Lana Turner is one of the most glamorous and fashionable stars in Hollywood history.
Lana’s look both onscreen and off inspired a generation of women to dress like her, and a generation of men to swoon over her.
As Lana’s daughter, Cheryl Crane, once summed up her mother’s style and appeal [aff. link]:
“One’s eyes gravitated to her when she appeared and her image lingered in the mind when she left. Beginning with her first film, she had spontaneity and a personality that made audiences care what happened to her. She also had style and exceptional beauty while remaining approachable…”
How perfectly said.
Lana Turner: the “Lingering Image”
It’s this “lingering image” effect that brings me to write about Lana Turner’s flawless look and timeless style. From Lana’s earliest fashion influences to her dream closet as Hollywood’s most glamorous star; from the “Lana Turner Glam Squad” who created her much imitated look to Lana’s personal style favorites; today it’s all about Lana Turner and fashion.
Lana’s Earliest Fashion Influence: Her Mother
Lana Turner came by her love of fashion honestly: her mother, Mildred Frances Turner, was one fashionable lady herself.
You may remember from my Star Spotlight on Lana Turner that Mildred raised Lana on her own after Lana’s father was murdered. The Turner women were always strapped for cash as Mildred juggled motherhood and employment, but, according to Lana,
“…my mother always dressed beautifully whether she was well-off or poor. Somehow she got herself together. She always had style and class.”
By example, Mildred taught her daughter at a very young age the importance of always striving to look your best. It was a lesson Lana remembered her whole life, and certainly influenced her desire to always be “camera ready,” as Lana herself would say.
And it was a lesson that Lana passed along to her own daughter: Cheryl Crane remembers Lana once saying that:
“No daughter of mine is going to look like a peasant.”
I can almost hear Lana saying this!
Lana would always ensure that Cheryl’s closet was well stocked with cute outfits.
Lana’s Backup Career: Dress Designer
Did you know Lana Turner was quite an artist in her youth?
And wouldn’t you guess, fashion and clothing sketches were her specialty. Lana said of her early years that [aff. link]:
“If I had any real talent then, it was for designing clothes. I loved the costumes in the movies…if I hadn’t gone into the movies, I’d have become a dress designer; that’s where I seemed to be heading.”
One year for her mother’s birthday, twelve-year-old Lana drew her mother a series of fashionable clothing sketches. It was a gift Mildred displayed proudly. Lana recalled of this financially difficult time in her youth that:
“To everybody I would declare that someday, when I had money, my mother would have beautiful clothes like the ones I drew, and even more. And, by golly, she did.”
How sweet is that? Fashion held a special significance, and was even a sign of love, for the Turner women.
Star Trappings: The Dream Closet of Lana Turner
As I mentioned in my Star Spotlight on Lana, she once had a closet that ran half the length of her home. Initially, this space had been the front porch, but Lana closed it, and converted the area into her dream closet. For Lana, the closet of her dreams, filled with the fashions of her dreams, was physical evidence of her stardom and hard work.
The Dream Closet Details
Here are the details of Lana’s dream closet:
- Panel mirrors with a platform for wardrobe fittings
- A climate controlled vault for Lana’s furs (different times, right?!)
- A special revolving closet for evening wear, day wear, and slacks, all of which were organized by color and weight
- Huge shelves for sweaters and blouses
- Hat shelves
- A twenty-foot jewelry vault
- And last but not least, a SHOE ROOM
That’s right, Lana Turner had a shoe room.
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According to Lana in her 1982 autobiography [aff. link],
“When I became a film star, I developed the spendthrift habit of buying shoes in quantity—two, three, or four colors in the same style. At one time I had a special room, with shelves from floor to ceiling, filled with shoes, I had one of those library ladders so I could climb up to select a pair. Once I counted them all, and I discovered I owned 698 pairs of shoes. That jolted me! Since then I’ve tried to control the impulse.”
Can you imagine needing a library ladder to access some of your shoes?
Now that’s a dream closet.
Lana’s Fashion Passion: Jewelry
You may think owning 698 pairs of shoes is impressive, but Lana had an even greater fashion interest than footwear:
“I’d always had a weakness for shoes, but my feeling for beautiful jewelry amounted to a passion.”
