Dressing the Partridge Family

July 29, 2019 / thewritelife61 / 6 Comments

In this monthly “Behind the Scenes” series, we are learning about the people who work behind the camera and help make the show more realistic. It was very hard to find information about wardrobe designers. What these jobs look like vary by show. Some shows have actual designers like Marilyn Lewis on That Girl or Jean Louis on Green Acres, who we learned about in previous blogs. Some shows have a dresser who helps take care of costumes and keeps them in good condition. I could not find anyone listed in the wardrobe or costume departments for The Partridge Family. Perhaps they only had shoppers who purchased the items for the cast each season.

One thing I noticed and liked about The Partridge Family that was similar to My Three Sons was that each cast member got a wardrobe for the season, and they wore the same items on various episodes. You can definitely get a feel for their favorites by how many times they appeared throughout the year. I think this makes the characters more realistic. Like us, they only have so many clothes in their closet, and they wear them over and over, unlike current shows where the wardrobes are new for each episode.*

I chose to look at the clothing for The Partridge Family for a few reasons. Obviously, I can relate to them since I had those same items in my closet during that time. I can remember wearing bell bottoms, flowered or checked shirts with pointy collars, and carrying macramé purses. My favorite outfit during this time was a pair of bell bottoms with maroon and navy flowers that I wore with a navy blouse with a pointed collar and cuffs with buttons on them. I also remember a pink and white gingham skirt and blazer that I wore with a black bodysuit. My favorite skirt had a black background with jewel-toned flowers all over it. It had a slit up the side of the skirt, and I wore it with a black top. Another reason, I picked the Partridges to analyze style was because there were a variety of characters to dress—teens, older adults, kids, as well as a singing group.

The clothes The Partridge Family members wore fit with the times. They were a great representation of the clothing of the 1970s. In That Girl, Ann Marie’s wardrobe was almost like another character. Many people paid special attention to what she wore. In shows like The Brady Bunch or The Partridge Family, clothes were appropriate to the time and trendy, but they didn’t take center stage. They just reflected what everyone was wearing and made the characters more realistic.

So, what were the fashions during this time? There was not “a” predominant style in the 1970s. Walking down a city street, you could observe Indian block print dresses, tie-dye shirts, hip-huggers, mini skirts in bold patterns, and peasant type dresses in muted colors.

There were tons of options for dresses: long or short, single pastel or bold multi colors, solid or patterned, sleeveless or long-sleeve, jumpers or long, flowing skirts.

Men’s pants might be worn low or higher waisted. They might be cuffs or bell bottoms. They might be corduroy or denim.

Teen Girls and Young Adults

The Hippie themes carried over from the 1960s into the early 1970s. Many people were wearing bell bottoms, maxi dresses, granny dresses often trimmed with leather or lace, peasant blouses, and ponchos. There was not a hemline for the era; both maxi and mini-skirts were popular.

Culottes debuted in the mid-1970s. Colors tended to be earthy in nature: apple green, mauve, tangerine, mustard, and copper. Neutral solid colored pants were always appropriate, but jeans began to gain popularity in the mid part of the decade. Denim also showed up in jumpers. Accessories included chokers, dog collars, headbands, floppy hats, and jewelry made of feathers, shells, and leather.

Peace signs showed up in a lot of jewelry. Make up tended to look natural with just a hint of blush or lip gloss. Later in the decade, the disco look would bring in shimmery and bolder colors. Along with leather or macramé purses, younger women carried blue suede or tapestry printed bags. Sunglasses were often worn.

Laurie’s clothing was never too revealing or wild. She typically wore dresses to school and on dates but could also be seen wearing solid colored pants with blouses or tunics. She wore a lot of orange. For most of the series, she had long hair parted in the middle.

The photo above shows Laurie’s polka dotted skirt and top. We can also see Danny’s blue and yellow striped top. He had a variety of striped tops he wore as did Chris. The patterned bold-colored shirt Shirley has on was one of her favorites. She wore it on 6 or 7 shows during Season 2.

