Film buffs can feast their eyes on attire worn by such legendary actors as Deborah Kerr, Gregory Peck and Faye Dunaway at the Elgin library’s new exhibit, “Glitz-Glamour-Gorgeous: A Tribute to Hollywood Movie Costumes.”

“This is the first time this collection has been exhibited in the Chicago area and probably at any library,” said Natalie Kiburg, spokeswoman for the Gail Borden Public Library. “We’re truly honored to be able to display it here.”

The 33 outfits on display include iconic costumes worn by Elizabeth Taylor in “Cleopatra,” Bette Davis in “All About Eve” and Maurice Chevalier in “Gigi.” They are from the personal collection of Greg Schreiner.

Schreiner is the producer of and a performer in “Hollywood Revisited,” a muscial revue that features singers and dancers wearing costumes from famous movies. The show made a stop at Elgin Community College in April 2024.

While in town last year, Schreiner met with old friend Carole Medal, who’s CEO of the Gail Borden Public Library District. The two have known each other since their undergraduate days in the music program at Millikin University in Decatur.

“Talking with Carole and the wonderful things they do at the library led to putting the exhibit together,” Schreiner said.

While Medal’s career path took her to the Elgin library, Schreiner ended up on the West Coast, where he completed a master’s degree at the University of California-Los Angeles. He became president of a Marilyn Monroe fan club and wound up buying one of her movie dresses, the beginning of his passion for acquiring movie attire.

“I fell in love with owning costumes,” he said. “Then I woke up one day with more than 500 in my collection.”

When he first started buying costumes, they were affordable because no one seemed to care about curating Hollywood’s past, Schreiner said. That’s no longer true these days, he said.

“In today’s market, with my costumes, I’m looking at my retirement account,” he said.

His hobby also has also led to a career in which he’s traveled around the world with his show and to exhibit his collection. Next year, he will be part of events being put together in London, Paris and Los Angeles to commemorate Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, Schreiner said.

While nothing worn by Monroe made the trip to Elgin, there are nearly three dozen costumes from old and new Hollywood displayed on both floors of the downtown library. The exhibit features movie clips, background information compiled by library staff and a soon-to-be-added interactive iPad game, Kiburg said.

“Glitz-Glamour-Gorgeous” is being funded in part by a grant from the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission. Schreiner will be in town to present “A Celebration of Great Movie Music” at 3 p.m. Saturday and “A Look at Fabulous Fashion in the Movies” at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Both library programs are free, with the former focusing on music from various films and the latter showcasing the stars who wore the costumes on display and designers, like Edith Head, Orry-Kelly and Adrian, who created them. Schreiner will lead a tour through the exhibit as part of the Monday event.

The library also will be screening the Bette Davis’ classic, “All About Eve,” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 7. The gown she wore in the scene in which she says, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night,” is part of the exhibit.

“The allure of iconic Hollywood costumes is the perfect draw, appealing to movie buffs, fashion lovers or anyone who has performed in theater as a child,” Kiburg said. “This exhibit is connecting our community together in a new way and ultimately, bringing them to the library.”

For more information about “Glitz-Glamour-Gorgeous: A Tribute to Hollywood Movie Costumes,” which runs through May, and to register for related programs, go to www.gailborden.info/glitz.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

“GLITZ-GLAMOUR-GORGEOUS: A TRIBUTE TO HOLLYWOOD COSTUMES”

These are the 33 costumes on display at Elgin’s Gail Borden Public Library, listed by actor’s name and the film in which it appeared. In parentheses are noted the costume designer and the year of the movie was made.

Bette Davis: “All About Eve” (Edith Head, 1950)

Deborah Kerr: “An Affair to Remember (Charles LeMaire, 1957)

Richard Burton: “Anne of the Thousand Days” (Margaret Furse, 1969)

Kevin Bacon: “Beauty Shop” (Sharen Davis, 2005)

Judy Holliday: “Bells Are Ringing” (Walter Plunkett, 1960)

George Chakiris: “Brigadoon” (Irene Sharaff, 1954)

Julianne Moore: “Cast a Deadly Spell” (Mary Rose, 1991)

Elizabeth Taylor: “Cleopatra” (Irene Sharaff, 1963)

Julie Andrews: “Darling Lili” (Donald Brooks, 1970)

Gregory Peck: “David and Bathsheba” (Edward Stevenson, 1951)

Maurice Chevalier: “Gigi” (Helen Rose, 1958)

Peter Palmer & Leslie Parrish: “Li’l Abner” (Alvin Colt, 1959)

Doris Day: “Love Me or Leave Me” (Helen Rose, 1955)

Kathryn Grayson: “Lovely to Look At” (Adrian, 1952)

Jane Wyman: “Lucy Gallant” (Edith Head, 1955)

David Cassidy: “Malcolm in the Middle” (TV series) (Bob Mackie, 2003)

Sandra Bullock: “Miss Congeniality” (Susie DeSanto, 2000)

Hedy Lamarr: “My Favorite Spy” (Edith Head, 1951)

Sally Field: “Soapdish” (Nolan Miller, 1991)

Lena Horne: “Stormy Weather” (Helen Rose, 1943)

Geraldine Page: “Sweet Bird of Youth” (Orry-Kelly, 1962)

Lana Turner: “The Big Cube” (William Travilla, 1969)

Madeleine Carroll: “The Fan” (René Hubert, 1949)

Stephen Baldwin: “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” (Robert Turturice, 2000)

Rhonda Fleming: “The Great Lover” (Edith Head, 1949)

Betty Hutton: “The Perils of Pauline” (Edith Head, 1947)

Jane Russell: “The Revolt of Mamie Stover” (William Travilla, 1956)

Richard Chamberlain: “The Slipper and the Rose” (Julie Harris, 1976)

Ginger Rogers: “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” (Edward Stevenson, 1939)

Faye Dunaway: “The Wicked Lady” (John Bloomfield, 1983)

Anne Bancroft: “To Be or Not To Be” (Albert Wolsky, 1983)

Shirley MacLaine: “What a Way to Go” (Edith Head, 1964)

Betty Grable : “When My Baby Smiles At Me” (René Hubert, 1948)