100 Unforgettable Dresses

by Hal Rubenstein

100 Unforgettable Dresses is filled with the stories, secrets, intrigue, and insights behind the most indelible dresses in our collective memories. Featuring looks from the runway, film, television, the red carpet, and the worlds of royalty and politics, this book celebrates the staying power of these gorgeous, sleek, sultry, and outrageous creations as well as the lasting impact they’ve had in fashion, popular culture, and our own lives. More than two hundred images, a witty, informative text, and exclusive interviews with the designers and the women who wore the dresses reveal the initial spark and captivating drama behind the making of each dress. Also featured throughout are extensive anecdotes and observations about great style makers—Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Cher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Cate Blanchett—highlighting the conception of their most spectacular looks and examining their lasting influence.

Here is the tale of how a canny Gianni Versace helped an unknown Elizabeth Hurley become world famous overnight, thanks to the paparazzi frenzy whipped up by her red-carpet appearance in his now legendary safety-pin dress. Learn about the unique wedding gown Narciso Rodriguez designed exclusively for Caroline Bessette-Kennedy that inspired a whole new generation of brides. Go on the set of Top Hat, where Ginger Rogers’s ostrich-feather-laden dress began to molt immediately upon arrival, its flying feathers bringing the film’s production to a halt. Of course, the seminal work of exemplary designers—Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian dress and Christian Lacroix’s pouf, Chanel’s little black dress and Valentino’s infamous red ones, Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap and Marc Jacobs’s grunge collection—is featured throughout, with plenty of inside information on what inspired the invention of each piece.

With its wonderful anecdotes, fascinating facts, and just enough juicy gossip, 100 Unforgettable Dresses is a bewitching read for everyone who enjoys sensational clothes, movies, television, and music. Whether you’re a fashion maven, a red-carpet addict, a celebrity tracker, or a pop-culture aficionado, you won’t be able to put this book down!

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, History, Art, Fashion History, Reference, Photography

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2011

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really interesting--part fashion history, part American history, and part pop-culture, this book was a really fascinating look at the statement dresses make and how dresses are bigger than the model/actress/ingenue/star wearing it, with a few exceptions: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cate Blanchett, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly are the actresses singled out for their haute couture fashion and style; for the most part, the person wearing the dress is not even mentioned. The major designers are represented--Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Versace (Gianni and Donatella), Cassini, Chanel, Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenburg, Valentino, Prada, Gucci, Vivienne Westwood, Carolina Herrera, Jason Wu, Oscar de la Renta, Edith Head--and the people wearing the dresses are often well-known--Princess Diana, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jackie Kennedy, Bette Davis, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, and Victoria Beckham. But many of the designers have faded into oblivion or were a one-hit wonder. Rubenstein does an excellent job of including the whimsy--Carol Burnett's "Curtain" spoof dress is included--and includes actresses from movies long-forgotten. He also shows--subtly--how fashion, like everything, is cyclical, how the truly classic fashions and icons never go out of style, and how a dress can transcend a person, despite their fame or beauty. Many of the dresses I was familiar with, but I was really interested in the "behind the scenes" look at the dresses--for example, the designer of Carolyn Bessette's wedding dress gave her everything related to the dress--scraps of the fabric, the designs, etc--so no one else would have her dress. Diane von Furstenburg was a recently separated woman (divorcing a prince!) who needed to survive on her own during the ever-changing fashions of the '70s. Diana bought a dress in 1991 and didn't wear it until 1994, as "revenge" on the day Charles announced he had been carrying on an affair with Camilla. Renee Zellweger's white Herrera dress, worn when she won her Oscar for "Cold Mountain," inspired countless wedding dresses. Fascinating look at how fashion--usually dismissed as frivolous or meaningless--has truly impacted the way Americans have dressed, lived, and been influenced.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a celebrity person, and I'm not a fashion person.

Still, I enjoyed seeing photos of these beautiful dresses from the past seventy-five or so years, mostly worn by beautiful celebrities.

[When Funmi Met Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 Unforgettable Dresses: A lovely 4 star book that adequately supports its argument for what it considers to be the 100 most unforgettable Dresses

General Thoughts

Hal Rubenstein's 100 Unforgettable Dresses is a lovely coffee table book that is perfect for a person intrigued by fashion. I found myself really intrigued by the thought process behind the dresses showcased. It is so easy to just see movies and red carpet events and think that the stars just picked the dress because of it's beauty. However, there were many distinctive hidden moments behind these dresses that were surprising. It is a really fun mixture of fashion politics, motives, pop culture, and designer POVs.

