Wardrobe Mistress

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Star of style: Katharine Hepburn
Photo courtesy of Kent State University Museum

On Saturday, October 2, fashion fans will finally have an opportunity to see the style of a legendary woman up close when Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen opens at the Kent State University Museum. The star's personal collection of performance clothes spans her six-decade career and also features some costumes never previously exhibited. The museum acquired Hepburn’s performance clothes in 2008 from the star’s estate. Before her death in 2003, the actress specified that her collection of performance clothes should be given to an educational institution instead of being sold at auction.

Open through September 4, 2011, the exhibit offers an intimate glimpse at the life of Hepburn, who holds a yet-unequalled record of 12 Academy Award nominations and four Oscars, for Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981). Not only did Hepburn establish an unprecedented standard for female performers, she also had a profound impact on American popular culture and fashion, influencing generations of women. To this day, the Hepburn look is a familiar fashion touchstone for millions, often referenced in editorial layouts and in current designs.

“On screen and off, she epitomized the modern American woman – smart, independent, active, honest, feisty and outspoken," says Jean Druesedow, director of the Kent State University Museum and curator of the exhibit. "In terms of fashion, Katharine Hepburn blazed trails by popularizing slacks for women, wearing or adapting men’s suits as women’s apparel, and helping internationalize what is now called ‘The American Style.’"

Though the collection’s ownership is indisputable – the garments were literally hanging in Hepburn’s closets – it was the museum's responsibility to correctly identify which movie or play in which the clothing appeared. Movie frames, stage stills and publicity shots of Hepburn that helped accomplish this task will be displayed alongside the costumes, which will be presented according to the genre in which they appeared. A series of Hepburn’s iconic beige trousers, linen vests and tailored jackets will be placed as guideposts through the exhibit. Highlights include stage costumes from The Philadelphia Story and Without Love, film costumes and publicity clothes from The Little Minister, Adam’s Rib, The Iron Petticoat, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, A Delicate Balance, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and The Lion In Winter, along with costumes from her later television movies, including an Emmy-winning performance in Love Among the Ruins.