DOROTHY LAMOUR

Dorothy Lamour was a Hollywood actress of the 1930s and 40s.  In 1936 she was costumed by Edith Head for a film that was set in the South Seas.  For this role, Miss Head chose to make a Polynesian patterned sarong, and a fashion icon was born.

Lamour's sarong inspired a fad for swimsuit sarongs, and the dress style became closely associated with her.  Sometime in the 1940s, she had her name on a clothing line.  These clothes were made from splashy Hawaiian type prints, and resembled the sarong she had made so famous.