The Golden Girls aired on NBC from 1985 to 1992, tickling the funny-bones and capturing the hearts of people all across the country—and cementing its stars, Betty White, Beatrice Arthur, Rue McLanahan, and Estelle Getty, as cultural icons and household names. While we’ll never be able to recapture that particular zeitgeist or that moment in time, we’ll never forget these brilliant, stylish women who graced our screens.
Here, GRAZIA revisits a previously-published interview with Judy Evans Steele, the celebrated costume designer who dressed Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia for all those years.
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Rose: The fact that Rose was a proud Minnesota farm girl transplanted into the glittering city of Miami was reflected in her wardrobe, which Golden Girls costume designer Judy Evans Steele described as “downhome.” There were few bold colors, little to no flash and some really (let’s face it!) terrible sweaters that reflected Rose’s childlike innocence. Unlike Rue, Betty White only kept a few items from her character’s wardrobe. But Betty “would check out outfits for events that she attended and use them,” said Steele. “I didn’t design as much for her. We would take things and cut them down, redo them. Betty was fun to work with.”
Blanche: “I wanted a sexy, soft and flowing look for Rue McClanahan,” said Steele, who custom-made many of Blanche’s iconic looks, including her show-stopping negligees. “Even at night, we wanted the women looking good, not matronly.” Steele loved dressing Rue: “You could put anything on her and she made it work. She was an incredible actress, as far as being able to flaunt her clothes. She could steal a scene with her clothes! A scarf all of a sudden took over the scene.” The show’s stars were “wonderful,” added Steele. “Fittings were always a joy with them.” But Rue in particular enjoyed the clothes — so much so that she had it written into her contract that she got to keep Blanche’s outfits!
Dorothy: “I loved working with Bea Arthur because she always said what she thought,” said Steele. “You knew where you stood with her. She was always very direct; she was fun to design for.” At 5-foot-10, Bea’s height severely limited off-the-rack options, so Steele designed many of her outfits, putting her in lots of fabric and layers. “Bea and Dorothy were both long-skirt people. You do take some license. Even though it’s hot in Florida, we didn’t do sleeveless shirts. And I layered clothes to be flattering, even though you might not do that if it’s 100 degrees outside.” Bea herself was a fan of Steele’s work and once raved: “She knew Dorothy had a wild side!”
Sophia: While Bea’s towering stature was an obstacle, Estelle Getty presented Steele with the opposite problem — the actress was only 4-foot-11. Still, Steele was able to buy, rather than make, most of Sophia’s clothing, though “a lot of alterations” were required to make them fit correctly. A key element for the character was comfort, Steele said, which explains why Sophia often wore a fluffy robe. “Estelle was the second youngest, but we had to make her look the oldest,” added Steele. How difficult was that task? “It wasn’t hard at all. She worked with us very well.”
