I’m looking forward to watching the Oscars on TV today. It’s always a fun show but most of all… it brings back memories of the two times I was invited to the Academy Awards Ceremony as a guest.
The first time was as a young actress under contract to Howard Hughes. He arranged for me to be fitted for a new gown he had designed…in the wardrobe department at RKO Studios. (Remember he had famously designed a bra for Jane Russell) I recall it being a peacock blue taffeta dress that “rustled” while I walked. He sent a limo to my home to pick me up. My chaperone for the evening was my drama coach, a once famous stage actress.
What an unbelievable experience! I was 13.
The second time, I attended as a celebrity stylist…a guest of one of my “Hollywood” clients. The invitation came with a special parking pass and I remember following directions and pulling up to the designated parking area in my “regular” car behind dozens of chauffeured limos. The valets in fancy uniforms surprisingly treated me as one of the actual nominees.
My outfit was true Hollywood glam…my auburn hair was long and wavy…A la Rita Hayworth. I wore a skin tight black cashmere sweater with a REAL plunging neckline. (Ah, the long gone bra-less days!)
My long black silk crepe skirt was cut high on each side to show off a lot of leg. High heeled evening sandals and borrowed diamond earrings completed the ensemble. As my daughter and I walked down the red carpet, I couldn’t help but wave at the bleachers full of cheering fans! I even signed a few quick autographs.
Cameras were everywhere…what fun to be a movie star in that moment!
After the show, my daughter and I stopped at Denny’s in Studio City for a snack. (No munchies at the Oscars)
Customers stared at us in our dressy outfits. How I wanted to tell them where we had just been!