Shown Worn – The Lucy Room

Lucille Ball’s Lilac 3-Piece Ensemble

Lucille Ball returned to TV in the Fall of 1986 in Life With Lucy. The show was produced by Aaron Spelling in association with Lucille Ball Productions for ABC. Her return to a weekly sitcom was heavily publicized, and for good reason. Fans could not wait to see the beloved redhead on television again. One publicity photoshoot of Lucy was done at Spelling’s Holmby Hills mansion dubbed “The Manor.” Photos of Ball wearing various outfits were taken by the pool and in and around the lush backyard.

One such garment was this custom-made, silk 3-piece ensemble. Pale lavender with a scattered floral pattern in black and white, it consists of a deep V-neck short sleeved blouse, loose fitting jacket with long, bell sleeves and pants featuring a bow attached at the waist, side pockets and French cut slits at the hemline. The jacket securely attaches to the blouse at the shoulders with snap buttons.

One image taken during this session can be seen in the October 1986 issue of Life Magazine in a beautiful, color full page spread. Had the series continued longer, Lucille would most likely have worn this outfit on the show. A very similar gown was constructed using the same material but in pale blue and worn in the episode “Mother of the Bride.” Lucy then wore this to Desi Jr. and Amy’s wedding in 1987.

September 25, 2025September 25, 2025 by The Lucy Room Categories: Desi Arnaz Jr, Gary Morton, I Love Lucy, Life With Lucy, Lucille Ball, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, WeddingTags: 1986, Aaron Spelling, ABC, Custom Made, Desi Arnaz Jr, Life Magazine, Life With Lucy, Lilac, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, Personal, Publicity, Publicity Photo, Screen Worn, Silk, Television Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s “FLAME” Max Factor Creme Rough Makeup

We dug into Lucille Ball’s travel cosmetics case from a previous post to share one of her creme rouges. Made by Max Factor, a preferred makeup brand, the color is called ‘FLAME’ (cue the reference to her flaming red hair). Directions say to use finger tips to apply and blend. The swirl marks made by Lucy’s can easily be seen inside of this heavily used cosmetic.

March 26, 2025March 26, 2025 by The Lucy Room Categories: Here's Lucy, I Love Lucy, Life With Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucy Ricardo, Makeup, Max Factor, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show, The Lucy Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy HourTags: Cosmetics, Flame, I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, Makeup, Max Factor, Personal, Rouge Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s Curly Red Wiglet

If a hairstyle called for a certain look or something extra, wiglets were used in addition to the regular wig. Simply pinned on the main wig these added height, shape, more curls or possible used to cover something.

This was one of Lucy’s red wiglets. Her longtime hairstylist Imra Kusely dyed it to match her hair color and the piece still retains the original curls and shape with hairspray from when it was used.

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 by The Lucy Room Categories: Here's Lucy, I Love Lucy, Irma Kusely, Life With Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucy Ricardo, Max Factor, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show, The Lucy Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, WigTags: Custom-made, I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, Max Factor, Museum, Personal, Red Wig, Redhead, wig, Wiglet Leave a comment

Finger Cots Worn by Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy “The Audition” Episode

“The Audition” was filmed on October 12, 1951, a mere three days before the official television premiere of I Love Lucy. This was the sixth episode of the show where Lucy Ricardo replaces a clown named Buffo for an act at Ricky’s club. Lucy is referred to as “the professor” and is dressed in an oversized blue suit who plays the cello.

This act was initially conceived by the Arnazes along with Pepito & Joanne Perez as part of a vaudeville style act Lucy and Desi used, touring the country proving to CBS audiences across America would accept them. They also used the skit for the I Love Lucy pilot.

Part of Lucy’s costume were these cotton finger cots. Each used to cover the fingers of her left hand as she takes them off in dramatic fashion to the beat of the drum. The entire costume was originally on display at Universal Studios Hollywood ‘Lucy A Tribute’ exhibit for over 20 years. The rest of the outfit is now displayed alongside the prop cello in Lucy’s hometown of Jamestown, NY at the Lucy-Desi Museum.

