Irene: A Designer from the Golden Age of Hollywood

Hollywood’s Golden Age was graced with thousands of breathtaking looks by a designer who was known simply as Irene. Based on unprecedented access to the records and remembrances of Irene’s personal artist, Virginia Fisher, this insider’s look tells the story of Irene’s years at MGM studios. Marvelously illustrated with more than 150 original sketches and photography from the time period, Irene’s exhilarating story, filled with memories that have a cloying edge and are, at times, chilling, comes to life in this thoroughly researched resource on her career and legacy. From her early years as a designer with a successful dress shop catering to Hollywood clientele to her ascendancy at MGM studios to the beginning of her own label, Irene, Inc., this volume captures Irene’s struggles and triumphs surrounding her time at MGM. Complete with a filmography of Irene’s designs and full of insightful cameos by stars like Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and others, this is the ideal book for film and costume historians, fashion designers, and fans of Hollywood’s Golden Age.[AuthorName]Frank Billecci[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Frank Billecci was a freelance designer in Hollywood from 1983 to 1992. During that time, Frank received the NAACP Image Award nomination and the Dramalogue Critics Award of the Year for his work on Showgirls. Lauranne B. Fisher is the Fisher Family historian and has spent hundreds of hours recording the memories of her mother, Virginia Fisher, “the guiding light” of this book.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]214 b/w & color photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]The MGM Years 1942-49[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]214 b/w & color photos[/ColorPattern]