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Uncovering Orry-Kelly
Stories & Ideas

Tue 18 Oct 2016

Uncovering Orry-Kelly

Craft Film History

Orry who?

Who the hell is Orry-Kelly? That’s the first question people asked filmmaker Gillian Armstrong when researching her documentary, Women He’s Undressed. The answer? Orry-Kelly was one of the most sought after costume designers in Golden-era Hollywood - and he was almost forgotten. Hard to believe for a three time Oscar winner who dressed icons like Marilyn Monroe and Ingrid Bergman. 

His three Oscars were salvaged from the vault of Warner studios and transported to our exhibition.

Costume starts with the corsetry.  We reveal some outtakes with Gillian Armstrong talking about costume design on some of her seminal films.

Orry-Kelly and his legacy is a recording of the Q&A which followed a Australian Perspectives screening of the classic 1957 musical romp, Les Girls.  Les Girls may seem out of place in Australian Perspectives, however, with its Oscar®-winning costumes by Australian-born Orry-Kelly, it marks the beginning of our tribute to the Australians who have made a significant contribution to costume design in Hollywood.

The Q&A features Katherine Thomson, who co-wrote the feature documentary Women He’s Undressed with director Gillian Armstrong about the life of Orry-Kelly; Anna Borghesi, costume designer (Mao's Last Dancer, Ned Kelly, Romper Stomper); and Margot Anderson, curator (Dance & Opera), Arts Centre Melbourne.