Admirably, Lana’s criteria for what made a piece of jewelry worthy of her collection was completely personal: as long as she found a piece beautiful, Lana didn’t much care about the value of the metal, or how rare the jewel. According to her daughter Cheryl,
“Mother was no snob about the jewelry she wore. ‘MGM rings,’ which were imitation, rested alongside the real thing. Whether it was genuine or costume, if a piece of jewelry caught her eye with a brilliant sparkle, she would wear it…”
A little known fact about Lana’s jewelry passion: she preferred colored stones over diamonds. Lana’s particular favorite stones included turquoise, emeralds, amethysts, and star sapphires.
A Glimpse of Lana’s Jewelry
For a glimpse of jewelry from Lana’s personal collection, be sure to watch The Sea Chase (1955) [aff. link]. All the jewelry Lana wears in this adventure film was her own. (As was all her wardrobe in the film, with the exception of the champagne colored dress.)
My Pieces of Lana’s Jewelry
I’m so excited to share this next glimpse of Lana’s jewelry with you:
I actually own one of Lana’s rings!
According to Lana’s daughter Cheryl, Lana bought the ring I’m wearing in the photo above while filming Love Has Many Faces (1965) in Acapulco. It’s simple sterling silver, but it definitely has that “sparkle” Cheryl says her mother always looked for in her jewelry choices.
Lana Turner Hair Combs
This year, thanks to the lovely collections of vintage estate jewelry at the House of Francheska, I added a pair of Lana’s hair combs to my Lana Turner Estate collection.
As Lana fans know, hair combs were a quintessential part of Lana’s flawless look in the 1940s. She wore them often, and she wore them well.
Here’s a pic of Lana wearing one of her signature 1940s hair comb styles, and me, wearing my 2021 spin on Lana’s ‘do, with my hair combs that Lana actually owned and wore herself.
And here’s one of my Lana Turner signed photos, with the Lana Turner Estate card authenticating the hair combs, signed by Cheryl Crane, which reads:
“Lana Turner owned vintage silver ball hair combs, worn in films from her personal collection. -Cheryl Crane, 2009”
It’s an absolute dream come true to add these hair combs to my Lana Turner collection.
I love how my Lana ring and hair combs both have the sterling silver ball motif. As Lana probably purchased the hair combs in the 1940s, and Cheryl Crane says her mother purchased the ring in 1965, it shows a continuity of Lana’s tastes and style through the decades.
Lana Turner Earrings
One of the latest editions to my Lana Turner collection is this gorgeous pair of earrings from Lana’s early days in Hollywood, cira the early 1940s.
Cheryl’s inscription on the estate card reads:
“Lana Turner owned vintage red cherry drop earrings from her personal collection. -Cheryl Crane, 2009”
Lana’s Brooch
What makes this gorgeous Lana Turner owned brooch by designer Hattie Carnegie even more priceless is this photo of Lana wearing it. The estate card from Cheryl reads:
“Lana Turner owned “Hattie Carnegie” Brooch & photo of her wearing it. -Cheryl Crane, 2010″
Lana’s Black Satin Evening Purse
This black satin evening purse is absolutely stunning. The original black strap on the purse when Lana owned it was about to break on one side, so i decided to update the strap completely.
A hidden element of this evening purse that makes it incredibly special is the fact that Lana’s name is sewn on the inside! The estate card from Cheryl reads:
“Lana Turner owned black satin evening purse from her personal collection. -Cheryl Crane, 2011”
Lana’s 14K Gold Bangle
Find any candid of Lana Turner from the 1980s, and chances are she’s wearing at least one gold bangle. Bangles were always one of Lana’s fashion favorites, and in the 1980s, gold bangles were part of her signature look.
I came across one of Lana’s stunning 14K gold bangles, courtesy of Walt Disney Attractions. It was slightly too large, so I had the bangle resized. With the extra gold that was taken out, I had a heart charm custom made to match a gold heart charm I saw Lana wearing in photos from her appearance at the 1981 National Film Society Honors.