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025 by The Lucy Room Categories: Babalu, CBS, Costume, Desi Arnaz, Desilu, Ethel Mertz, I Love Lucy, Jamestown, Lucille Ball, Lucy Ricardo, Pepito the Spanish Clown, Prop, Ricky Ricardo, Shown Worn, Television, Vivian Vance, William FrawleyTags: CBS, Cello, Costume, Desi Arnaz, Desilu, Ethel Mertz, Fred Mertz, Hollywood, I Love Lucy, Jamestown, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Worn, Lucy Ricardo, Pilot, Prop, Ricky Ricardo, Screen Used, Screen Worn, Show Worn, Universal Studios, Vaudeville, Vivian Vance, WIlliam Frawley Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s Tan Mink Car Coat

Lucille Ball kept warm in the winter months for over three decades wearing this tank mink car coat. Her husband Gary Morton gave her the fur in the mid 1960’s, wearing it on camera for their mid-January appearance of the gameshow Password.

The coat features a gold silk lining, two side pockets, a large lapel and collar that can be stood up or laid down and a rear belt. While on Password she says, “I like furs better than I do jewelry,” this fur being one of her favorites.

While in New York Lucy had a series of publicity shots taken in the coat high above the NYC skyline. She took it with her on overseas trips to Europe and into the 1980’s wore the coat to a “Little Shop of Horrors” show.

January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 by The Lucy Room Categories: Fur Coat, Gary Morton, Gifts, Lucille Ball, Personal, Shown Worn, TelevisionTags: Car Coat, Europe, Fur, Fur Coat, Gary Morton, Gifts, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, MInk, New York City, NYC, Password, Personal, Screen Worn, Show Worn, Television Leave a comment

“Lucy Goes to Mexico” Polka dot Dress

A polka dot dress was a signature look of Lucy Ricardo and to this day, Lucy and polka dots are synonymous with one another. Throughout her television career Lucille Ball wore variations of this pattern in the form of dresses in the 1950’s to blouses in the 60’s and 70’s.

On October 6, 1958 the premiere episode of the second season of The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour in syndication) aired, entitled “Lucy Goes to Mexico.” The Ricardos and Mertzes are in San Diego, staying at the Hotel Del Coronado because Ricky is doing a USO show with Maurice Chevalier onboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Yorktown. Lucy and the Mertzes decide to go south into Tijuana on a routine souvenir hunt. In true fashion, Lucy gets into trouble when a stowaway causes problems as they attempt to come back across the border.

Lucy wears an iconic polka dot dress for nearly the entire episode. Presented here is her stunt double’s dress, an exact replication to the one Lucille Ball wore. It can be seen on Lucy’s stand-in who’s running from the Policia through the streets of Tijuana. The unique polka dot pattern confirms this as the one Lucy Ricardo wears is slightly different and is currently in a private collection.

The two piece, A-line dress is made of a light brown silk-taffeta with beige polks dots. A long sleeve jacket features a zipper front, off-white canvas trim on the cuffs and waist along with a very large notched collar. Inside the jacket is a CBS garment tag attached near the zipper. The short sleeve dress features the same off-white canvas trim on the sleeve hems and has a full length zipper with hook and eye closures on the back. A sheer white silk lining can be found on the inside of the body.

This look was the inspiration of a large wooden statue carved out of a tree stump that once stood in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park from the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. The park banks Lake Chautauqua in Lucy’s hometown of Celeron, NY and is the current home of a beautiful bronze statue by Carolyn Palmer of Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo wearing a polka dot dress.

October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: CBS, Desi Arnaz, Desilu, Edward Stevenson, Ethel Mertz, I Love Lucy, Jamestown, Lucille Ball, Lucy Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Vivian Vance, William FrawleyTags: CBS, Costume, Desi Arnaz, Desilu, Dress, Ethel Mertz, Fashion, Fred Mertz, Hotel Del Coronado, I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucy Ricardo, Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Mexico, Polka Dot, Ricky Ricardo, San Diego, Screen Used, Screen Worn, The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Show, Tijuana, Vivian Vance, WIlliam Frawley Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s Bandmaster Uniform from The Lucy Show “Main Street U.S.A.”