Minus One Star

I had to take away a star for the photography and format of the book. The angles of the dresses were not always flattering or able to deliver the impact of the dress. Luckily, as a fashion enthusiast and pop culture enthusiast I knew most of the dresses and what they looked like. However, for someone just randomly picking up this book, the magic of many of the dresses is lost. It is important to always include a back view , profile, and frontal view when talking of a dress's effect. This book failed to give that many times. Also, the format was not the easiest on the eyes.

Conclusion
This is a really nice book to look at on a quiet morning or afternoon. Perfect for a lady's sitting room, or just a little pleasure reading.

Book Highlights...

Here are some of my favorite things that i got to read about and see in the book...

Princess Diana's Revenge Dress...worn on the day her husband announced his affair with Camila (You go girl!)


Jennifer Lopez's (then J Lo) daring Versace plunge gown that placed her in infamy

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some beautiful gowns, and some less than beautiful but nevertheless important gowns (Diana's wedding dress, anyone?) in this book. The photos are amazing, and the author obviously has chops when it comes to knowing and selecting fashion pieces. My one beef involves his descriptions of film costume and film designers. He either offers them blind accolades (Adrian, Travis Banton), or blind condemnation (poor, insecure, ambitious Edith Head), with very little demonstrated knowledge of the studio system. For instance, he slams Edith Head pretty hard regarding the film Sabrina's design, for which Givenchy did not receive credit. And sure, the fact that Edith didn't thank him in her Oscar speech is a gross and self-serving oversight. Still, what he fails to acknowledge is that Givenchy did not receive credit because of the studio system, and the studio system only. Many, many designers did not receive screen credit for their design work on films, including Edith Head when she was Travis Banton's assistant. But I didn't see him scrambling to grant Edith or other uncredited designers the recognition they'd earned on Banton-designed films. It reeked of either a double standard or a willful ignorance of costume design conventions in the studio years.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant enough coffee table book. There are specific famous dresses, like Diana's wedding gown, costumes that sparked a thousand prom copies, like Elizabeth Taylor's white poofy Edith Head creation from "A Place in the Sun", styles like the little black or the DVF wrap dress, but many seem to just be red carpet gowns that the author liked. No significance other than that.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was younger, dresses were the bane of my existence. (There's a reason why Kristy was my favourite Baby-sitters Club member.) Now that I'm older - well, I'd still rather wear pants (and pajamas at that,) but I like getting dressed up every now and then. And I can appreciate a pretty dress. Or 100 of them.

This was a neat book, lots of pictures and a little history on the dresses. I liked that all sorts of designers and eras and styles of dresses were represented, it made for an interesting read. I didn't care much for the history of the designers, which companies they represented and where they moved to, but I really enjoyed the story behind the dress, especially in the celebrity world when it mentioned how they decided to choose that dress or what kind of trend it inspired. I thought some of the pictures could be better, for example, for the ballgown in The King and I, the picture was blurry and full of motion and doesn't show the dress at all. Or Jackie O's wedding dress, the photo was small and black and white and made the dress look shapeless and ugly. I had to Google it to see how it really looked.

Otherwise, this was an enjoyable enough coffee table book, some nice pictures and some interesting history.

[Vashti · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! A delightful, well-written work of history and humor. I was smiling the entire way through. Captivating women and their fabulous frocks, it's a great reminder to adorn yourself, you precious thing. 5 stars!

[Camelama · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rather poor photos in the book, and just one each of most of the dresses! What a waste.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book! It was displayed prominently by the library near the check-out line and I picked it up to browse while I waited. I was sucked in ;-)

It's an oversized book, with 8-1/2 x 11 inch pages. All the better for the marvelous color photos of some truly unforgettable dresses - with a couple that I might call "could be forgotten". The format is generally two facing pages per dress; one for the photo and the other for the description of the dress, the story of where it was worn and by whom, the designer's name and the date. It includes some obvious choices: HRH Princess Diana's wedding dress, as well as Catherine Middleton's, Donnatella Versace's "Plunge" dress for J.Lo, Chanel's Little Black Dress, Diana von Furstenberg's "Wrap" dress, and Halle Berry's 2002 Oscar acceptance dress, as well as the "Happy Birthday" gown worn by Marilyn Monroe. There are "fun" choices: Phyllis Diller's tent dresses by "Omar of Omaha" and Margo Thomas's A-lines for "That Girl. There are "influential but..." choices: the Graffiti Dress by Stephen Sprouse, Gianni Versace's Bondage Dress, the ball gown for Grace Jones by Keith Haring, Giorgio Armani's "Satellite Dress" for Lady Gaga and the Hologram Gown by Alexander McQueen.

