Irene Lentz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Irene Lentz
Irene Lentz, Edythe Chapman, and Charles Ray in A Tailor-Made Man (1922)
Born	(1901-12-08)December 8, 1901 Baker, Montana, U.S.
Died	November 15, 1962(1962-11-15) (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Nationality	American
Other names	Irene Gibbons Irene
Occupation	Costume designer
Known for	Designing costumes for motion picture actors
Label(s)	Irene Inc.
Spouse(s)	F. Richard Jones, Elliot Gibbons

Irene Maud Lentz (December 8, 1901 – November 15, 1962) also known mononymously and professionally as Irene, was an American fashion designer and costume designer. Her work as a clothing designer in Los Angeles led to her career as a costume designer for films in the 1930s. Lentz also worked under the name Irene Gibbons.

Design career

Lentz had been taught sewing as a child and with a flair for style, she decided to open a small dress shop. The success of her designs in her tiny store eventually led to an offer from the Bullocks Wilshire luxury department store to design for their Ladies Custom Salon which catered to a wealthy clientele including a number of Hollywood stars.

Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Lentz's designs at Bullocks gained her much attention in the film community and she was contracted by independent production companies to design the wardrobe for some of their productions. Billing herself simply as "Irene," her first work came in 1933 on the film Goldie Gets Along featuring her designs for star Lily Damita. However, her big break came when she was hired to create the gowns for Ginger Rogers for her 1937 film Shall We Dance with Fred Astaire.

In 1950, Lentz left MGM to open her own fashion house. After being out of the film industry for nearly ten years, Doris Day requested her services for the production Midnight Lace (Universal, 1960). The following year she did the costume design for another Day film, Lover Come Back (1961), and during 1962 worked on her last production, A Gathering of Eagles (released in 1963).

Awards & nominations

• Nomination for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White for B.F.'s Daughter (1948)

• Nomination for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color for Midnight Lace (1960)

In 2005, Irene Lentz was inducted into the Costume Designers Guild's Anne Cole Hall of Fame.

Selected filmography

Images for kids

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  1959 Irene skirt suit, striped wool and silk (RISD Museum)

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  Doris Day in Midnight Lace (1960)

See also

In Spanish: Irene Lentz para niños