Lana Turner’s Favorite Gold Necklace
According to Cheryl Crane, the gold necklace below, designed by Lana’s good friend Nolan Miller, was one of her very favorites. This is evidenced by how frequently Lana wore it, both on television as Jacqueline Perrault in Falcon Crest (1982-1983), and in candid photos. The estate card from Cheryl reads:
“My mother, Lana Turner, had a close friendship with Nolan Miller and he designed many of her outfits both for films and for personal use. This necklace was a favorite of hers and I hope you will treasure it also. Enjoy! -Cheryl Crane, 2011
The Fashion Favorites of Lana Turner
We’ve discussed Lana’s love of shoes and jewelry. Here are some of Lana’s other fashion favorites:
Bright Colors
Lana adored bright colors.
In her autobiography she writes:
“I like colors to be definite. I’m not a baby blue or baby pink girl. Black, white, strong red—those are my colors. If it’s yellow, let it be bright yellow. If green, make mine an emerald green. I don’t care for muted colors, except the beautiful lilacs and lavenders. But that’s my romantic side coming out again.”
Lana was also a fan of the dramatic effect of wearing all black or all white, much like her character Cora Smith in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).
She Didn’t Show Much Skin
Onscreen and off, Lana didn’t like to show much skin. Her daughter Cheryl insists that this truly was her mother’s taste, not just Lana conforming to the overall more conservative styles of the 1940s and 1950s.
For a woman whose film career was largely based on her sensuality, the fact that Lana preferred to leave things to the imagination, rather than bare all in her wardrobe choices, speaks volumes to who the real Lana Turner was.
Classy lady!
Lana’s Favorite Gown: The “Mermaid” Dress
According to Cheryl Crane, despite the personal tragedy that surrounded Lana at the time of the 1958 Academy Awards, the gown Lana wore to awards ceremony that year (pictured above) was probably her favorite gown ever.
And can you blame her? Just look at that breathtaking mermaid sheath dress with white lace. Absolutely stunning.
Lana’s Favorite Designers
As a stunning Hollywood star who loved fashion, Lana Turner worked with some of the best designers and costumers in town, including Adrian, Irene, Helen Rose, Walter Plunkett, Don Loper, and Edith Head.
Don Loper was a favorite, and he designed Lana’s gorgeous 1948 wedding dress for her marriage to Bob Topping.
But according to Cheryl Crane, her mother’s very favorite designer was the legendary Jean Louis. Louis famously designed Lana’s luminous wardrobe in her 1959 comeback film, Imitation of Life. And Lana sure knew how to wear Louis’ designs:
The Lana Turner Glam Squad
When Lana became a star at MGM, the studio showed its respect by giving Lana her own team for hair and makeup: Helen Young and Del Armstrong.
Helen Young
Helen Young had a hair salon in Beverly Hills, and first worked with Lana on Green Dolphin Street (1947). This movie was a true test of Helen’s coiffure skills, for in the film, Lana has 34 different hairstyles.
Helen even devised a way—using dark vegetable dye and hairpieces—for Lana to go from long dark locks for the reshooting of a couple scenes from Green Dolphin Street (1947) while she was filming Cass Timberlane (1947) as a short-tressed, platinum blonde.
Can you imagine going from long dark hair in the afternoon to short platinum hair the next morning, and back again?
Helen Young was truly a hair genius. No wonder Lana invited Helen to come work exclusively for her, which Helen did until she retired in the 1960s.
Del Armstrong
Del Armstrong first did Lana’s makeup in the film Marriage is a Private Affair (1944). Lana was so impressed with his skill, the two became the best of friends. There was rarely a Lana Turner film after Marriage where Del was not her makeup artist.
Lana so trusted Del with her face that when she went to England to film Another Time, Another Place (1958), Lana formed a production company and named Del her assistant producer. This was the only way Lana could get around the English union laws that prohibited her from bringing her own makeup man.
Pretty cool! And indicative of the loyal friend Lana was.
But there was one film during Lana’s prime years of stardom that Del did not do her makeup for: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Del was drafted into the navy before shooting began. So for this iconic film, Lana Turner did her own makeup. Del obviously taught her well, for Lana is arguably at her most beautiful in Postman, in part due to her flawlessly applied makeup.