Departing from the 2-page presention, there are several instances of famous people and their equally famous apparel: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Cher (fun!!), Sarah Jessica Parker, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Audrey Hepburn.

This was loads of fun to read!

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is a coffee table book worth reading! From Coco Chanel's little black dress introduced in the 1920's, to Kate Middleton's wedding dress in 2011, this book spans the decades from 1926 to 2011. As the title says, these dresses are unforgettable - not necessarily beautiful in the conventional sense - but they are included because of their enduring style, iconography, popularity, and/or cultural significance. The author, Hal Rubenstein of Instyle magazine, reveals the behind-the-scenes dish about the creation of each dress and really captures, in concise terms, why a particular dress is unforgettable, providing the cultural context and craftsmanship and construction that makes it memorable. It's obvious he has a special fondness for the special place each dress has in the modern history of women's fashion, and it's his enthusiasm that provides the reader with a greater appreciation for the work of each designer, whether she is a fan of a particular dress or not.

Why only 4 stars and not 5? Some of the photos included do not provide the best views of the dresses, leaving something to be desired. Plus, there were a couple of mistakes in the dates and designers of the featured dresses. But overall this book is a fun read and provides a fascinating peek inside the creation of an unforgettable dress.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read with some interesting factoids, but I felt a lot of iconic dresses were left out in favor of many that were, in fact, quite forgettable.

Lots of pretty dresses but some of the photos were crap.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this is a great behind-the-scenes look at some of fashion's most famous, or infamous, dresses. Most of the pieces were small articles that read fairly fast. I appreciated the stories of the hows and whys certain dresses were created (or worn) - the Marilyn Monroe "Happy Birthday Mr. President" dress stands out. And most of the photos were great. There were a few times when I wanted a picture from a different view, so that I could see some of the details, but overall, the book was interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author goes into great detail about the dresses in this book, cultural and historical significance, social impact, etc. The only two things that kept this book from being 5 stars is that some of the pictures did not afford the greatest view of the dresses and for the most part the dresses were all modern, within the 20th and 21st Centuries.

[Moorhead Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featuring looks from film, tv, royalty, politics, and the runway, see what dresses impacted fashion and pop culture for generations. Some of my favorites inculde: Embassy Ball Gown from My Fair Lady, Golden-Age Gown, Little Black Dress, "Jackie" Gown, and Wedding Gown for Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent most of my girlhood dressing & undressing dolls, more specifically, 'Barbie' & 'Sindy' (her British rival). I even made some of their clothes myself. I watch the Oscars for the gowns & I too love 'Project Runway'! So, this book was a must read. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't find this book that interesting, and most of the dresses weren't that "unforgettable".

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I forgot most of these "unforgettable dresses" the second I turned the page...

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by a fashionable friend when I was talking about the dress I was excited to wear for my fortieth birthday, I knew I wanted to take a look. It's a photo essay of 100 dresses through time be it wedding dresses for Princess Diana, Grace Kelly of Monaco, and HRH Katherine Middleton but then also the wrap dress, the many looks of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and the LBD. Favorite was Sarah Jessica Parker's profile and specifically her Paris breakup dress that I gushed over and the wow factor of Princess Diana's "revenge dress".

There aren't necessarily parameters set up for what Rubenstein constituted as "unforgettable dresses", however it was iconic for specific reasons or the specific people that wore them like Jennifer Lopez's tropical dress and Halle Barry's Oscar dress. Some were more interesting than others but it was more about the story of the dressmaker and their "House" than the form/functionality however depending on the dress, there was some of both or more or less in others.

"In a seminar I share with women on style, a section is devoted to becoming a better shopper. Of the twenty-five rules I present, only one abandons logic: If you find an item you're unexpectedly wild for, do not talk yourself out of buying it with rationales such as 'But where am I going to wear it?' If you love the item, get it, and the where will find you. Or you will find the where, no matter how long it takes."

"Fell like a woman. Wear a dress." Diana Von Furstenberg

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up after hearing it mentioned in a library program about fashion. I thought it would be a quick read, or not even a read, just flipping through the pictures. However, I was drawn into the backstories about the dresses. Sometimes it was remembering hearing about that "Wow" dress that made headlines after an awards show, other times I was learning about fashion history that took place years before I was born.

My main complaint with the book is that there are no captions, so if you are not familiar with the woman who is wearing the dress, you need to dig for the detail in the copy. Further complicating this is that some dresses are worn by models and others by celebrities, so sometimes there is no name.

