World War II inspired escapism in audiences. The decade opened with Walter Plunkett’s civil war drama Gone with the Wind, and Adrian’s costume collaboration with Joan Crawford minted the strong-shouldered silhouette of the decade. Edward Manson Stevenson designed the legendary movie Citizen Kane and It’s A Wonderful Life. Casablanca, by Orry-Kelly, epitomized Film Noir. In contrast, Fifties postwar affluence produced images like Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate dressed in William Travilla’s billowing white halter. Moss Mabry shunned glamour for gritty realism in Rebel Without A Cause, appealing to the newest demographic, the teenager. The Hollywood studio system dissolved and in 1953 The Costume Designers Guild Local 892 was organized.

The Space Race set an optimistic tone, as television gained influence. Seminal science-fiction franchises were established, from Star Trek on NBC, designed by Robert Fletcher, to Star Wars, by John Mollo. Film glamour, eclipsed by realism in theatres, was revived in TV variety acts like the Cher and Carol Burnett Shows, both by Bob Mackie and Ret Turner. In contrast, sitcoms like The Jeffersons and All in the Family designed by Rita Riggs told stories about relatable characters. The Seventies saw scripts with darker themes. Movies like Annie Hall by Ruth Morley, Shaft by Joe Aulisi, and Bonnie and Clyde by Theadora Van Runkle revolutionized fashion. Milena Canonero’s costume design for Barry Lyndon and Piero Tosi’s for The Leopard became benchmarks of historical accuracy.

1980s, Blockbuster films married star power to special effects and ushered in a Hollywood Renaissance, while VHS created a new revenue stream for studios. Teenagers flocked to theatres for E.T. by costume designer Deborah Lyn Scott, Raiders of the Lost Arc by Deborah Nadoolman, and the flurry of John Hughes coming-of-age stories irresistibly rendered by Marilyn Vance. Movies like Wall Street by Ellen Mirojnick and Flashdance by Michael Kaplan joined a myriad of sitcoms, and dramas like Dynasty by Nolan Miller, to become synonymous with the decade. Kaplan also teamed up with Charles Knode to create the groundbreaking looks in Bladerunner. Music Videos became a powerful medium. Among them were Marlene Stewart’s designs for Madonna, which dominated popular culture.

1990s,The reaction to big-budget studio offerings, Nineties indie directors brought back the auteur’s singular vision. Quentin Tarantino collaborated with Betsy Heiman on Pulp Fiction; David Lynch worked with Patricia Norris on Twin Peaks, and Tim Burton teamed up with Colleen Atwood to create unforgettable characters like Edward Scissorhands. However, no film was more significant than Titanic, the period love story designed by Deborah Lyn Scott, beloved by all audiences. Mona May hotwired fashion into film with Clueless, creating believable heroines which were also aspirational. Also vital was the rise of Black Cinema trailblazed by John Singleton and Spike Lee in concert with Ruth E. Carter and others. Kym Barret transformed the superhero into the antihero in the Matrix. TV comedy was invigorated by Debra McGuire in Friends and Michelle Cole In Living Color, and the DVD and Netflix paved the road for the future.