Hollywood History

Originally designed for luxurious lounging with a cigarette or cocktail, bed jackets were made into fashion statements in the ‘40s and ‘50s by Hollywood stars such as Grace Kelly, Lucille Ball and my very own pen pal Olivia de Havilland. (More on that later.) 

January Jones as Betty Draper

In Mad Men’s first season the episode titled “Shoot” ends with Betty Draper shooting the neighbors’ pet pigeon, after they threatened to shoot Sally’s dog if he attacks the bird again. She’s trying to control a small aspect of her life after Don curtails her contract to model for Coca-Cola.

Lucille Ball… we have one almost just like this in the collection. A bed jacket that is. There’s nothing just like that Lucy we love.

Joan Crawford

Supposedly Joan Crawford feared she might not win the Oscar in 1973 so she feigned sickness to miss the ceremony. She had a broadcast team standing by just in case, and accepted the Academy Award in her bed jacket. She won Best Actress for “Mildred Pierce,” a role recently reprised by Cate Blanchett on HBO Max.

Parkey Posey dazzled on the red carpet in this bed jacket at the Emmy Awards in 2025. Harper’s Bazaar lauded her custom Valentino “nightgown dressing” look.

Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee

Aunt Bee secretly eyes this bed jacket for her birthday, but tells Andy she didn’t need anything so elegant. Seeing her disappointment after opening canning jars, he learns from neighbor Clara she really wanted the bed jacket. Andy sneaks to the mayor’s house to trade his luckiest fishing rod for the jacket the town leader was about to give his wife. Aunt Bee’s happiness is better than any fish he could catch, Andy tells Opie.

(Other trivia: The Mayberry mayor’s house is the same set used in Gone With The Wind as Aunt Pittypat’s home where Scarlett stayed in Atlanta. )

Bed Jackets are great for holding that new baby in the hospital, as Grace Kelly-Princess Grace shows.