What Did Lucille Ball Wear in I Love Lucy: The Dorothy Hubbs Connection
Explore Dorothy Hubbs dresses from the 1940s and 1950s, their connection to Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy, and a rare original piece from my collection.
- “I Love Lucy” Dresses by Dorothy Hubbs Worn by Lucille Ball
- My 1940s Dorothy Hubbs Dress for the I Love Lucy Look
- How to Dress Like Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy
- The Wardrobe of Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy: Day Dresses and Evening Looks
- How to Style Your Hair Like Lucille Ball
- How to Recreate Lucille Ball’s Makeup in I Love Lucy
There is a certain hush that surrounds Dorothy Hubbs dresses from the 1940s and 1950s in the grand narrative of mid-century fashion history. And yet, they are,precisely tailored, simple yet beautifully constructed, and far more influential than they are often credited for today. In studying the structured silhouettes of the 1940s and the softened elegance of the 1950s, I found myself returning again and again to the same thread: a design language that resonates closely with the wardrobe aesthetics of Lucille Ball, particularly within the visual world of I Love Lucy.
My fascination with Dorothy Hubbs does not begin in an archive or on screen, as it usually does; it begins with one particular dress. A newly acquired 1940s Dorothy Hubbs piece in my own collection, which I had been sallivating over for a couple of years, though I hesitated to purchase it because of its colour, convinced that yellow would not suit me at all. Thankfully, I was wrong, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice.
It is through this garment that the broader story comes into focus. Dorothy Hubbs dresses, though often overlooked, reveal a refined approach to casual 1940s and 1950s fashions, structured yet fluid, very practical yet undeniably polished with immaculate attention to detail, which you can see in the close-up picture below.
Only Simplicity Could Be So Elegant.
Fro Dorothy Hubbs ad which appeared in Vogue on 15th September, 1952
From the tailored silhouettes of the 1940s to the more expressive ones of the 1950s, vintage Dorothy Hubbs dresses trace a subtle evolution in style, one that would later echo in the wardrobe of Lucille Ball’s character in I Love Lucy.
What follows is an exploration: an attempt to understand not only the historical significance of Dorothy Hubbs and the brilliant strategic partnership with Desilu Productions to sell the Lucy-style dresses, but also how the brand’s designs continue to inform the way we read, wear, and interpret vintage fashion today.
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If you are relatively new to the wonderful world of vintage fashion and need a little help in learning how to shop, care for, or date vintage clothes, there is a very informative section on my vintage fashion blog, creatively entitled, VINTAGE FASHION GUIDE.
You might want to start with the post about How to Date Vintage Clothes.
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The Dorothy Hubbs Connection to Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy
The History of Dorothy Hubbs.
Dorothy Hubbs was founded around 1932 by Phil Donn, a figure whose role in shaping mid-century ready-to-wear is often overlooked today. Looking through old copies of The New York Times, I stumbled upon his obituary in March 19721, which gave me a glimpse into Phil Donn himself.
New York Times, March 3, 1972
Phil Donn, who retired as president of Dorothy Hubbs, Inc., dressmakers, 498 Seventh Avenue, six months ago, died yesterday in Miami. He was 72 years old. Mr. Donn, who had been in the garment industry 50 years, founded Dorothy Hubbs 40 years ago and built it into a million‐dollar dressmaking business. He was known for his many philanthropies and his friendly relations with the International Ladles Garment Workers Union.
It is a telling detail. Dorothy Hubbs was never a couture house, but rather a highly successful ready-to-wear label that understood its audience, producing dresses that balanced practicality with polish for the American woman.
From One Dress to a Wardrobe. Just step into our Dorothy Hubbs department. Let your eye light on a Dorothy Hubbs Casual and light up! There’s just the dress you’ve been looking for! If you thrill to the touch of fine fabrics… you want Dorothy Hubbs Casual. If you like a dress that slips easily, rests beautifully on your shoulders, fits without a wrinkle, that’s both comfortable and smart…you want a Dorothy Hubbs Casual. If you admire the marks of fine workmanship such as pinked seams, taped hems, skirt bands, neatly attached shoulder pads…you want a Dorothy Hubbs Casual. An exciting variety of dressy and tailored models in a dazzling range of colors with start you off on a buying spree. Your first experience with a Dorothy Hubbs Casual will influence you to collect a wardrobe of these dresses versatile enough for every ocassion. $8.95 to $9.95
The New Hampshire Vol.34 No23 (Apr. 26 1945)
Ser.No. 551,011. Dorothy Hubbs, Inc., New York, N.Y. Filed Mar.2, 1948. Under section 2f of the act of 1946. The name “Dorothy Hubbs” is fanciful. Applicant claims ownership of Registration No. 405,991. For Junior Misses’, Misses’, and Women’s Dresses and suits. Claims use since Jan.5, 1943.