Older Women

Older women tended to wear pleated skirts with blazers or pantsuits. Dresses tended to hit the knee or a bit longer. Long skirts were also in vogue—some with loud patterns and colors. Sweaters and sweater vests were commonly worn with pants and skirts. American pride colors of navy, white, and red were popular as were pastels like baby blue, mint green, or bubblegum pink as well as neutrals in the camel or gray family. Polka dots were often added to blouses or dresses.

Everyone had at least one robe and some nightclothes were more casual for wearing around the house. Scarves were often worn with tops or dresses. Make up often included a pinky or peachy blush, green or blue eye shadow, and orange lipsticks.

Most women tended to wear more gold than silver. Bangles, button earrings and hoops were go-to pieces. Flower brooches could often be seen on blazer lapels. Quilted handbags with large wooden rings worked for purses.

Shirley wore a lot of skirt and blazer outfits in pastel shades in Season 1. This made sense because she had been working as a bank teller until they became singing stars. She also wore knit short-sleeved tops with scarves often.

During the other three seasons she wore a lot more pantsuits, often with blazers.

Many times she wore a pin on her lapel, and, in one episode, the plot concerns a pin Danny found and gave her. Her favorite colors seemed to be red, white and blue or pink.

Teen Men and Young Adults

Polyester was the primary material for pants and tops. Bright colors were quite popular early, but by 1975, more neutral colors had taken over, especially browns. Shirts had pointy collars and often were flowered or had geometric patterns or paisleys. Blue jeans were popular with everyone but especially teen males.

Denim would be made into jackets and suits also. Approaching the mid-1970s, bottle green, peacock blue, black, and purple would be seen in shirts. Often, they were Henley type shirts or long sleeves with round necks. Leather belts were quite common. Small round sunglasses with mirrored lens were popular with younger men. Guys often wore necklaces.

During the first season, Keith tended to wear long-sleeved shirts. They were often flowered or patterned. His favorite was a purple, acqua, yellow, and green shirt with a pointed collar that he wore in at least 8 episodes during Season 1.

Later he switched to solid colored tops with round necks and long sleeves, usually in shades of brown, blue or marroon. When Keith Partridge began wearing puka shells, their sales skyrocketed.

Older Men

Solid pastel suits and sports coats were often worn. Many sports coats had checks or stripes.

Cardigan sweaters in brown, blue, or yellow were often worn over long-sleeved dress shirts.

Dress shirts were available in solid colors in every shade of the rainbow, as well as wild prints.

Rueben often wore sports coats with stripes. His favorite cardigan was a tan one with a bright blue dress shirt underneath.

Footwear

Birkenstocks were introduced during this era. Boots were very popular. Go-go boots were still often worn with mini dresses, but lace-up granny style boots of leather were worn with longer skirts and dresses. Sandals were very popular with pants as were clogs. Earth shoes also made their debut in the 1970s in colors like navy, gray, burgundy, and cocoa. I have to confess I still have my navy blue earth shoes from seventh grade, and they are still comfortable.

Hairstyles

Longer hair was the norm for teen boys and girls, but short hair was not out of place. Young girls parted their hair in the middle. Bangs were also part of many hairstyles.

Older women and men tended to wear their hair shorter as well; women in their 50s and 60s would often put their hair in a bun. Pony tails and braids were ways to corral hair during hot weather. Afros were popular styles too. Shag haircuts were coming into vogue during the middle of the decade.

Kids’ Fashions

Kids’ fashions tended to be more mini versions of their parents and older brothers and sisters.

Girls wore matching pants and tops or dresses to school and jeans or other pants for play and after school wear. Often a scarf was worn on the head and tied under the chin that matched the dress. Boys wore solid short-sleeved shirts or striped shirts. Quarter zippers were often featured. They also had long-sleeved shirts like the older boys but in more solid colors or stripes.

When I was in fourth grade, we were allowed to start wearing pants to school but only if they had a matching tunic top, so that’s what my sister and I got for Christmas gifts that year. For weekends we wore jeans but not to school. It wasn’t until I moved to Wisconsin in 8th grade that I saw kids wearing Levis to school.

Olive green, gold, and brown were popular for boys. Girls also wore those colors but had more options with blues, pinks, purples, yellows, and bright colors to choose from. Girls wore colored knee socks with their dresses and skirts to school. Mood rings were a big hit in this decade.

