These Side-By-Side Photos Prove How Serious Old Movies Took Costume Design

I can’t believe how beautiful some of these dresses are.

1.Edith Head designed the costumes forSweet Charityin 1969.

Here’s her sketch of Shirley MacLaine’s character for “I’m a Brass Band.”

A person striking a pose in a classic marching band drum major uniform with tall boots and a feathered hat

Here’s what it ended up looking like for the film.

Here’s what she looked like in the film.

It’s totally spot-on!

Shirley MacLaine in a marching band uniform with a white hat, red jacket, black shorts, and red boots, dances in front of two drummers beside a fountain

Even the necklace and the tiara are exactly like the sketch.

She was right.

After Elizabeth Taylor wore it, this dress became the most popular the year after the movie’s release.

Sketch of Audrey Hepburn in a gown by Edith Head for "Roman Holiday". Handwritten names of Audrey Hepburn and Edith Head are visible

Head was trying for an 1890s evening dress.

Here’s what it looked like in the movie: fan and all!

Here’s what Barbra looked like in the film.

Audrey Hepburn, in an elegant ball gown and tiara, shakes hands with another woman in formal attire during a grand event with others looking on

Here’s what she looked like in the film.

This dress looks like it weighs about 30 pounds.

And here’s what it looked like on Eleanor Whitley.

Fashion sketch of Elizabeth Taylor wearing a strapless, embellished ball gown. Text: "Elizabeth Taylor," "A Place in the Sun," "1951," and "Edith Head."

9.Here’s the sketch for Ginger Rogers’s dress inIt Had To Be You.

Here’s what the dress looked like in real life.

She’s even posing the same way the sketch is!

Elizabeth Taylor in a formal gown with intricate detailing, standing next to a pool table

Here’s what she looked like in the 1940 flick.

Here’s what the sketch of her ball gown looked like.

Here’s what it looked like in the actual film.

It looks like a necklace was added but the earrings were omitted.

And here’s the side-by-side:

12.The Big Broadcast of 1938had a star-studded cast.

Here’s a costume sketch of Dorothy Lamour’s character.

Woman in elaborate vintage dress with ruffled layers and flower details, holding open heavy curtains in a theatrical pose. I don't know who she is

And here’s what that costume looked like in the movie.

Pretty spot-on to me!

Barbara Streisand in a long, flowing dress with a bonnet, standing beside a sketched drawing of herself in the same outfit

Barbra Streisand stands beside a sketch of herself in an elegant, long-sleeved dress with puffed shoulders and a bonnet, matching the illustration

Barbra Streisand stands next to a sketch of a woman in a similar victorian-style dress with a bonnet

Sketch of a woman in a long, elegant dress with a tight-fitting bodice and flared skirt holding a bouquet, signed by Jozef J. Mašek

A woman dressed in a long-sleeved, button-down dress and a wide-brimmed hat with a veil, stands indoors, looking down at her hands

A vintage illustration of a woman in an ornate, floor-length gown with detailed patterns and holding a fur stole

Marlene Dietrich in an elegant, form-fitting, beaded gown with a luxurious fur stole, posing gracefully indoors

Sketch of a woman in a long, elegant dress with puffed sleeves and intricate detailing. The dress has a fitted bodice and flows into a full skirt

Three unidentified people stand together, dressed in formal attire. The person in the center wears a long dress with white fur accents. The men wear suits

Sketch of a woman in a gown with flowing lines resembling leaves or branches. The outfit has an elegant, vintage style

Ginger Rogers wearing an elegant gown with floral patterns, standing beside a portrait of herself in the same dress

A fashion sketch by Edith Head, featuring a woman in a checkered blazer, knee-length skirt, and hat, signed by the designer

Two people in vintage attire, including a man in a suit and a woman wearing a large hat and a patterned dress with white accents, standing in front of an office door

Unknown actress in an elegant, voluminous 19th-century style gown featuring ornate detailing, holding a fan, and standing in a lavishly decorated room

A stylish figure stands in a vintage outfit with a cinched waist, wide belt, and matching hat, exuding elegance and poise. No visible text or identifiable persons

Dorothy Lamour wears a striped scarf and hat, next to someone is in a white naval uniform. They have focused expressions

1.Edith Head designed the costumes forSweet Charityin 1969.#

Here’s what it ended up looking like for the film.#

Here’s what she looked like in the film.#

She was right.#

Here’s what it looked like in the movie: fan and all!#

Here’s what Barbra looked like in the film.#

Here’s what she looked like in the film.#

And here’s what it looked like on Eleanor Whitley.#

9.Here’s the sketch for Ginger Rogers’s dress inIt Had To Be You.#

Here’s what the dress looked like in real life.#

Here’s what she looked like in the 1940 flick.#

Here’s what it looked like in the actual film.#

And here’s the side-by-side:#

12.The Big Broadcast of 1938had a star-studded cast.#

And here’s what that costume looked like in the movie.#

1.Edith Head designed the costumes forSweet Charityin 1969.

Here’s what it ended up looking like for the film.

Here’s what she looked like in the film.

She was right.

Here’s what it looked like in the movie: fan and all!

Here’s what Barbra looked like in the film.

Here’s what she looked like in the film.

And here’s what it looked like on Eleanor Whitley.

9.Here’s the sketch for Ginger Rogers’s dress inIt Had To Be You.

Here’s what the dress looked like in real life.

Here’s what she looked like in the 1940 flick.

Here’s what it looked like in the actual film.

And here’s the side-by-side:

12.The Big Broadcast of 1938had a star-studded cast.

And here’s what that costume looked like in the movie.