Domestic embroidery is a rarity in modern American fashion.

High costs and the small number of skilled workers available in

the United States have forced most American designers to

outsource their embroidery work overseas. Yet embroidered and

beaded gowns of exceptional quality were designed by Hollywood

costumiers, such as Gilbert Adrian of MGM, who liberally

incorporated surface ornamentation.

Adrian’s red gown and cape — made for Joan Crawford in The Bride Wore Red (1937) —

are marvels of workmanship executed by hand, entirely in the MGM studio workrooms in

Los Angeles. Later designers no doubt felt Hollywood’s influence. Norman Norell made his

celebrated glittering gowns, known as Mermaids, out of knitted silk jersey covered with a

dazzling pavé of hand-applied sequins. They were modern and luxurious fashions, readily

accessible at the retail level.