Examples of Dorothy Hubbs Dresses from the 1940s and the 1950s.
During my research, I found at least 60 ads for Dorothy Hubbs dresses published between 1943 and 1954, and I would like to show you some of the more interesting designs.
Examples of Dorothy Hubbs dresses in the ads from 1945 and 1946. The dress on the right is currently available on Etsy.
Beautiful examples of Dorothy Hubbs dresses, which I found in an ad from September 1952 and 1955.
What becomes particularly fascinating, especially from my perspective as a collector, is how Dorothy Hubbs positioned itself within the broader marketing landscape of the 1950s. This was a period in which the garment district began aligning fashion with recognisable “types” of women, and few were more influential than Lucille Ball. Rather than relying solely on traditional advertising, Phil Donn embraced an early form of brand partnership, linking Dorothy Hubbs to the immense popularity of I Love Lucy. As noted in Broadcasting Telecasting Magazine (September 14, 1953), 2
Desilu Productions has a merchandising tie -up with 32 New York manufacturers for its awn line of clothes for CBS-TV I Love Lucy sponsored by Philip Morris & Co. The garments and accessories made especially for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are popularized first in the film series for later general manufacture and sale to the public. Other clothing in the series is either bought or made in the Desilu costume department, frequently from Miss Ball’s own designs. William Frawley and Vivian Vance, portraying Fred and Ethel Mertz, supply their own wardrobes, but are given a clothes allowance to take care of necessary expenditures. Miss Vance on occasion borrows small items from the wardrobe department, but tries to retain her own – individuality apart from that of Lucy. Among the 32 manufacturers tied in with the series are Dorothy Hubbs Inc., (lower medium priced dresses).
By December 1952, Dorothy Hubbs had launched its official I Love Lucy dress line in major department stores such as Lord & Taylor, marking one of the earliest and most effective examples of television influencing mass-market fashion.
It is also worth noting how much of what we now consider quintessentially “Lucy style” was shaped by Lucille Ball herself. She is often credited with popularising the now-iconic look of black lounging trousers paired with blouses worn at home, a choice that quietly redefined domestic dressing in the 1950s by blending comfort with a distinctly polished femininity.
This same instinct carried into her collaboration with Dorothy Hubbs, where her influence was not merely symbolic but deeply practical. Phil Donn himself recalled sending her a new Dorothy Hubbs I Love Lucy dress, only to receive a candid response: she told him it was “a fine dress” but that she would never wear it because it had to be pulled over her head.
She preferred designs she could slip into without disturbing her hair or makeup, particularly coat dresses. The result was immediate and telling. The original design was abandoned, and a new one was created to suit her preferences. As Donn noted, Lucy would later even guide sketches of the styles she favoured, and the company followed her lead. It is a detail I find particularly revealing, because it shows that the “Lucy look” was not imposed by designers or marketers alone. 3It was shaped, quite deliberately, by a woman who understood both her image and her audience, and whose instincts, as the success of Dorothy Hubbs would suggest, were remarkably well aligned with the realities of how women wanted to dress.
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“I Love Lucy” Dresses by Dorothy Hubbs Worn by Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, stars of “I Love Lucy,” were in New York, and invitations were issued to a luncheon in their honor by Dorothy Hubbs, dress designer whose clothes Lucille wears every week, who has adapted several designs from those she wears in the film, “The Long, Long Trailer.” Four models were wearing “I Love Lucy” dresses. The most striking was a black cotton sun dress with spokes of black and white checked gingham down the seams of the flared skirt, and a short-sleeved battle jacket of the checked gingham. None of the four retails for more than $25.
By Rhea Talley Post New York Fashion Correspondent, 1954
SIDE NOTE: Have you noticed, in the clipping below, that Dorothy Hubbs is spelt “Hobbs” under the picture of Lucille Ball?