Most of Danny’s shirts were short-sleeved tops in solid colors. His favorite was a solid brown top. Many of his shirts had a zipper in them.

One of Danny’s favorite outfits was a gold top with pants of brown, orange, and gold stripes.

Chris dressed much like Danny.The shirt Tracy is wearing below is very similar to shirts Laurie often wears. Tracy often wore pants with pastel tops. We didn’t see her or Chris or Danny at school, but I’m guessing she wore a lot of tops and skirts.

Conclusion

The clothes of the 1970s were identifiable but were not locked into one style. They were comfortable and natural for the most part.

Women still wore a lot of dresses and skirts, although pants were becoming very popular even for school and parties. There were many options for someone purchasing outfits in this decade for lengths, colors, designs, and prints.

Shoes and hairstyles also could be based on what the individual liked; there was not a “wrong” look. The Partridge Family gives us a great example of what the fashion was like during this time.

Their wardrobes were accurate and trendy but did not overshadow the characters. By concentrating on what each of the characters wore, we were able to learn a little more about them.

*All photos from pinterest.com unless otherwise noted.

Designing for the Ages and That Girl’s Ann Marie

July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 / thewritelife61 / 24 Comments

With this blog, we begin a new series about the people who work behind the scenes to make the characters come to life for us. We are starting with the costume department. The costume or wardrobe designer is one of those people who help make the character real for us. While the job description varies from show to show, the costumer designer typically is in charge of the clothing and accessories. They read the script and determine what type of clothing is needed for each episode. Some shows bring in designers to create the clothing like Norman Miller on Dynasty, some shows send out shoppers to purchase ready-made clothing like My Three Sons, and some combine the activities. On Burns and Allen, Gracie Allen had a shopping day each week, and she picked out her own clothing.

Costume designers typically use clothing to develop a character as they evolve throughout the series.

One of the television shows that is known for its incredible wardrobe is That Girl. Costume designers for the show include Florence Albert, Suzanne Smith, Fern Vollner, and Phyllis Garr, the mother of actress Teri Garr.

Ann Marie moves from small-town Brewster to New York City to pursue her acting career. Her clothes reflect her youth and her fascination with fashion and life in the big city. Marlo Thomas was the force behind every decision of her show. For clothing, she secured the design services of Marilyn Lewis.

Marilyn was raised in Cleveland by her grandmother. Marilyn was interested in fashion, and she sketched designs and did a bit of modeling in Ohio. After her grandmother passed away, she moved to California where she hoped to become an apprentice to an established fashion designer.

In Hollywood she met Harry Lewis and fell in love. Harry was an actor who appeared in a variety of television shows and movies, including Key Largo throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

Harry had dreamed of starting a chain of restaurants where actors could feel comfortable hanging out. As an actor, he also had a goal to play Hamlet. Combine the two aspirations and you have the birth of Hamburger Hamlet.

They opened the first restaurant in 1950 with $3500 and sold the chain of a dozen eateries in 1997 for $33 million.

They also created a separate restaurant called Kate Mantilini’s Dinner House which they sold, bought back, and then opened a second one, so each of their kids had their own. Kate Mantilini was Marilyn’s uncle’s mistress in the 1940s.

Harry realized that his wife put her dreams of working in fashion design on hold for him, and in 1966 he bought her a dress factory. About this time, That Girl was in the planning stages. The choice of Marilyn as designer for the show was both surprising and expected. She was far from an established designer when Thomas hired her to design for Ann Marie. At the same time, Marlo was trying to step out from her famous father’s shadow and earn respect for creating her own show. A show about a girl leaving her teaching career and forgoing marriage to move to a large city and live alone and pursue a career is not out of the ordinary today, but it was in the mid-1960s.

Lewis was the perfect choice for designer. Lewis described her clothing as having a “whispering signature.” She went on to say that “California gives me great light, so I use color.” Lewis named her line Cardinali. Her first batch of designs included 35 suits, gowns, and dresses. Saks Fifth Avenue was her first customer, selling her clothing for $300-$2400 per piece. Today those items would cost $2000-$16,000.

Color was definitely an important element in 1960s clothing. Women weren’t afraid of color. You could find deep jewel tones, bright neons, and bold patterns galore.

