My book Designing Hollywood: Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age has been described as: “Christian Esquevin has documented the most comprehensive look into the world of costume designers, their creative teams and the great costume departments of Hollywood. I was fascinated with every detail in this book – something I’ve looked forward to for years! A remarkable achievement.”―Randall Thropp, Paramount Pictures Archive. Published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2023 with 256 pages including original color costume design sketches and black & white glamor costume photographs of the stars and wardrobe and back room scenes. Each major studio is covered chapter by chapter with their leading stars, films, costume designers and their wardrobe department methods from 1912 through the end of the studio system in the 1970s.
My book Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label traces his fascinating life: working for Irving Berlin on Broadway, with Rudolf Valentino and Cecil B. DeMille in 1920s Hollywood, helping create the look of 1930s Hollywood glamour as the head designer at the MGM studios, and putting American fashion designers on the world map during the 1940s. He designed the screen fashions for Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, Norma Shearer, Hedy Lamarr, and many more. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs of both stars in Adrian fashions and models from from his couture and ready to wear lines. Published by the Monacelli Press in 2008.
Views: 2212
Hello, I have had the opportunity to browse through your stunning book after acquiring five Adrian’s. Four of them were fairly easy for me to track down, but I have one suit that I have not seen anywhere else. If I sent you a picture is that possible that you might be able to help me pinpoint a date on it? Thank you so much! Bobbi
Hi Bobbi – That’s great that you have five Adrian creations. Yes, you can send a photo of you suit to me at
c.esquevin@coronado.lib.ca.us and I can see if I can identify it.
Hello, I am from Sydney Australia and I want to purchase a copy of ‘Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label’, but this book is out of stock at Amazon.com. Is it possible to buy it new at somewhere? Thanks a lot!
Thanks for your interest in my book Archie. The book is out of print. Amazon lists it on behalf of various dealers who sell unused or used copies. Some other sites like Alibis also sell it that way based on a collective of individual book dealers. You might look for a “used” copy as the cheaper alternative.
Good luck.
I have come across 5 design sketches that a friend of mine gave to me. One is Edith Head and I have been able to find information on several of the other designers but I have one really incredible sketch that I just can’t find anything on the sketch artist or designer. Would you be willing to look at photos of them and help me figure out what I have? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
Yes, I’d be pleased to. You can send photos or scans to me at c1esquevin@gmail.com