Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards

by Bronwyn Cosgrave

At the Academy Awards, the answer to who wore what matters just as much as who won what. Focusing on the actresses nominated for Oscars and a few seminal presenters, Made for Each Other traces the fashion trends of the widely watched Oscar ceremony. From the splendor of Vivien Leigh to the spare war-era chic of Ingrid Bergman, from the arresting glamor of Marlene Dietrich to Barbra Streisand's daring sequined Arnold Scaasi pantsuit, Bronwyn Cosgrave delivers a revealing account of the entertainers who have helped shape the look of the Academy Awards and the international couturiers and behind-the-scenes fashion players on whom they've relied. Delving deep into the partnerships that have defined Oscar fashion―Claudette Colbert and Travis Banton; Grace Kelly and Edith Head; Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy; Elizabeth Taylor and Helen Rose; Liza Minelli and Halston; Cher and Bob Mackie; Jodie Foster and Georgio Armani; Nicole Kidman and John Galliano; Hilary Swank and Randolph Duke―Cosgrave demonstrates that from the beginning fashion was as integral to Oscar night as the films it celebrated. In a package befitting the glamorous subject, Made for Each Other includes previously unseen sketches of Oscar dresses by legendary couturiers, rare vintage photographs, and fashion illustrations of key dresses created especially for this book. For fashionistas and film buffs alike, Made for Each Other is a must have for anyone interested in this perfect pairing.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Lobstergirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moderately interesting, if you're already interested in fashion, but peppered with typos (it turns out there are a lot of different ways one can attempt to spell Gwyneth) and marred by too many words on Courtney Love. (No book should contain more than one.) There is an overuse of the word "sourced," as in, "Integrating a delicate vintage piece of Lesage embroidery sourced by Swank after she and Paster had trawled through Paris's flea markets..." Just say "found," would you?

The book, mostly an accretion of secondary source material, is mildly gossipy. Luise Rainer accepted the Best Actress award in 1937 in her nightgown. (People wore better nightwear back then.)



Laurence Olivier, eligible but spurned for his role in Wuthering Heights, was so jealous of girlfriend Vivien Leigh's Oscar for Gone with the Wind he wanted to hit her with it afterwards in the limo.



Nicole Kidman had to obtain Anne Bass's approval to wear the chartreuse dress from John Galliano's Dior couture collection, since Bass was one of four couture clients who had purchased the $30,000 dress and had rights to "sanction their successors."



Though the book was published in 2007, it ends with the 2001 Oscars fashions. Interestingly, that's Renée Zellweger flouncing by on the cover, and the author looks exactly like her. I'm not really sure why The Atlantic recommended this book.

Includes 12 color plates and many black and white photos.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't manage to hold my interest. The tone of the book kept changing from informative to chatty and slang kept popping up occasionally. Had there been more pictures I think I might have enjoyed it more. As it was I couldn't picture any of the outfits in my head from the author's descriptions. Ultimately I just got bored.

This could have been really interesting I am fascinated by both the Academy Awards and fashion. And yet it wasn't.

[Rusty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perfectly fine reading if a bit uninvolving. I read this in time for the 2023 Oscars. The book has many flaws. Vivid descriptions of outfits and not enough photos to match. Occasional lapses into tabloid snarkiness that has nothing to do with the fashion, for instance when we are told that "I Hate Streisand" groups started up because....Barbra didn't campaign hard enough for Funny Girl...really? Odd changes in tone, a focus solely on the actress who won the Oscars each year with occasional, inconsistent dips into "also-rans" and presenters. Entire years are skipped, I suppose because the Oscar dresses that year were deemed uninteresting by the author. Bizarre mistakes abound. The book has Julia Roberts winning Best Supporting Actress for Steel Magnolias (wrong) even BEFORE she starts rehearsing for the movie! Where was the editor? Typos galore! "Carol" Burnett alternates with "Carole" on the same page, and "bloodlines" (referring to Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli) become "bloodliness" in the next sentence, which gives the reader a totally different focus. Somewhere out there, there must be a perfect book all about fashion and the Academy Awards. This isn't it.

[Beth Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one I'd like to give 3.5 stars too. Some inaccuracies in the book regarding years and who won which awards. It's really the story of how individual, selected nominees (mostly those for best actress) came to wear what they did to the Academy Awards. Anecdotal. There are pictures of the dresses the discussed women wore, but most are in black and white. You do learn a little about individual designers as well.

[Sal]

now, let's be judgy wudgy just because America's sweetheart, Renee Zellweger, is on the cover. but to quote Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large American Vogue, "a juicy read.