BonaFideOne (@bonafideone)

This costume is from Katharine Hepburn's personal collection . In early 1946, under her first contract, Irene had hired her close friend and former RKO colleague, Walter Plunkett, who specialized in period costumes. In December 1948, under the terms of her second MGM contract, Irene started designing costumes for Adam’s Rib. Irene and her sketch artist met with Hepburn twice in 1949 for review and approval on sketched costumes, which they received. In May, Irene postponed Hepburn’s fittings several times, angering Hepburn to the point of formally complaining to the NY office. Within two weeks, MGM ended Irene’s contract. While Walter Plunkett is credited with designs for the film, Irene completed significant preliminary work on the film’s costume designs. Amanda Bonner," played by Katharine Hepburn, and her husband "Adam Bonner," played by Spencer Tracy, are lawyers arguing opposite sides of the same case in Adam's Rib. This evening gown is worn for a dinner party scene where, running late, "Amanda" rushes out to ask "Adam" to fasten her dress in back. When asked by Louis Botto about her work with designers, Hepburn said that Plunkett and Adrian were friends and had the "same sense of smell" about what a costume should do.