If the 20th century could claim an It girl, she probably would be Marlene Dietrich: movie star, nightclub chanteuse, fashion and jewelry icon, and a German celebrity who supposedly told Hitler to get lost.
Born in 1901, she went from obscure Berlin chorus girl to international star in the 1920s and ’30s, shaking up the fashion world by weaving androgyny into classic feminine glamour. She was Paramount’s answer to MGM’s Greta Garbo, and by some measures her legacy has outlasted almost every movie star and fashion icon of her era.
Witness her influence well into the 21st century: A mini-series about her life, starring Diane Kruger, is in the works; there are plans for Jessica Lange to portray Dietrich in a TV project from Ryan Murphy set during her nightclub era; an exhibition of some 250 images of the star closed in January at the International Center of Photography in New York; and a play with music about her life just completed a run in Berlin, and its star, Sven Ratzke, won raves for his portrayal of Dietrich.
Her influence also has remained on the fashion radar, as in Dior’s pre-fall 2024 collection, which showcased the trousers-and-tie look that she helped popularize when, as a cabaret singer in tails and a top hat, she kissed a female audience member on the lips in the 1930 movie “Morocco.”
But as much as she influenced fashion, Dietrich’s legacy has especially been celebrated in the jewelry world.