Marilyn used the best fabrics she could import from Italy. Her early pieces included a wool boucle coat with matching purse and hat and a flowing summer dress with a scarf. Similar items can be seen on That Girl. She said she designed her clothing for a career girl who got dressed up at night. Similarly, Ann Marie dressed practically, but pretty, during the day and chose more glamorous looks for evening.

While looking at one of her ruffled chiffon party dresses, Lewis described it as “sexy and discreet at the same time. Always the contrast. And that’s me. I always have a little reserve in me. But never so much that I won’t wink at you and get the job done.” Ann Marie definitely picked up on that design vibe.

Her clothing on That Girl is also a contrast. While Ann’s wardrobe evokes the classic style of the 1960s, it is also timeless, and many of her outfits could be worn today.

Lewis became very successful in her Cardinali line. She was worn by many celebrities, as well as California first-lady Nancy Reagan and socialite Betsy Bloomingdale. Her clothes had a European flair not found in other American designers.

Ann Marie’s wardrobe was anything but boring, and Lewis strove hard for that look. She once commented that “There would be no true boredom if a woman would realize she could paint herself like an artist painting a canvas. It would be a tremendous lift to her spirits.”

During the height of her popularity in 1977, Lewis walked away from the fashion industry. But her design features are still influencing women. Marlo Thomas also continued to be regarded as a fashionista.

After the demise of That Girl, she went on to become McCall’s Director of Women’s Interests, a role that allowed her to become a model for sewing patterns that sold for $1.50 under the name “Marlo’s Corner.” She also wrote a monthly column for their counter book.

Though Lewis was hired to help create the character of Ann Marie, she ended up creating so much more. It’s hard to estimate how many girls growing up in the era of That Girl changed their entire fashion sense watching the show. Every girl dreamed of moving to the big city, getting their own apartment, and having an incredible wardrobe.

Great design is timeless, and Cardinali design was definitely great. The fashions from this era will always have a place in a well-dressed woman’s wardrobe. The pieces combined comfort with beauty and color. Ann Marie’s fashion sense evolved with her character as she gained more confidence. We evolved along with her.

Fashions Fade, Style is Eternal – Yves Saint Laurent

June 12, 2017June 12, 2017 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Fashion trends tend to come and go, but series about the world of models and clothing designers come and go even quicker. Let’s look at a few of the series that centered around the fashion industry.

Love That Jill (1958). While Love That Bob was about a photographer who did take models’ photos from time to time, Love That Jill was about the heads of two rival Manhattan model agencies (played by real life married couple Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling). The show only lasted three months. Jill Johnson runs a top modeling agency, putting her in direct competition with one headed by Jack Gibson. Jack is not above trying to steal her clients, but Jill, with the help of her secretary Richard (Jimmy Lydon), holds her own. Jack also tries to steal her heart, and when they are not fighting about business, Jack and Jill find time for romancing each other. Some of the models on the show were Betty Lynn as Pearl, Polly Rose as Myrtle, Barbara Nichols as Ginger, Nancy Hadley as Melody, and Kay Elhardt as Peaches.

Diana (1973). Diana Rigg (previously Emma Peel on The Avengers) was a divorced woman seeking new life in America. She was a fashion coordinator at Butley’s, a fashionable Fifth Avenue department store, where she was in charge of merchandising and advertising. Her brother has rented an apartment for her, but numerous other people seem to have keys to it as well which leads to some interesting situations. Some of the other characters included commercial model Holly Green (Carol Androsky), Butley’s president Norman Brodnik (David Sheiner), Brodnik’s wife Norma (Barbara Barrie), copywriter and office mate Howard Tolbrook (Richard B . Shull), and window dresser Marshall Tyler (Robert Moore). After four months, Diana switched jobs when her series was cancelled.

Needles and Pins (1973). This show was set in New York’s garment district. Nathan Davidson (Norman Fell) owned the Lorelei Fashion House which created women’s clothing. His brother and partner was Harry (Louis Nye) and their designer was Wendy (Deidre Lenihan) who came from Nebraska. Other characters included Sonia the bookkeeper (Sandra Deel), Charlie, a salesman (Bernie Kopell), Max a fabric cutter (Larry Gelman), Myron the patternmaker (Alex Henteloff), and Julius Singer (Milton Selzer) who was their competition in the industry. Apparently, the cast had a right to be on needles and pins because the show only lasted half a season.

