Women He's Undressed

Australia is famous (or maybe infamous) for celebrating the success of anyone from here who makes it big over there – anywhere overseas, that is, but primarily the United States. Cutting it on the world stage carries with it an enhanced degree of credibility and cachet. 

That makes it all the more interesting that costume designer Orry-Kelly, a lad from the New South Wales coast who rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars and won Oscars for his work, has pretty much gone under the radar here for decades. Gillian Armstrong’s illuminating documentary, Women He’s Undressed, does a marvellous job of “redressing” the balance.

Deriving its sweetly salacious title from Orry-Kelly’s own memoir (which is being published this August), Armstrong combines talking heads – including a variety of acclaimed costume designers from both here and abroad – and dramatised recreations of Orry and his plain-spoken, devoted mother to paint a vivid, admiring and candid picture of a talented, ambitious individual.

Orry, as he’s regularly referred to by the interview subjects, was bitten by the showbiz bug as a boy, and split for New York City in the early 1920s, where his efforts to break into the business finally saw him gain a reputation as an artist and designer (he also made the acquaintance of a young would-be actor named Archie Leach, who enjoyed much more success once he changed his name to Cary Grant).

Hollywood eventually beckoned, and with Orry’s move to the West Coast came greater success, as his costuming proved vital to the glamour of stars like Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe. Despite the respect he gained for his work, however, life in what the film describes as one of the most homophobic cities in the world wasn’t always smooth sailing.

Women He’s Undressed does delve into Orry-Kelly’s private life in some respects but primarily it’s about his professional journey and distinctive talents, both of which were vibrant enough to make this documentary a thoroughly entertaining and enlightening watch.