Costume Designer Theoni V. Aldredge Passes Away | Clothes on Film

A real legend of the industry, Greek born costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge, has died aged 88 years old.

Designing for both stage and screen since 1950s, Aldredge was perhaps best known for her work during seventies era Hollywood on films such as Three Days Of The Condor (1975), Network (1976) and Eyes of Laura Mars (1978).

She collaborated with Ralph Lauren for The Great Gatsby in 1974, though ostensibly Lauren just provided shirts and some suiting, in which she sparked a high street fashion revival for the delicate, waistless shifts worn by Mia Farrow’s character Daisy. The costumes were made in less than two weeks – an astonishing achievement.

Aldredge also created some memorable ensembles for Ghostbusters (1984) and Cher vehicle Moonstruck (1987). Seemingly passionate to reflect the era in which she worked, many of her costumes, Sigourney Weaver’s batwing lamé dress and oversized cape coat in Ghostbusters and Faye Dunaway’s double split skirt in Laura Mars, for example, are wearable vintage pieces now.

Most important of all, Aldredge understood the requirements of projecting character and setting. For her work on the Broadway revival production of A Chorus Line in 2006, she insisted on champagne colour dinner suits for the finale instead of red, maintaining “champagne was the colour of celebration”. She got her way.

Theoni V. Aldredge is survived by her husband Tom Aldredge, currently featuring as Ethan Thompson in television drama Boardwalk Empire.

Source: New York Times