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Irene

Costume & Make-Up

Irene

Born December 8, 1901 in Baker, Montana, USADied November 15, 1962145 films

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Irene Maud Lentz (December 8, 1901 – November 15, 1962) also known mononymously and professionally as Irene, was an American fashion designer and costume designer. Her work as a clothing designer in Los Angeles led to her career as a costume designer for films in the 1930s. Lentz also worked under the name Irene Gibbons.

Lentz had been taught sewing as a child and, with a flair for style, she decided to open a small dress shop. The success of her designs in her tiny store eventually led to an offer from the Bullocks Wilshire luxury department store to design for their Ladies Custom Salon which catered to a wealthy clientele including a number of Hollywood stars.

Lentz's designs at Bullocks gained her much attention in the film community and she was contracted by independent production companies to design the wardrobe for some of their productions. Billing herself simply as "Irene", her first work came in 1933 on the film Goldie Gets Along featuring her designs for star Lily Damita. However, her big break came when she was hired to create the gowns for Ginger Rogers for her 1937 film Shall We Dance with Fred Astaire. This was followed by more designs in another Ginger Rogers film as well as work for other independents such as Walter Wanger Productions, Hal Roach Studios as well as majors such as RKO, Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures. During the 1930s, Irene Lentz designed the film wardrobe for leading ladies such as Constance Bennett, Hedy Lamarr, Joan Bennett, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Ingrid Bergman, and Loretta Young among others. She "is generally regarded as the originator of the dressmaker suit" that was popular in the late 1930s.

Through her work, Lentz met and married short story author and screenwriter Eliot Gibbons, brother of multi-Academy Award winning Cedric Gibbons, head of art direction at MGM Studios. Despite her success, working under the powerful set designer Cedric while being married to his brother Eliot was not easy. Irene confided to her close friend Doris Day that the marriage to Eliot was not a happy one. Generally regarded as the most important and influential production designer in the history of American films, Cedric Gibbons hired Lentz when gown designer Adrian left MGM in 1941 to open his own fashion house. By 1943 she was a leading costume supervisor at MGM, earning international recognition for her "soufflé creations" and is remembered for her avant-garde wardrobe for Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

In 1950, Lentz left MGM to open her own fashion house. After Lentz was out of the film industry for nearly ten years, Doris Day requested her services for the production Midnight Lace (Universal, 1960). The following year she did the costume design for another Day film, Lover Come Back (1961), and during 1962 worked on her last production, A Gathering of Eagles (1963).

Lentz was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White for B.F.'s Daughter (1948). She was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color for Midnight Lace (1960).

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To Be or Not to Be posterFirst watchTo Be or Not to Be19427.8During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach
Gaslight poster7.5Gaslight1944You Can't Take It with You poster7.5You Can't Take It with You1938Meet Me in St. Louis poster7.0Meet Me in St. Louis1944The Postman Always Rings Twice poster7.1The Postman Always Rings Twice1946The Picture of Dorian Gray poster7.1The Picture of Dorian Gray1945Waterloo Bridge poster7.5Waterloo Bridge1940The Palm Beach Story poster7.0The Palm Beach Story1942Lover Come Back poster7.0Lover Come Back1961

