Article posted: 10/20/2012 5:20 AM

New exhibition celebrates Katharine Hepburn as a fashion icon

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Actress Katharine Hepburn strolls down a country lane on location near London during the filming of the TV movie "The Corn Is Green" in 1979.

Associated Press

A suit worn during publicity photos for the 1967 movie "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is part of the "Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen" exhibit.

Associated Press

The "Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen" exhibit includes a display of slacks and jodhpurs.

Associated Press

Two designs by Margaret Furse and Germinal Rangel from the 1975 production of "Love Among the Ruins" are shown as part of the "Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen" exhibit.

Associated Press

Katharine Hepburn wore this gown by Valentina in the 1942 production of "Without Love,"

Associated Press

This design by Chanel from the 1976 production of "Coco" is part of the "Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen" exhibit in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Associated Press

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Katharine Hepburn's tendency to wear slacks and wanting to be comfortable influenced women's ready-to-wear in the United States, says Jean Druesedow, director of the Kent State University Museum, which was given 700 items from Katharine Hepburn's estate.

The New York Public Library

About this Article

A new exhibition in New York is hailing the fashion sense of Katharine Hepburn, whose trademark khakis and open-collar shirts were decidedly unconventional in the 1930s and 40s, when girdles and stockings were the order of the day.