Lana’s Insights: Costume Fittings at MGM
Lana Turner was a perfectionist, especially when it came to her costume fittings. She instinctively knew when a gown was not right for her, and could drive the studio designers crazy with her insistence that every line be perfect.
I absolutely love that Lana wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfect.
Lana was always happy to stand for wardrobe fittings, though frequently, the packed schedules of MGM stars didn’t allow for her to do so. But MGM had the solution to this dilemma faced by Lana, her fellow stars, and the MGM costume department. As Lana remembered,
“In those days the studio kept eight or ten mannequins made to the exact measurements of each of us [MGM stars]. They reflected every tiny imperfection—for example my left shoulder and hip are higher than my right—that the designer would have to accommodate. Each mannequin was labeled with the name of the star: Greer Garson, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr. My hip mannequin was the smallest in the entire studio. Greer Garson’s was the largest, but she is a tall woman.”
Absolutely fascinating.
And quick side note: Lana mentions having the smallest hip size in the studio, but she wasn’t bragging. According to her daughter Cheryl, Lana’s lack of size in the hip and derriere departments were two things she was self-conscious about her whole life.
Lana Turner: Always “Camera Ready”
Lana’s desire to always be “camera ready,” as she put it, was certainly influenced by the example of her mother growing up, and the star training she received at MGM.
It did not matter the circumstances, Lana Turner would not leave the house without her makeup on. Perfectly applied lipstick and eyebrows were an absolute must. (Like her friend Lucille Ball, Lana’s eyebrows never fully grew back after the makeup department shaved them off for a bit role in The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) during her starlet days.)
According to Cheryl, even in Lana’s last years,
“She was serious about being presentable at all times…‘Camera-ready’ was even the rule into her last few months of life, when she never left the house. I remember one time we were just going to watch a movie at home and I found her wearing a blue silk Chinese robe with her diamond and pearl broach as if she was going out to meet Mrs. Astor. She never let herself go.”
Now that’s a true star.
What a darling woman.
My Favorite Lana Turner Looks
That’s it for my fashion tribute to Lana Turner.
Read the rest of the articles in my Lana Turner series below:
Lana Turner: Platinum Perfection
Lana Turner Podcast: Platinum Perfection
Lana Turner Could Dance! Two Girls on Broadway (1949)
The Three Musketeers (1948) & the Star Power of Lana Turner
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Peyton Place (1957), Lana Turner, & the Stompanato Homicide
And, here are a few more pics of some of my favorite Lana looks through the years:
Wearing gingham to Ciro’s, 1944.
Here she is, radiant in white, in the early 1980s.
24 Responses
Loved reading about Lana Turner.
Thank you so so much for reading Patrice! ♥️. Isn’t Lana a fascinating star? Truly one of the most glamorous women of Hollywood, I absolutely love her!
love the article and I actually own the striped dress you like so much.
Oh my goodness that’s absolutely amazing! What a find, Lana’s striped dress is one of the most gorgeous gowns of Classic Hollywood.
Thanks for commenting Greg! Your impressive collection of Marilyn Monroe gowns is truly an inspiration.
Shannon – So excited you are enjoying the red earrings. It was a pleasure seeing them displayed. Lana would be proud. J. Ventrella
That means so much, thanks John! The red earrings and Lana’s evening purse are two of my favorite Lana items. Thank you for making it possible!
Absolutely fascinating! Well researched and presented, and the addition of your personal collection of Lana Turner jewelry pieces added an extra sparkle.
Thanks Alison!
I have a photo of Lana from when she was on my helicopter in Vietnam. She was doing a show and sprained her ankle and the officer was carrying her in his arms and she had him stop and holding her as she posed for me
Jim that’s absolutely amazing! I’ve always admired Lana for continuing her tour of Vietnam, despite her sprained ankle. What a trooper! Lana’s daughter Cheryl once wrote about how important it was to her mother to entertain the troops throughout her career, from WWII to Vietnam. I just love that about her. How cool that Lana was on your helicopter, and that you snapped that photo!
Great, well researched article! thank you!
