An exact reproduction of the famous blue-and-white checked gingham pinafore dress in Judy Garland as Dorothy's size and measurements.

The outfit she wore in MGM's 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz includes the blue-and-white checked gingham pinafore dress, blouse and petticoat slip. The American teen singer-actress also wore a corset as part of her Dorothy costume but we decided not to include this on our dress form.

The cotton blouse contains a sewn label that reads "MGM # 1060 Judy Garland." The number represents the film studio's production number, also known as The Wizard of Oz, and the blouse is made for Judy Garland. The label helps MGM Studios keep everything organized in their wardrobe department because they have so many costumes for their actors and actresses.

A white label is also sewn at the back of the gingham pinafore dress with the writing "Judy Garland 4228." The number is used as a reference for Judy Garland as Dorothy to wear this dress in a particular scene. Just like they had many pairs of ruby slippers, many gingham pinafore dresses were also made for the young brunette beauty, therefore her costume needed to be named and numbered.

The back of the gingham dress is fastened with snaps and hook-and-eye closures, which means another person needed to help Miss Garland wear the dress.

There's a hidden deep pocket on the right side seem of her gingham pinafore dress to store her handkerchief for crying scenes.

The slip was worn to open her dress a bit for some bounce and volume in the movie. The slip bodice is necessary to cover her chest because the blouse is see-through! So there are two reasons why Judy Garland as Dorothy wore a slip.

You will see more pictures of this beautiful dress with the ruby slippers in the months and years to come. They look gorgeous in person and they are truly made for a princess.




Judy Garland as Dorothy's gingham pinafore dress

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Right pocket on Judy Garland as Dorothy's dress

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"Judy Garland 4228" label at back of dress

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White puff-sleeve blouse worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy

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White petticoat slip worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy

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Judy Garland as Dorothy's checked gingham pinafore dress and white puff-sleeve blouse wasn't the first choice for MGM Studios in 1938.

They also made other versions, known as Test Dresses, but the gingham pinafore dress and blouse looked more appealing and was chosen for the movie.

A lot happened behind the scenes with the making of different versions and variations of the Dorothy dress then having all the tests, so this involved time and money. MGM was one of the wealthiest Hollywood film studios in those days and The Wizard of Oz was their most expensive production at the time.



Exact reproduction gingham pinafore dress

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This wearable gingham pinafore dress with blouse and slip is the most accurate reproduction as worn by American teen sensation Judy Garland as Dorothy in 1939's The Wizard of Oz.

Correct in every detail, this stunning authentic-looking dress is made from the exact materials and the exact size as the original dress with the right pocket, the buttons, the strips, the labels, the identical closures, etc.

In the movie, Judy Garland as Dorothy's sleeve is pushed up her upper arm to give her blouse the puffy appearance.

It's like traveling back through time with this dress when 16-year-old Judy Garland as Dorothy sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and she skipped down the Yellow Brick Road. She wore the gingham pinafore dress throughout the entire movie which is why this dress is always remembered and linked to one actress and movie.



Judy Garland as Dorothy's authentic-looking dress

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Judy Garland as Dorothy's gingham pinafore dress is among the most talked-about movie costume, but under this beautiful dress was a full petticoat slip with straps to make her dress fuller and hide curious eyes from seeing through her transparent blouse and in some cases her dress.

The 1930's style slip under our dress is an exact reproduction worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy.



Full petticoat slip worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy

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Hidden right pocket video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiwoft__L0w

MGM's Wardrobe Department had more than one outfit for Judy Garland as Dorothy. The reason for that is they became dirty, damaged or she would sweat from the heat during the production over six months so they had fresh costumes for her to change.
 
Several gingham pinafore dresses, blouses and slips were made but the exact number is unknown. They also had at least one "black and white" gingham pinafore dress for the sepia-toned scenes in Kansas because this worked better with the Technicolor film process.

No outfit is identical, similar to each pair of ruby slippers which were made a bit differently in size, heels, toes and bows. The tiny details are different to every outfit Judy Garland as Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz although this may not appear obvious.

On one of her gingham pinafore dresses, the bodice is a bit lower, and the skirt and sleeve is a bit shorter.



Lower bodice on Judy Garland's gingham dress

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This is how MGM's Wardrobe Department would have kept the outfit for Judy Garland as Dorothy to wear in The Wizard of Oz.

The teen beauty had several gingham dresses, slips and blouses designed by Gilbert Adrian and created by skilled seamstresses to fit her with minor differences to each piece.



Judy Garland's outfit hanging on clothes rack

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Three exact reproductions of Judy Garland as Dorothy's blue-and-white checked gingham pinafore dress and blouse, the most iconic costume in movie history.

At least a few fresh outfit must be available for the young Minnesota-born product during filming at MGM Studios in Culver City, California.



Three exact reproduction Dorothy dresses

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Exact wearable replica of the famous gingham pinafore dress with a right pocket, blouse and petticoat slip as worn by teen superstar Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.



Judy Garland as Dorothy's reproduction outfit

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Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time since American teen beauty Judy Garland wore her Dorothy costume in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, we have put all the garments together to show exactly what MGM Studios fitted her with.

On the mannequin, her breasts are taped down then we attached a corset, petticoat slip, blouse and gingham dress.

We've included the tape and corset for the 100% accurate costume.
 


Judy Garland as Dorothy's accurate costume

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Another reproduction of Judy Garland as Dorothy's blue-and-white checked gingham pinafore dress with white fabric label sewn inside the back bodice reading "Judy Garland 4228."



"Judy Garland 4228" label inside back bodice

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MGM's Gilbert Adrian designed the gingham pinafore dress to make Judy Garland as Dorothy look younger than she was. The charming beauty was 16 and a half years old, almost 17 when filming of The Wizard of Oz continued into March 1939.

