-take-on-the-1900s), I adore this dress. It's fun and bright and looks perfect to spin around in. Plus, it's a rather timeless style that wouldn't look out of place today.
The "I Don't Care" dress sold at auction in 2017 for $12,500. I really hope it went to a loving home where somebody will appreciate its value, both as a Judy Garland film costume and an important piece of work by the designer Irene.
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