Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan in 'The Great Gatsby' Designed by Theoni V. Aldredge

1920's style grey velvet coat fully trimmed with silver tip fox at cuffs, collar and borders, fully lined in grey silk, decorated with grey cording and grey crochet balls in a geometric and floral pattern and fastened at front with large bee-hive button. Christies auction tag and PARAMOUNT manila tag which reads [M. FARROW 44]; turban constructed of silver/grey velvet and beige silk and ornamented at front with pewter colored plastic and metal pin ornamented with grey beads. Woody Shelp label sewn into turban reads [Miss Farrow].

Theoni V. Aldridge received the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for this film.

Mia Farrow was cast in the role of Daisy after Ali McGraw and her husband, Robert Evans- who had purchased the rights to the film for her- broke up. Both actresses had that whiney/ pouty persona that seem to be the rage at the time but, of the two, Mia Farrow was probably the best choice to fit into the depiction of the vapid cruelty of the idle rich of the 1920’s. Mia Farrow was pregnant during filming, so the styling of the loose fitting garments was an excellent camouflage.

The film was Paramount’s third adaption of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel and costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge received the Academy Award for Best Costume design for her work on the film. Even though many of the leading female costumes were constructed by Barbara Matera (and the male costumes constructed by Ralph Lauren) a large number of authentic 1920’s costumes were rented. When the director decided that those vintage pieces should go into the pool during one of the party scenes, they were destroyed and that changed the way vintage fashions were rented for Hollywood productions.

Even though the film’s release met with some critical review, it is probably the best adaptation of the novel and was a financial success. Also, because of the film, a new interpretation of 1920’s fashion hit the fashion runways.