We want to talk about the bands or strips on her dress and the reason why they are there. There's a top band, middle band and bottom band in different heights.

Adrian didn't want her dress to look too plain so he included three gingham fabric bands for some decoration and style. The middle band creates an optical illusion to make her waistline more slender.



Bands on Judy Garland as Dorothy's dress

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We are working on another authentic reproduction gingham dress, slip and blouse as worn by American teen bombshell Judy Garland as Dorothy.

We have quite a collection for display and to be worn for occasions and events.



Dorothy dress in progress

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Dorothy dresses

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Have you ever wondered how Judy Garland as Dorothy looked when she took off her gingham dress?


Dorothy's blouse and petticoat slip

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Judy Garland as Dorothy's white petticoat slip was covered with netting underneath, or tulle mesh fabric in another word for it.

So her petticoat slip wasn't made from one layer of fabric, but two layers.

This is another fine detail out of sight underneath her gingham dress. Her outfit may look simple on screen but it's actually very sophisticated and high quality. Photos of the petticoat slip below is an exact reproduction as worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy.



Judy Garland as Dorothy's petticoat slip

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Netting under Judy Garland as Dorothy's slip

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Petticoat slip video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvRGVWNv-U


If you can't watch the embedded video above, please click on the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvRGVWNv-U

Two beautiful dresses made exactly the same way as the original dress worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz." It doesn't get any better than this.

If MGM costume designer in Gilbert Adrian were with us today and examined these dresses, he would tick all the boxes for the exact measurements of Judy Garland, the stitching, the labels, the hidden right pocket, the identical materials, the closures at the back of the dress, etc.



Two flawless Dorothy dresses

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Inside the front bodice, or the part of the gingham dress that covers her chest is covered with white cotton fabric. This white fabric goes all the way to the inside back bodice. The original dress was made the same way. Our Dorothy dress matches the original dress from exterior to interior so what you're seeing is the real deal.

The petticoat slip bodice is required for extra covering.

There's no extra fabric sewn inside the skirt of the gingham dress, so if not for the petticoat slip skirt made from two layers of fabric, we would probably see her legs and underwear since The Wizard of Oz movie was filmed under intense lighting.



White fabric inside bodice of gingham dress

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Old singer sewing machine

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Reproduction outfit made by female hand in the exact size and measurements as worn by brunette beauty Judy Garland as Dorothy in 1939's The Wizard of Oz.

The three piece outfit from left to right includes a white puffy-sleeved blouse, white petticoat slip and the famous blue-and-white gingham dress.



Judy Garland as Dorothy's three piece outfit

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Judy Garland as Dorothy's original dress and reproduction dress comparison.

The original gingham pinafore dress and blouse has changed color over time with some wear and tear due to age, while the reproduction dress was made to look in brand new condition as worn by teen bombshell Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

The original blouse looks flat and fragile but it once had puffed sleeves back in the day.

If our reproduction dress was available in the 1930's, MGM costumer in Gilbert Adrian would give the tick of approval.



Judy Garland as Dorothy's outfit comparison

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Let's take a peek under Judy Garland as Dorothy's gingham pinafore dress.

The white petticoat slip opens her dress kind of like a cone shape into a beautiful gown. The petticoat slip can be seen when her skirt lifts up in both the Kansas and Oz scenes.

We are still using the dress form for Dorothy's outfit but we'll have a decent mannequin with legs, arms, etc. soon.



View from under Judy Garland's dress

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A view at the back of Judy Garland as Dorothy's gingham pinafore dress.

The hook and eye closures/fasteners goes from the back bodice down to waistband and the buttock part of the skirt. The snaps on the blouse are hidden from sight. The hook-and-eyes are also hidden when fully closed on the gingham pinafore dress.

Hook-and-eye closures are better quality than zippers and they're also a more secure way to fasten fabric together. These are the reasons why they went with hook-and-eye closures on the original dress in 1938.



Hook-and-eye closures back of Dorothy dress

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Reproduction gingham pinafore dress in Judy Garland as Dorothy's teen size.



Beautiful gingham pinafore dress

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Buttons are located at the back bodice of the petticoat slip that goes to the waistband.

There's a gap at the back of the skirt. This helped loosen the skirt a bit for comfort and it's concealed under the gingham pinafore dress.

Unlike women's petticoat slips today how you can just slip them on yourself, this wasn't the case with the ones worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy which required an assistant to do up the buttons.



Back of Judy Garland as Dorothy's petticoat slip

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Judy Garland as Dorothy's white blouse is very sheer making the top of her petticoat slip visible on the brightly-lit set.



Judy Garland as Dorothy's sheer blouse

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There are three vertical seams on the skirt of Judy Garland as Dorothy's gingham dress, on each side of the skirt and back of the skirt. There's no seam at the front so the dress looks pretty.

The side seams on the bodice of the gingham dress are not in alignment with the side seams on the skirt which are more forward.

Our reproduction dress match the original dress down to the smallest detail.




Vertical seams on Judy Garland as Dorothy's dress

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We plan to make more Dorothy dresses for sale in 2023 when we're not too busy with ruby slippers.

Judy Garland as Dorothy lives on through our beautiful Dorothy dresses. They are one of the most authentic in the world, made by female hand.

Some people have already put their name down. If you're interested and wish to receive more information on how you can place an order next year, please feel free to email us at: webmaster@JudyGarlandAsDorothy.com with "Dorothy dress" on the subject line.

You can also get in touch with us through our contact form at:
http://www.judygarlandasdorothy.com/contact-us.html

Serious inquiries only, thank you. :)




Your chance to own an authentic Dorothy dress

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