Starke dresses the stars: Jean Simmons' 21st birthday wardrobe

On 31 January 1950 British actress Jean Simmons turned twenty-one. At the time Simmons was one of the most popular and successful British film stars, voted actress of the year in the Daily Mail National Film awards the same year. Simmons twenty-first birthday was therefore viewed as international news. However, rather than choosing a birthday wardrobe from a haute couturier, as a film star of her status undeniably could have, Simmons chose garments designed by London ready-to-wear firm Frederick Starke.

This article questions why Simmons chose a wardrobe from Starke and investigates how these garments helped Simmons to project a certain image. It also considers how the outfits selected were later used as Simmons' costume in the Ealing Studios crime drama Cage of Gold (Dearden, 1950). The film credits Anthony Mendleson, Ealing Studios resident designer and wardrobe supervisor, for the costumes. However Starke designed the majority of the clothes worn by Simmons in the film. This is an intriguing example whereby Simmons' garments are, at once, both her personal clothing and her costume.