Selected ​Adrian ​Filmography

Adrian began designing costumes for Metro Goldwyn Mayer in 1928. During his thirteen years with the film studio, he worked on more than 250 films. Adrian’s designs were considered to be​ “visual treats” that attracted audiences, prompting studio executives to include fashion shows within films.

Films such as Marie Antoinette are categorized as period dramas, and the costumes were styled from historical dress. Films set in the present, such as Lovely to Look At, feature contemporary fashion. Many of the looks Adrian created for his on-screen leading ladies resonated so strongly with female audiences that the ​studios partnered with department-store “cinema shops” to sell ready-to-wear collections inspired by his costumes.

American Film Institute’s complete list of Adrian films

Playlist includes clips from:
Queen Christina (1934)
Dinner at Eight (1934)
Anna Karenina (1935)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Bride Wore Red (1937)
Camille (1937)
Marie Antoinette (1938)
Sweethearts (1938)
Mannequin (1938)
Idiot’s Delight (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Bitter Sweet (1940)
The Philadelphia Story (1941)
Woman of the Year (1942)
Lovely to Look At (1952)
The Women (1939)