Veronica’s Closet (1997-2000). Veronica is the best romance expert around. Unfortunately, her expertise only works for others. If the details about this show and its characters seem confusing to you, you are not alone.

Veronica Chase (Kirstie Alley) owns a lingerie company called Veronica’s Closet. After divorcing her husband of many years (after discovering that he has been cheating on her), she throws herself into her work. She is aided by her best friend, Olive (Kathy Najimy); Josh (Wallace Langham), her secretary whom everybody says is gay but he says he is not; and Leo (Daryl Mitchell) and Perry (Dan Cortese), two other employees.

Ok, get ready to pay attention. At the end of the first season, she took in a partner who died and the dead woman’s inept son took control of the company, wrecking it. In the next season, Alec Bilson, her previous partner’s ex-husband, bought the company from his stepson and decided to work with Veronica, or Ronnie as she is called. And while she didn’t like the arrangement, she liked him. In the third season, after Ronnie and Alec had a fight, he left abruptly and died in an accident, but before he did he married a girl named June who inherited his fortune which included Veronica’s Closet, and she drove Ronnie up the wall.

Apparently, the network felt there were too many fatal accidents and cut the show before another character was killed. While this show lasted three seasons, it actually was almost like three different series.

VERONICA’S CLOSET, (top, l to r) Daryl Mitchell, Robert Prosky, Kirstie Alley, Alan F. Smith, Kathy Najimy, (sitting) Wallace Langham, Dan Cortese, 1997-2000

Just Shoot Me (1997-2003). Hot-tempered journalist Maya Gallo (Laura San Giancomo) got herself fired from yet another job when she made an anchorwoman cry on the air with some gag copy on the teleprompter. Unable to find a job anywhere else and facing eviction, she is forced to go work for Blush, her father’s (Jack Gallo played by George Segal) fashion magazine. Maya’s father was a workaholic while she was growing up and has been divorced four times. Their time working together provides them the opportunity to heal their relationship, and Jack eventually turns over the company to his daughter. Personality conflicts quickly ensue with high-strung ex-model who can’t accept the fact that she has aged and her fans have forgotten her, Nina van Horn (Wendie Malick), philandering photographer Elliot DiMauro (Enrico Colantoni), and wise-guy secretary Dennis Finch (David Spade).

This show won its time slot most seasons which is amazing because the network moved it around quite often. The first six episodes were shown in one month. The next season it was given a great schedule on Thursday night between Friends and Seinfeld. When Seinfeld ended its show, Just Shoot Me was moved to Tuesday. For the fifth season, it was moved back to Thursdays between Will & Grace and ER where it remained for two years, getting high ratings. However, for the seventh season, several characters left the show, and it once again aired on Tuesdays. The ratings never recovered and it was cancelled.

Ugly Betty (2006-2010). This show was based on a Colombian telenovela, “Yo soy Betty, la fea” published in 1999. A young and wise woman named Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), from Queens, goes on a journey to find her inner beauty. The only problem is that it’s hard for an unattractive woman to find her beauty surrounded by tall skinny models at a fashion magazine, but Betty doesn’t let this stop her or her positive attitude towards her work.

When publishing mogul Bradford Meade puts his son Daniel (Eric Mabius) in charge of his Mode magazine, he hires Betty to be Daniel’s new assistant — mostly because he knows that she may be the only woman in Manhattan with whom the younger man won’t sleep. Betty’s hard work and determination earn Daniel’s respect, as she helps him find his way through hurdles of the fashion industry. Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Becki Newton, Michael Urie, Mark Indelicato, Vanessa Williams, and Judith Light also play characters on the show.

This is the other fashion show that made it more than three years, and it was also moved around the schedule. The first three years it had its highest ratings on Thursday nights. When ratings dropped after season 3, it was moved to Fridays. Fans protested and the show moved to Wednesdays airing with Modern Family and Cougar Town, but it never recovered its previous high ratings and was cancelled. In the finale, Betty accepts a job in London, and Daniel leaves the magazine.