Thanks for reading Kenny!
I also own a gown with an MGM Label and Lana Turner’s name written in it. I am wondering if you might have any idea whether she ever wore it? I believe the production number is for “Weekend at the Waldorf” , but it is not in the film. I would be happy to send you a photo of it.
Hi Greg!
Please do email me a photo of the dress, this sounds fascinating. You are so lucky to have these gorgeous Lana gowns in your impressive collection!
This is a great in depth article about Lana! I purchased a broach today that was accompanied by a tag with a note from Cheryl stating it was her estate. I doubted it was authentic but it was a beautiful broach so I purchased it anyway. So excited that I may have a genius e piece!
Thanks!
Hi Amelia,
Thank you for your kind words, and for reading! The estate card with Cheryl’s signature and description of the piece is gold. If your brooch comes with that card, you can be confident it is from the Estate of Lana Turner, and was part of Lana’s personal collection. Congrats on your new Lana brooch that is so exciting! Finding a beautiful piece with a rich history of the previous owner is particularly special. And Lana always had excellent taste!
As you can see Lana Turner has always held a fascination for me. My mother named me after the star, and my dad agreed. Your article was well-written and full of little tidbits I didn’t know. Thank you!
What a wonderful namesake to have! Lana was so beautiful, and her chosen name certainly added to her allure. Thanks for reading Lana, and for your kind words!
Fabulous article. I appreciated knowing about Lana’s close relationship with her beautiful mother and daughter. So nice to see Cheryl’s curating of her mother’s estate.
You are continuing the Lana tradition of elegant glamour. Enjoy to the fullest the lovely items that belonged to Lana. I also appreciate the Hollywood history and learning how Lana collaborated with the great designers on her memorable looks.
I saw A Life of Her Own again on TCM. Lana was a superb beauty and great actress. This noirish melodrama remains relevant for today’s independent women.
Thanks for your kind words Harriet! Such a compliment, thank you. I agree, Cheryl has done a marvelous job curating and sharing her mother’s estate. Lana gives a great performance in A Life of Her Own. Such a talent, and such a beauty. Thanks for reading!
Hi Shannon,
I so enjoyed your post on Lana Turner that I had to tell you my experiences with both Lana Turner and Cheryl Crane and there are 20 years between the two events
I grew up in New York City and when I was 15 years old I brought my first book on film the title of the book was The MGM Stock Company by James Robert Parish, the book lists every actor and actress that was under contract with the studio each actor had a short biography and a filmography That’s when I became fascinated by Classic films Back in 1957 the Town Hall in midtown Manhattan there was a series of talks with a famous actress John Springer had arranged what was called “Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen” The last guest was Lana Turner they began by showing the audience film clips and then Lana came onstage to answer questions from the audience When I came time to say goodbye Lana came to the edge and started shaking people’s hands and I stuck my hand out and sure enough Lana shook my hand and I will never forget how soft her hand was I was 15 and easily impressed Fast forward to April 1993 and I was living in San Francisco since 1986
The program’s schedule was this: to represent Lana Turner Cheryl would talk about her with Mick LaSalle the Chronicle’s film critic I got to the theater early and I had an isle seat and as I waited for the program to begin a woman sits down in the seat in front of me and Immediately recognized that the woman was Cheryl and she was all by herself so I tapped her on her shoulder and explain to Cheryl how I came to shake her mother’s hand so many years ago She laughed and told me that her mother never wash or cleaned a dish in her life
Hi Marc,
Thanks so much for reading, and for sharing your experiences with Lana and Cheryl! That’s amazing that you attended Lana’s “Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen,” and experienced Lana’s star power in person. And then to be one of the lucky few to shake her hand! Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
How lucky to meet Cheryl Crane as well. I admire her so much. Haha Cheryl’s explanation for Lana’s soft hands is priceless! So perfectly inline with Lana’s glamorous onscreen image.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences Marc! They were so fun to read!
She was one of those old stars that looked young while she was young. So many of them always seemed over 40 even when they were like 25.
I know what you mean Lenka! I agree, Lana never looked more mature than her age. And she aged so well, always a beauty. Thanks for reading!