This piece is an excellent example of how costume designers are frequently required to create duplicates of their costumes. The number of copies needed for a costume can vary depending on how often the piece appears in the production, if additional costumes are needed for stunt doubles, or if the outfit has to undergo any changes, such as getting wet.

 It is also safe to have a spare costume around in the event that something were to happen to it. This ensures that production won’t halt if a costume needs to be cleaned or mended. One famous example of a costume being heavily duplicated is Scarlett O’Hara’s paisley gown, which required up to seventeen versions in varying states of disrepair.

This green sweater set with a polka dot collar and cuffs was created by Edith Head for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film Vertigo, where it was worn by Kim Novak as Judy Barton. The costume likely went back into the Paramount studio’s stock and eventually was purchased through an online auction by film costume collector Larry McQueen. He noted of the piece:

The costume was surprisingly complete, which is not the usual case where pieces of the costume have been separated. The costume came with two sweaters (one with cuffs and one without cuffs), skirt, belt, polka dot scarf (that ties to the belt), and a pair of black pumps. The sweater with the cuffs had a label that read “Novak,” and the one without the cuffs had a small bias label that read “Cindy.”           

McQueen did a bit more digging to determine who “Cindy” might be. He considered productions that would have been produced by Paramount that were set in the 50s. Eventually, he discovered that the piece was worn by Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney in Laverne and Shirley. The sweater is seen in the 1976 episode From Suds to Stardom. The cuffs were removed for usage.

This costume was displayed at the Hollywood Costume exhibit put on by the V&A museum.

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