Lucy Carmichael and Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) travel to Bancroft, a small town whos mayor is asking the bank for a loan to build a highway. Unfortunately this construction would tear right down the middle of Main Street. Lucy joins the residents opposing the demolition for this January 1967 episode in season five of The Lucy Show.

Lucy performs a catchy song and dance number with guest stars Mel Torme and John Bubbles wearing this sequined bandmaster uniform. Designed by Edward Stevenson the costume consists of three, handmade pieces. The heavy, elongated jacket is completely covered in pink sequins with a matching mesh material placed over the top to soften the reflection and shine in the studio lights. It is adorned with gold metal buttons, gold lame trim on all the hems and gold metal fringe on the shoulder epaulettes, cuffs and bottom hem.

To complete the look, Stevenson constructed a custom-made hat that still has the original aqua feather attached and a pink velvet undergarment. This is also trimed with the metal fringe on the leg openings and is visible at the very end of the routine when Lucy does her big finish, raising her arms into the air. This is an incredibly detailed costume that must have taken hours to complete and Lucille looked sensational in it for the show-stopping finale.

July 18, 2024July 18, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: CBS, Costume, Desilu, Edward Stevenson, Gale Gordon, Lucille Ball, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucy ShowTags: Bandmaster, Desilu, Edward Stevenson, I Love Lucy, John Bubbles, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, Main Street, Marching, Mel Torme, Screen Worn, Sequins, The Lucy Show, USA Leave a comment

Happy Anniversary and Goodbye Yellow Wedding Gown

One of the first Lucille Ball Specials produced for TV under her production company – Lucille Ball Productions was Happy Anniversary and Goodbye which aired on November 19, 1974. Lucy starred alongside Art Carney as unhappily married couple, Norma and Malcom Michaels who are nearing their 25th anniversary.

Lucille wears this two-piece yellow gown after returning home from her daughter’s wedding. Made of a satin polyester, the custom-made ensemble features an oversized floor length dress with long sleeves, an empire waist and a slit neckline. It was oversized becuase Ball wore a bodysuit to give her the appearance of a “thicker” stature. Watch the show to find out why! The second piece is a lace-like, yellow and white floral design sleeveless duster that also matches the cuffs of the sleeves.

While arguing with Malcom in the opening scene, Art Carney talks about Norma spending $200 on a gown she’ll never wear again. In today’s money that would equate to roughly $1,200. This show is very different from the typical domestic portrayals and is far from the ‘Lucy’ character fans were use to at that time.

April 25, 2024April 25, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Art Carney, Lucille Ball, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, WeddingTags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Art Carney, Happy Anniversary and Goodbye, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Productions, Lucille Ball Worn, Personal, Screen Worn, Wedding Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s Personal Red Wig

Irma Kusely first worked with Lucille Ball in the 1940’s at MGM. Nearly a decade later they would reunite on I Love Lucy. Irma became Lucy’s hair stylist for next four decades. Kusely began her Hollywood career at Max Factor styling wigs where she learned the technique of how they were made by hand using real hair.

In the clip shown above from a 2001 Television Academy Arts & Sciences interview, Irma makes it clear about Lucy’s hair color – “It’s not red at all, it’s a golden apricot color.”

Irma’s career with Lucy spanned hundreds of appearances both on and off screen. In the early 1990’s she was asked to supply some of Lucy’s custom wigs for Universal Studio’s “Lucy: A Tribute” exhibit. This is one of those wigs, still styled and untouched since Irma did it over 30 years ago.

March 13, 2024March 13, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: Here's Lucy, I Love Lucy, Irma Kusely, Life With Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucy Ricardo, Max Factor, MGM, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show, The Lucy Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, WigTags: Custom Made, I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, Max Factor, MGM, Museum, Personal, Red Wig, Redhead, Universal Studios, wig Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s Wool & Silver Fox Fur Coat

Lucille Ball once said, “I love furs. I actually like them more than jewelry.” This black wool coat trimmed in silver fox fur was one of her favorites. For their one year anniversary Lucy and Gary decided to head East to New York City and celebrate where they first met. During the Thanksgiving holiday hiatus, Lucy and Vivian Vance flew into Idlewild Airport to meet their husbands on November 15, 1962 where Lucy was photographed wearing the coat.