Filmography

145 films
  1. 1963A Gathering of EaglesCostume Design
  2. 1961Lover Come BackCostume Design
  3. 1960Midnight LaceCostume Design
  4. 1950Shadow on the WallCostume Design
  5. 1950Please Believe MeCostume Design
  6. 1950Key to the CityCostume Design
  7. 1949In the Good Old SummertimeCostume Design
  8. 1949Scene of the CrimeCostume Design
  9. 1949The Great SinnerCostume Design
  10. 1949Neptune's DaughterCostume Design
  11. 1949The Sun Comes UpCostume Design
  12. 1949The Barkleys of BroadwayCostume Design
  13. 1949The BribeCostume Design
  14. 1948Julia MisbehavesCostume Design
  15. 1948Easter ParadeCostume Design
  16. 1948The PirateCostume Supervisor
  17. 1948On an Island with YouCostume Design
  18. 1948State of the UnionCostume Design
  19. 1948B.F.'s DaughterCostume Design
  20. 1948Tenth Avenue AngelCostume Design
  21. 1947Cass TimberlaneCostume Design
  22. 1947Desire MeCostume Supervisor
  23. 1947This Time for KeepsCostume Design
  24. 1947Merton of the MoviesCostume Design
  25. 1947Song of LoveCostume Supervisor
  26. 1947The Unfinished DanceCostume Supervisor
  27. 1947CynthiaCostume Design
  28. 1947Song of the Thin ManCostume Supervisor
  29. 1947The Romance of Rosy RidgeCostume Supervisor
  30. 1947The HuckstersCostume Supervisor
  31. 1947Dark DelusionCostume Supervisor
  32. 1947FiestaCostume Design
  33. 1947Living in a Big WayCostume Design
  34. 1947High BarbareeCostume Design
  35. 1947The Sea of GrassCostume Supervisor
  36. 1947Undercover MaisieCostume Design
  37. 1947The Arnelo AffairCostume Design
  38. 1947Green Dolphin StreetCostume Supervisor
  39. 1946Love Laughs at Andy HardyCostume Supervisor
  40. 1946The Secret HeartCostume Supervisor
  41. 1946Lady in the LakeCostume Supervisor
  42. 1946The YearlingCostume Supervisor
  43. 1946Till the Clouds Roll ByCostume Supervisor
  44. 1946UndercurrentCostume Supervisor
  45. 1946Courage of LassieCostume Supervisor
  46. 1946Faithful in My FashionCostume Design
  47. 1946Easy to WedCostume Design
  48. 1946A Letter for EvieCostume Supervisor
  49. 1946Two Sisters from BostonCostume Supervisor
  50. 1946Two Smart PeopleCostume Supervisor
  51. 1946Bad BascombCostume Supervisor
  52. 1946The Postman Always Rings TwiceCostume Supervisor
  53. 1946The Hoodlum SaintCostume Design
  54. 1946Up Goes MaisieCostume Supervisor
  55. 1946The Harvey GirlsCostume Supervisor
  56. 1945AdventureCostume Design
  57. 1945The Sailor Takes a WifeCostume Design
  58. 1945Yolanda and the ThiefCostume Design
  59. 1945Her Highness and the BellboyCostume Design
  60. 1945She Went to the RacesCostume Supervisor
  61. 1945Week-End at the WaldorfCostume Supervisor
  62. 1945Our Vines Have Tender GrapesCostume Design
  63. 1945The Hidden EyeCostume Supervisor
  64. 1945Ziegfeld FolliesCostume Supervisor
  65. 1945Anchors AweighCostume Supervisor
  66. 1945Dangerous PartnersCostume Supervisor
  67. 1945Twice BlessedCostume Designer
  68. 1945The ClockCostume Supervisor
  69. 1945Thrill of a RomanceCostume Supervisor
  70. 1945The Valley of DecisionCostume Supervisor
  71. 1945Son of LassieCostume Supervisor
  72. 1945Between Two WomenCostume Design
  73. 1945Without LoveCostume Supervisor
  74. 1945The Picture of Dorian GrayCostume Supervisor
  75. 1945National VelvetCostume Supervisor
  76. 1944The Thin Man Goes HomeCostume Supervisor
  77. 1944Music for MillionsCostume Design
  78. 1944Nothing But TroubleCostume Supervisor
  79. 1944Gentle AnnieCostume Supervisor
  80. 1944Meet Me in St. LouisCostume Supervisor
  81. 1944Thirty Seconds Over TokyoCostume Supervisor
  82. 1944Mrs. ParkingtonCostume Supervisor
  83. 1944KismetCostume Supervisor
  84. 1944Maisie Goes to RenoCostume Supervisor
  85. 1944The Canterville GhostCostume Supervisor
  86. 1944Bathing BeautyCostume Supervisor
  87. 1944Two Girls and a SailorCostume Supervisor
  88. 1944Meet the PeopleCostume Supervisor
  89. 1944The White Cliffs of DoverCostume Supervisor
  90. 1944Andy Hardy's Blonde TroubleCostume Supervisor
  91. 1944GaslightCostume Design
  92. 1944RationingCostume Supervisor
  93. 1944See Here, Private HargroveCostume Supervisor
  94. 1944A Guy Named JoeCostume Supervisor
  95. 1944Broadway RhythmCostume Design
  96. 1943Lost AngelCostume Design
  97. 1943Madame CurieCostume Supervisor
  98. 1943Girl CrazyCostume Supervisor
  99. 1943Cry 'Havoc'Costume Supervisor
  100. 1943Swing FeverCostume Supervisor
  101. 1943Best Foot ForwardCostume Supervisor
  102. 1943Swing Shift MaisieCostume Supervisor
  103. 1943Thousands CheerCostume Supervisor
  104. 1943Du Barry Was a LadyCostume Supervisor
  105. 1943Above SuspicionCostume Supervisor
  106. 1943Dr. Gillespie's Criminal CaseCostume Design
  107. 1943No Time for LoveCostume Design
  108. 1943Slightly DangerousCostume Supervisor
  109. 1943Cabin in the SkyCostume Supervisor
  110. 1943The Human ComedyCostume Supervisor
  111. 1942Reunion in FranceCostume Design
  112. 1942You Were Never LovelierCostume Design
  113. 1942The Palm Beach StoryCostume Design
  114. 1942The Talk of the TownCostume Design
  115. 1942Tales of ManhattanCostume Design
  116. 1942They All Kissed the BrideCostume Design
  117. 1942Take a Letter, DarlingCostume Design
  118. 1942The Wife Takes a FlyerCostume Design
  119. 1942To Be or Not to BeCostume Design
  120. 1941You'll Never Get RichCostume Design