Louis, Jean

▪ 1998

      French-born costume designer (b. Oct. 5, 1907, Paris, France—d. April 20, 1997, Palm Springs, Calif.), designed fashions and costumes during the 1940s, '50s, and '60s for some 200 of Hollywood's most glamorous stars, among them Lana Turner, Marlene Dietrich, Betty Grable, Judy Garland, Kim Novak, and Doris Day. Of the numerous designs he created for about 60 films, as well as for television productions and personal collections, two were especially memorable: the black satin strapless gown Rita Hayworth wore when she sang "Put the Blame on Mame" in Gilda (1946) and the shimmering form-fitting dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 1962 for her breathy rendition of "Happy Birthday" for Pres. John F. Kennedy at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Louis was trained in Paris and, while visiting New York City, submitted some designs to the Hattie Carnegie firm and was given a job. His creations were soon being worn by many of the most fashionable American women. In 1944 Joan Cohn—the wife of Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn—persuaded her husband to make Louis the studio's chief designer, and screen credits began to carry the notation "Gowns by Jean Louis." In the years that followed, he received 14 nominations for Academy Awards and won one—for the Judy Holliday film The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956). From 1953 to 1961 his ensembles were featured on the weekly television program "The Loretta Young Show"; Young made 52 of her legendary grand entrances twirling through a doorway in Jean Louis gowns. In 1958 Louis moved to Universal Pictures, and in the early 1960s he opened a salon and began costuming motion pictures on a freelance basis. He retired in 1988. Louis, widowed in 1987, married Young in 1993.

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