Also, while most of the pictures are large, with a full-length view of the dress and in full color, a few are of poorer quality or don't show the entire dress,. I wonder if this is due to copywriter issues or budget issues for obtaining the photographs. Also with a few of the dresses, it would have been nice to see both sides.

Overall, a fun book if you like admiring beautiful gowns.

[Edie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I opened this fascinating book it pained me to put it down. I kept saying to myself, “one more entry, just one more!” I enjoyed it that much.

True to its title, the book presents engaging outfits, each one a favorite sartorial memory. They are accompanied by mostly full paged color photographs. Unfortunately you don’t get to see much in the way of details or different angles and the black and white photos sometimes illustrate dresses famous for their chroma.

What carries the book is Rubenstein’s writing style, which I personally love. He fills his descriptions with flare and just the right dose of bitchiness. I’d considered including a paragraph or two with my review, but I couldn’t decide which one. I thought they were all gems.

The information is not textbook. It’s fun tidbits. I expected nothing more. Nevertheless, I still learned quite a bit.

I found the negative reviews of “One Hundred Unforgettable Dresses” perplexing. Despite its flaws, I enjoyed it tremendously.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I'm being kind of harsh by only giving this book two stars, but I don't feel like I can rate it any higher, either. Sure, there are some great pictures of beautiful dresses. But. The organization is haphazard, with entries in apparently random order. It would have been much more illuminating to see them in chronological order, or really any rational order at all. While most entries were individual dresses, some were much vaguer, like Audrey Hepburn's on- and off-screen wardrobe, or Valentino's use of red. And some of the choices were true headscratchers, in a book of supposedly unforgettable garments. Like Renee Zellweger's winter white dress, that I didn't remember at all, or Gwyneth Paltrow's pink dress, which is only remembered for being so incredibly ill-fitting. The quality of the writing varied quite a bit. There were more than a few entries that were rambling, sometimes going for paragraphs without beginning to talk about the dress that was supposed to be the focus, and the tone was either snide or over the top fawning.

[Christine Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! I loved (and remembered) nearly every one of these stellar dresses, mostly from the movies and TV, but also several impressive wedding dresses and some trendsetting, cutting-edge runway designs. The photos are gorgeous and the text is very well-written and entertaining (only a couple of typos, "flair" instead of "flare" and "Sussue" instead of "Sessue" Hayakawa). There was one glaring error on page 32, which presented the hilarious drapery-rod dress from the Carol Burnett Show. "I saw it in the window and I just had to have it!" The dress was a spoof of Scarlett's drapery dress, made from Miss Ellen's green velvet portieres in Gone With The Wind, but the inset photo of Scarlett and Rhett was of a completely different dress! Green and gold, yes, but not made from drapes! Oops! Other than that, this book is perfection!

[Giuseppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a bad gay-I'm fashion illiterate! Nonetheless, I loved this book. It's not just a photo book, but rather a historical look at fashion and a run down of some seminal fashion moments-good (mostly) and bad-and the stories behind some of the most famous dresses and collections. It's a thoughtful book. Some may find the fashion world "vapid," but this book helps the reader understand the work and thought that goes into design. It's not overwhelmingly dense, nor is it the equivalent of a rag's "who wore it best" vis-a-vis capsule review pablum. It's done just right!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha!!! I thought that this was going to be beautiful dresses, memorable does not mean beautiful. Many of these dresses I remember from growing up, So many are amazing. Fashion iconic eras that change the way we see fashion at the time. 90% of the dresses in this book are quite beautiful and I would love to wear myself. If you love fashion, historical or otherwise this is a great book.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection of VERY high end dresses from the 20th and 21st centuries, seen on red carpets, runways, famous films, TV sets, and now-iconic historic moments, each with a few paragraphs about the dress, the designer, and the woman wearing it. A fabulous look at couture gowns of the past 100 years.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an in-depth book. Rather, it gives a nod to famous dresses and introduces some interesting facts about them. However, the writing is fun and lively, and many of the dresses are well-loved or at least recognizeable.

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me Rubinstein selected 100 of the most iconic dresses of the modern age. Beautiful workmanship and stories. The dresses were worn by the most beautiful women of this century: Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Nicole Kidman, Princess Diana and many more.

[Debbie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book full of Memories

I love looking through this book and seeing dresses that represent events or being associated with someone i.e. the safety pin dress or the revenge dress. The person who wore it made the dress famous

[Aja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any lover of fashion and delicious gossip! A real steep learning curve into how fashion changes social landscapes often for the better.

[reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for browsing while on endless standby for a sick relative at the hospital. Brain candy with lovely photos.