Fashion
Model & Muse
Ava Gardner is an enduring fashion icon. Her mesmerizing beauty, perfect posture, and graceful movement made her the perfect model and muse for haute couture designers like Dior, Cassini, Gucci, Balenciaga, Valentino, and Franka. The Fontana Sisters, with their fashion house in Rome, loved to dress Ava in their perfectly tailored, figure flattering gowns. They designed with Ava in mind, and she modeled for them in Rome. Ava loved rich color and wore it regularly. Deep rich color accentuated Ava’s beautiful green eyes, dark hair and porcelain skin.
Oscar de la Renta was inspired by Ava’s beauty. Oscar was trained by Balenciaga. Ava was a Balenciaga client and when Ava came in to do fittings, Oscar would be in the backroom doing sketches and was not a part of the fitting sessions. Determined to meet her he would go to bullfights in hopes of spotting her. By chance he happened to see her in a nightclub in Madrid. He fearlessly approached her and asked her to dance. He found her unbelievably beautiful and remembered every detail. As recently as 2016 she inspired Peter Copping’s Spring Collection under the Oscar de la Renta banner.
Ava Gardner wearing Christian Dior in "The Little Hut" (1957).
Ava Gardner photographed by Norman Parkinson for "British Vogue" while filming "Knights of the Roundtable" (1953).
Ava Gardner wearing Cristóbal Balenciaga in promotion for "The Angel Wore Red" (1960).
Timeless Style
Ava Gardner’s fashion sense and her style are just as iconic as her beauty. With her dark hair, green eyes, and curvy figure she could bring any fashion choice to life. She is remembered for the simmering beauty of her black dresses as seen in The Killers (1946), The Bribe (1949), East Side, West Side (1949), and The Angel Wore Red (1960). Her dresses were expertly fitted and her suits were perfectly tailored. Her bold choices in fashion expressed her bold and courageous personality. In addition to the daring attitude she brought to fashion, she is known for the black dress, fitted and precisely tailored clothing, furs and jewelry, and simple yet chic casual clothing.
Ava’s influence on fashion has been lasting. To this day, actresses and models have adapted her bold and sexy choices. Ava had her own sense of style that is both timeless and modern and helped to push the boundaries of fashion design with couturiers seeking to capture the essence and aura of their muse – very often Ava Gardner.
Ava Gardner in assorted ensembles by Sorelle Fontana (aka "Fontana Sisters"), the Rome-based couturiers.
“She wasn’t a femme fatale. She was just a shy little girl from North Carolina who loved walking around barefoot. But she was chased by men all over the world. I’ve never known a more charismatic and alluring woman – she radiated sex appeal, the rare kind that comes with a seductive hint of danger. I still think that Ava Gardner was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
– Terry O’Neill, British Photographer