“I Love Lucy” dress in Fabrex’s tweedy textured, lightweight “Chipolon” rayon. Highlited by contrasting, polka-dot scarf and a patent belt, it’s little wonder that LUCILLE says, “DOROTHY HUBBS is my favourite designer.”
Dorothy Hubbs “I Love Lucy” dress in nubby-textured knit effect, totarn boucle’s a snag-resistant super twist yarn.
The dress Lucille Ball lives in and loves…so will you. Buttoned down the front…easy to put on and off. Highlighted by a patent leather belt. In gray and white, blue and copper. Just one dress from our new group of “I Love Lucy” dresses.
Dorothy Hubbs ad in The Minneapolis Star, 1953
Dorothy Hubbs brings you the “I Love Lucy Dress” with the famed white collar and cuffs. Styled in coat style, it has batwing sleeves, tailored of panstriped menswear, with a back that’s circular, that’s greacful with unpressed pleats. This is the perfect dress for town and office.
My 1940s Dorothy Hubbs Dress for the I Love Lucy Look
For my I Love Lucy look, featuring the new-to-me 1940s Dorothy Hubbs dress I bought from Gingermegs Vintage, I opted for a 1940s hat from Bobby Pin Boutique NL paired with my late 1950s Koret wicker purse and 1940s belt.
How to Dress Like Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy
As you have seen throughout this post, Lucille Ball’s wardrobe was a masterclass in 1950s femininity: full circle skirts, nipped waists, crisp shirt dresses, and elegant day wear that managed to feel both impeccably put together and entirely lived in. If you are not quite ready to commit to true vintage, however, I have the most wonderful solution for you. The only contemporary brand you will ever find me wearing is Son de Flor, a sustainable label whose linen pieces possess an honesty and quiet elegance that feels entirely at home alongside my vintage wardrobe. In the photographs here, I am wearing their classic Frida dress in black linen, with its structured shirt-style collar, long cuffed sleeves, flowing three-quarter circle skirt, hidden side zip and those most civilised of features, actual pockets. It is tailored yet wonderfully easy to wear, and that circle skirt carries all the spirit of Lucy Ricardo’s most beloved silhouettes without requiring a single visit to a vintage fair. Lucille Ball, I am quite certain, would approve.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE WONDERFUL VINTAGE-INSPIRED LINEN DRESSES FROM SON DE FLOR
The Wardrobe of Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy: Day Dresses and Evening Looks
The wardrobe seen on screen was shaped first by designer Elois Jenssen, who understood how to give Lucy, an “ordinary” housewife, a sense of polish and sophistication that still felt believable (she created the famous polka dot dress), and later, by Edward Stevenson, whose long-standing collaboration with Ball brought continuity and refinement to her visual identity. These costumes were created specifically for television, designed with movement, comedy, and character in mind.
Dorothy Hubbs, by contrast, operated in a different but equally intelligent space. Rather than reproducing these garments exactly, the brand translated Lucy’s style into versions that could exist in everyday life. What fascinates me most is how this connection was communicated to the public. Dresses were sold with hangtags featuring Lucy’s image or the I Love Lucy name, quietly bridging the gap between screen and wardrobe.
Echoes of Lucy’s style appear in garments that reflect the practicality of episodes like “The Girls Go Into Business,” the contrast between fantasy and reality seen in one of my favourite episodes “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown,” or the emphasis on sensible consumption in “Sales Resistance.” Even the idea of being “as seen on TV,” suggested by moments such as “Lucy Does a TV Commercial,” becomes part of the narrative. It is this careful balance between aspiration and wearability that defines Dorothy Hubbs and, I would argue, explains why these dresses continue to resonate so strongly today.
I Love Lucy dress a Lucille Ball fashion by Dorothy Hubbs. The dress Lovely Lucille Ball chooses is just what women everywhere will like. Simply styled in cool Cruisette rayon stroked with white trim and pearlized buttons. Hand-washable. Navy, green, rose, lilac. ($14.95)
How to Style Your Hair Like Lucille Ball
From interview with Lucille Ball’s hairstylist Irma Kusely
Lucy’s hair was a golden apricot colour, and she used a henna rinse to achieve it. She met a very wealthy sheik who had heard about her problem getting the right colouring. He said he would send her a lifetime supply of henna, which he did! We kept it in my garage, locked away in a safe.
