Wardobe Department on Dallas

Pammy P

Telly Talk Fan
Does anyone know, who decides what the actors wore for each scene they had? Did they have a rack of clothes and they picked the clothes out for themselves?
Did the Wardrobe person decide?

Anyone know, as I just wondered? If a wardrobe person picked clothes, then my memorable disasters are:
  • Bob's blue spotted shirt.
  • Jock's plaid trousers
  • Sue Ellen's turban and dress ensemble
  • Pam's bridesmaid dress at Sue Ellen's wedding
Just realised wrong Forum:rolleyes:
 
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Sarah

Moderator Emerita
:hats:I am a forever defender of the Turban AND saw someone in Belfast (a young woman!) wearing one last week!!!
:spinning:
It will have been wardrobe - that’s their job and they lay out each characters clothes for each scene or sequence HOWEVER I remember in the very early days Larry saying they did have to use some of their own clothes - before things gory really glamorous and thankfully pre-Angelica (I hope they weren’t BC’s actual clothes!!!), which is normal in a lot of productions early on or for a one off supporting actor.
 

CeeCee72

Telly Talk Star
I thought that Sue Ellen's wedding dress was even more hideous than Pam's bridesmaids dress.

And that turban outfit was glorious...but not for the movies.

I actually liked the clothes in the dream season (minus Angelica) and wesson 10 the most. That white dress Sue Ellen wore to the Oil Baron's Ball was gorgeous.
 
Barbara wore her own choices

Victoria has a deal with Armani - believe some of the ladies liked to go home in their ourfits!! Id put it in my wardrobe - When you see lots of pics of cast off screen they are wearing clothes that they wore onscreen

Patrick liked his leather bomber jacket on screen and off

I remember Judy keel told me they let Howard keep some of the suits or Tuxedos he had worn on Dallas as he was one of the FEW who didnt take them home! :p
 

Ukdallasfan

Telly Talk Fan
Nicest (and hottest) dress Sue Ellen ever wore in my opinion was the black silk gown she wore on the night when John Ross’s paternity was revealed. She looked amazing whereas poor Pam looked like she had her nightie on. I loved the white dress and boots she had on when she told JR she was behind Valentine Lingerie too. Re Pam I always liked the blouse and skirt combos with the wide crossover belt that she wore to the office. Oh the nostalgia :)
 

Grant Jennings

Telly Talk TV Fanatic
I remember a segment on TV (I think it was on CNN, back when cable news wasn't politics 24/7) where they interviewed the costumer for Dallas, she went to Neiman Marcus (in Dallas Texas at the beginning of the season if my decrepit memory is correct) where she selected racks full of clothing which she then took to the actresses who appeared to have a veto over anything they didn't like. This was prior to Travilla being hired as costume designer. I saw a similar segment (I think it was on Entertainment Tonight) that was about the wardrobe on Dynasty that wasn't designed by Nolan Miller; the wardrobe person was seen showing a selection of garments to Catherine Oxenberg.

I've read elsewhere that it was fairly common for prime time series to purchase new pieces at the beginning of the season that might be worn several times during the course of the season by the actress for whom they had been selected. At the end of the season those pieces would go into the wardrobe department for supporting players and extras; new pieces would be purchased for the leading actresses and the cycle would repeat. Some actors and actresses have, as previously noted, worn clothes from their own wardrobe. Agnes Moorehead often wore her own clothes on Bewitched; I've read that Tracy Scoggins sometimes wore her own clothes on The Colbys and Dynasty.

Keeping clothes from wardrobe is discouraged if not outright prohibited (I heard Liz Hurley and Mimi Rogers were both told they could keep one piece each from their wardrobes from the first Austin Powers movie, they both selected the leather catsuits) but sometimes pieces will be "borrowed" and not returned. The practice of allowing actors and actresses to wear pieces from the wardrobe department for publicity purposes goes back to the days of the movie studio system. Studios will occasionally loan out clothes for other reasons; when director John Landis was on trial for deaths that occurred while filming The Twilight Zone movie, he wore suits from studio wardrobe departments including some that had been worn by Gordon Thomson on Dynasty.
 

Sarah

Moderator Emerita
Nothing as dramatic I'm afraid (believe it or not I'm not THAT type of fan!!!). Just a little shirt I was gifted. Which hangs proudly in my Dallas shrine :spinning:
 

Lastkidpicked

Telly Talk Dream Maker
Nothing as dramatic I'm afraid (believe it or not I'm not THAT type of fan!!!). Just a little shirt I was gifted. Which hangs proudly in my Dallas shrine :spinning:

That's very cool!
Would you like to hear some fun behind the scenes info?

In my younger days, I was a tour guide for some of the tourist destinations. Even long after indoor smoking was banned, we stocked the places with ash trays containing the logo for the venue.

If indoor smoking was banned, then why continue to stock the venue with ash trays?

Because people were just starving to get a souvenir, and would steal the stupidest things. We had faucet knobs go missing, door knobs go missing, even garden tools! So, we left several ash trays laying about and people would sometimes grab them for a souvenir. That was much cheaper than replacing other things people might otherwise grab.

Oh, the days when people grabbing an ashtray was the biggest problem we faced!

Good times. . .
 
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