Dressed for the occasion: Hollywood costume exhibit struts into Phoenix

PHOENIX — Movie buffs might want to head to the Phoenix Art Museum.

The Hollywood Costume exhibit opens Wednesday, and there are some pretty fantastic things to see.

It’s like walking through timeless Hollywood classics. You’ll find Rocky’s boxing trunks, as well as costumes from the “Bourne Identity,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and other classics. Marilyn Monroe’s dress from the famous street scene in “The Seven Year Itch” is there.

“Hollywood Costume is really not about the clothes,” said Deborah Nadoolman Landis, a UCLA professor and the curator of the exhibit. “It’s really about the contribution that costume designers make to every single production, no matter what the story is.”

But some fantastic costumes are here, including the Darth Vader costume worn in “Star Wars.” Then there’s Landis’ own exhibit. She designed the Indiana Jones and other costumes in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
She said that director Steven Spielberg had a good idea what he wanted Indiana Jones to look like before he hired here.

“I gave him my drawing pad and said ‘Here Steven, draw it for me.” He did, and she’s kept Spielberg’s sketch all of these years. “Since 1980, it’s been hanging in my son’s room.”

Also is a red carpet section featuring gowns worn by Hollywood stars on Oscar night. They include gowns worn by Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Sally Field and Glenn Close.

“The red carpet is such a hot topic these days,” said museum fashion curator Dennita Sewell. “I worked with Dr. Landis. We co-curated this together to highlight the transformation between the actress as she appears in the movie and how she looks on the red carpet.”

The Hollywood Costumes and Hollywood Red Carpet exhibits are open through July 6.