Lipstick Jungle (2008). A look at the lives of Nico Reilly, the editor-in-chief of Bonfire magazine (Kim Raver), Wendy Healy, former president of Parador Pictures (Brooke Shields), and Victory Ford, a fashion designer (Lindsay Price) — three of “New York’s 50 Most Powerful Women,” according to The New York Post. I’m not saying they are shallow, but apparently there was not much to look at because the show only lasted 20 episodes. Andrew McCarthy, Paul Blackthorne, and Robert Buckley also were part of the regular cast.

This was another series based on a novel, Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell. Although the show debuted during the year a major writer’s strike was taking place, it never picked up any substantial ratings and was cancelled.

That Girl (1966-1971). While That Girl was not technically about on the fashion industry, Anne Marie is known for her incredible wardrobe. In a blog about fashion series, I felt it had to be included.

A young girl who moves to New York City to try to make it as an actress may not sound like revolutionary television, but this was 1966, and Marlo Thomas was an “unlikely pioneer in a flip coif and a Technicolor minidress.” She said this was the first show where a single, perky career gal learned to navigate the big city. She based the concept on her life about a girl who graduated from college, whose parents wanted her to get married while she wants to be an actress. Fans watched the show to see how Ann Marie would fare in the big city, but they also tuned in to see what she was wearing. Thomas personally chose her entire wardrobe for the show and wore many current designers’ creations. One of the designers she chose was Marilyn Lewis.

Six years before the show debuted, Lewis and her husband Harry ran a restaurant chain called Hamburger Hamlet. She decided to launch a ready-to-wear line of clothing. She could not sew but wanted to design quality apparel. She named her collection Cardinali, and Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman couldn’t get enough of her designs. Marlo Thomas, along with other celebrities such as Nancy Reagan, Betsy Bloomingdale, and Dyan Cannon also bought her outfits. A feature on Marilyn Lewis provided the following details about the designer in 2007:

As a girl growing up in Cleveland, Lewis invented the name Cardinali in homage to her absent father. She was told that he was living in Italy, and at 5 she rechristened herself Cardinali. In her first year of designing, Lewis created a 35-piece collection of suits, dresses and gowns. Her clothes, which Cameron Silver, who owns the Los Angeles vintage boutique Decades, will be showcasing in early June, are a mix of hard and soft: a tweed maxi skirt paired with a floral chiffon blouse, a wool jersey turtleneck halter gown with a plunging back. And Cardinali loved accouterment — a wool bouclé winter coat has a bag and hat to match; a floaty summer day dress comes with its own attached scarf. There is a metallic jumpsuit that Dyan Cannon wore on her first date with Cary Grant, and there is a demure silk gown with ruffles that Nancy Reagan ordered in red. Perhaps Lewis’s most famous designs were worn by Marlo Thomas in the TV show “That Girl.” The chiffon floral dress with its matching frilly umbrella that Thomas twirls during the opening credits says everything about being young and enthralled by Manhattan.

The Cardinali archive is currently stored in the Lewises’ condominium near Century City. Marilyn and Harry rent out their home in Beverly Hills and live in the 5,000-square-foot penthouse, with its breathtaking views of Los Angeles. The condo is decorated with Hamlet memorabilia, modern art and posters from Marilyn’s third career, as a movie producer. Her documentary, “Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol,” was critically acclaimed, and “The Passion of Ayn Rand,” which starred Helen Mirren, was on Showtime in 1998; Mirren won an Emmy for her performance. “As usual, when I became a producer, my husband thought I was crazy,” Lewis said in her apartment, as she presented each piece of Cardinali. “As usual, I never had doubt, but Harry always has the doubt for me. Luckily he trusts me. I could never have done any of this alone. Harry was always my producer.” She paused. “And I still can’t figure him out after all these years.”

With the fashion industry such an influence in our pop culture, it’s hard to believe that there have been only a few sitcoms about the design and modeling business. Although, I must admit that while I’m writing this, I realize that the only one of these shows I watched before I researched this blog was That Girl. Maybe the fashion business is too cut-throat to be funny, or maybe the fashion trends would date the show too much. While That Girl was one of my favorite shows, I will also admit that one of the reasons I watch today is to watch all those adorable outfits Anne Marie wears.