InStyle USA - 11.2019

168 InSTYLE NOVEMBER 2019

’ve always absorbed my characters from the out-

side in. Some were more challenging to take in

than others. But in hindsight it’s been fascinating

to realize how much I’ve been influenced by

the costumes, hair, and makeup that’ve helped

me come as close to my characters as possible.

I got my start in the theater, and when I

arrived on Broadway to play Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady,

all the clothes were so much more detailed and beautifully

made than I’d ever expected. The costumes were designed

by the great Cecil Beaton, and though we had to make some

adaptations, his knowledge of the period [the Edwardian

era] was extraordinary. It wasn’t until I had Eliza’s shawl

on my shoulders and her silly broken hat on my head that I

knew how I was supposed to act.

My first time on live television was in Rodgers and Hammer-

stein’s production of Cinderella, and I quickly learned you have

a lot less time to embrace your costumes than in the theater. I

did get to wear actual glass slippers, though. [laughs] It was all

very hectic, especially when it came to Cinderella’s big trans-

formation ahead of the ball. As I changed from rags to riches,

the camera was traveling up my body while I was throwing

my clothes on and flinging a different hairpiece on my head. I

knew that if anything went wrong, I’d only have one shot.

Soon after, I landed the role of Mary Poppins. When Walt

Disney offered me the part of Mary, he also offered my then-

husband [Tony Walton] the job designing the costumes and

principal sets. I was so happy to have someone I could trust so

completely next to me. Through the wardrobe, Tony gave me

so much of the character. He said to me, “I like to think that

Mary has a little bit of a secret life.” And so, whenever one of

her very formal jackets was open or if her skirt kicked up, he

wanted it to reveal a scarlet lining or a wonderful lemon-lime

flash of silk or some other little thing that would turn her on.

Her clothes gave me that extra magical spark I needed to

become Mary Poppins. Though, to tell you the truth, her

wigs were uncomfortable to wear. [laughs] The only piece of

wardrobe I’ve ever asked for on a film was Mary’s shoes from

the “Jolly Holiday” sequence. They were high lace-up boots

in pink and white. I had them made into bookends.

So much of a character evolves through the look, and that

was certainly the case with The Sound of Music, starting with

my character Maria’s hair color, which was a happy accident,

really. Before filming, they wanted to make my hair a little

brighter, but something went wrong with the dye process. I

looked horribly orange for a while. It was a disaster. Then

they decided we should make it even lighter, which actually

ended up working very well for her Austrian look. The good

news was that when I was wearing the nun’s wimple, I didn’t

have to worry about my hair. [laughs] One of my favorite

things in the film was the beautiful wedding dress I wore

when Maria married the captain [played by Christopher

Plummer]. When I first put it on, I was awestruck. Sure, I

loved my own wedding gown, but this one was so beautifully

constructed yet so understated. Exactly right for a woman

who was at one time going to be a nun.

Part of the fun of acting is getting to live in so many differ-

ent decades. I love the simplicity of the ’20s, when Chanel

and Givenchy and Dior came on the scene and changed

everything. I adore that style, which is one of the reasons

Thoroughly Modern Millie was such a charming movie to do

costume-wise. But if I had to pick which of my characters

had the best sense of style, I’d say Gertrude Lawrence in Star!

The film had the greatest range of

I

With a new memoir about her Holly wood years,

JULIE ANDREWS reflects on a life of playing dress-up

As told to JENNIFER FERRISE

Fa v o r i t e

Things

My

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