An image of Lucy and Viv taken on this trip inspired famed characture artist Al Hirschfeld to capture the dynamic dou which he rendered into the well-known sketch of Lucille holding her purse and cigarette. This artwork would be used over the years for such things as the 1984 Museum of Broadcasting event honoring Lucy as the First Lady of Comedy.

Lucy Carmichael would wear the coat as part of a disguise on the March 22, 1965 episode of The Lucy Show entitled, “Lucy and the Beauty Doctor.” It is most likely around this time Lucille gifted the coat to close friend and actress Carole Cook who often guest starred in the series and lent her voice as ‘Lady Cynthia’ for this particular episode. Carole would wear and retain the coat for over the next 50 years.

February 14, 2024February 15, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: Al Hirschfeld, Carole Cook, CBS, Costume, Desilu, Fur Coat, Gary Morton, Gifts, Lucille Ball, Personal, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucy Show, Vivian Vance, WeddingTags: Al Hirschfeld, Carole Cook, Desilu, Fur, Fur Coat, Gary Morton, Gifts, Idlewild Airport, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, New York City, NYC, Personal, Screen Worn, Show Worn, Silver Fox, Television, The Lucy Show, Vivian Vance, Wool Leave a comment

Lucille Ball Velvet Hat worn on The Lucy Show

In Season 6 of The Lucy Show, Lucy Carmichael finds herself needing a second job to pay for a television set of Mr. Mooney’s she broke in episode 17, “Lucy Gets Involved” which aired on January 15, 1968. Working as a carhop at a drive-in restaurant, things don’t go so well for Mrs. Carmichael and she gets repeatedly repremanded by her manager, played by former child actor Jackie Coogan. Lucie Arnaz also makes an appearance dancing in a roadster. Another guest star in this episode is Phil Vandervort who would go on to marry Lucie a few years later.

Lucy wears this black velvet fatigue cap as part of her uniform at the drive-in. A red mesh, selected to match Lucy’s hair, was sewn around the inside which helped secure it to her head. During this scene if you look closely, the mesh is visible when her side profile faces the camera. This accessory was originally part of Universal Studio’s “Lucy A Tribute” exhibit that was once at both amusment parks. It remained unidentified until recently.

December 14, 2023August 29, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: CBS, Costume, Hat, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucy ShowTags: Carhop, Drive-In, Hat, Hollywood, Jackie Coogan, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Worn, Personal, Phil Vandervort, Screen Worn, Television, The Lucy Show, Universal Studios, Velvet, Waitress Leave a comment

Lucille Ball’s Wig Braid from The Lucy Show & Here’s Lucy

Lucy Carmichael wins a trip to London in The Lucy Show episode entitled “Lucy Flies to London” from the fifth season in 1966. For one day she tours the city in a whirlwind adventure. To mark the occasion of Lucille Ball actually going to London, a one hour prime-time special called “Lucy in London” aired a week later. During a 60’s “mod” montage she wears this long, red braided pony tail extension in a series of poses.

Fast forward three years later during Here’s Lucy, the braid is reused for a Roman-inspired scene in the episode “Lucy and the Generation Gap.” Along side Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Gale Gordon (portraying Julius Caesar) Lucille Ball wears the braid, this time the bow which was pink in the London special has been changed to gold to match her costume. Its appearance today is the result of Lucy entangling the locks in Gale’s laurel corona by accident when reaching for their harps, snarling it.

November 15, 2023August 29, 2024 by The Lucy Room Categories: CBS, Desi Arnaz Jr, Desilu, Gale Gordon, Here's Lucy, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Shown Worn, Television, The Lucy Show, WigTags: Braid, Desi Arnaz Jr, Desilu, Gale Gordon, Here's Lucy, Julius Caesar, London, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Lucille Ball Owned, Lucille Ball Worn, Musical, Roman, Screen Worn, The Lucy Show, wig Leave a comment