Darlings, there is something delightfully deceptive about I Love Lucy hair — it appears utterly effortless on screen, yet every sculpted apricot blonde curl was meticulously and lovingly arranged by the show’s brilliant hairstylist, the incomparable Irma Kusely. Kusely, you see, maintained a staggering wardrobe of fifteen wigs for Lucille Ball throughout the series, a gloriously practical solution that allowed Lucy’s iconic silhouette to remain perfectly camera-ready under the most punishing of studio lights, because a great woman, my darlings, never leaves her crowning glory to chance. I would like to note, however, that according to Ball’s own hairstylist, Lucille did not wear a wig in the earliest episodes of the show, though I confess I have not been able to unearth a definitive source confirming precisely from which episode, or indeed which season, she made the transition to wigs. If any of you, my well-researched I Love Lucy fans, happen to know, do tell.
For those of you seriously chasing the authentic look today, a custom-made wig in that iconic apricot-blonde hue is undoubtedly the most foolproof route. I, however,adore recreating the style the old-fashioned way, and oh, it is deeply satisfying. Medium foam rollers through the back, smaller ones framing the front in three neat rows, all set overnight with Lotta Body Setting Lotion on damp hair, working its quiet magic like a beauty spell while you sleep.
Come morning, I brush through gently, gently I implore you, just enough to preserve every last curl’s structure, before securing slide combs at either side. The finishing touch? My most recent and utterly life-changing discovery, Got2B Glued hairspray, which holds any vintage coiffure intact for days, my loves. And to keep that silhouette utterly pristine, a vintage hair snood, which is frankly equal parts glamorous and wonderfully practical.
How to Recreate Lucille Ball’s Makeup in I Love Lucy
If Irma Kusely was the guardian of Lucy’s curls, then it was the supremely talented Hal King, Hollywood makeup artist and Max Factor’s own makeup director, who was responsible for painting that equally iconic face we all know and adore. Max Factor was the makeup of the show, and Hal King’s hand was behind every arched brow and exaggerated lip that made Lucy Ball so utterly, gloriously herself.
For my own recreation, I was fortunate enough to work with products kindly gifted by my most beloved Sisley Paris, and if you happen to find yourself in Warsaw, I cannot recommend enough a visit to the beautiful Maison Sisley at 57 Mokotowska Street, where beauty is practically a religious experience.
MAKEUP À LA LUCILLE BALL IN I LOVE LUCY
- THE FOUNDATION Now, I must confess something rather significant: I abandoned foundation and powder approximately ten years ago and have not looked back since, but in the spirit of journalistic dedication and period accuracy, I reached for the Sisley Phyto-Teint Perfection Oil Free Foundation, which behaved beautifully and almost made me reconsider my decade-long conviction. Almost.
- THE BLUSH Next, one of my true favourites, the Phyto-Blush Twist in Petal,applied directly to the cheeks with nothing more than the tips of my fingers, because its deliciously creamy formula requires absolutely no special tools, which is the kind of effortless elegance I live for.
- THE EYEBROWS Now, to the brows. Lucy’s famously dramatic arched brows came about through rather unfortunate circumstances: she shaved them for a film role and they simply never fully grew back, transforming necessity into one of television’s most iconic beauty signatures, with the arch at its most dramatic point in the very middle. Since I already bleach and tint my own brows copper, I mixed several different eyeshadows to match my hair and painted on my best interpretation of that exaggerated arch.
- FAUX EYELASHES For the lashes, Lucy’s signature spider-like effect, with mascara top and bottom and a defining flick of eyeliner, is something I can only faithfully achieve with faux lashes, a process that takes me a full twenty minutes and which I confess I deeply, thoroughly detest, and yet here we are, suffering for our art as all true devotees must.
- THE LUCILLE BALL LIPS And finally, the lips. Lucy’s mouth was famously exaggerated, with that distinctive wide parting at the centre, a look most authentically achieved with a vintage Hollywood Glamour Lips lipstick applicator, though I warn you they are not easy to come by. I believe Lucy herself favoured Max Factor’s Flame shade, and I chose the Sisley Phyto-Rouge Velvet in Orange Spice, my absolute favourite red of this summer, which felt like the most fitting tribute I could offer. Now tell me, my darlings, how do you like the results?
WATCH MY VIDEO TUTORIAL ON LUCILLE BALL’S MAKEUP INSPIRED BY I LOVE LUCY.
