Proof that the Grease phenomenon is not going to die out, 40 years after the release of the most popular musical of all time, the sounds of Summer Nights and Greased Lightning continue to rock the world. The 1950s outfits, the hair wax, the pink jacket of the Pink Ladies and above all, the legendary final scene where Sandy - played by Olivia Newton-John - turns into a femme fatale to win the heart of Danny Zuko. It's going from a tidy girl in a mini skirt and pastel cardigan to a goddess in skinny pants that Sandy makes the rebel lose control. XXL curls, crimson lipstick and heeled mules… Vogue reveals the secrets of a look that has become legendary.
An authentic outfit
A leather jacket, a top with bare shoulders, black spandex pants… an outfit that seems simple but which lifts the spirits because it transforms the shy Sandy into a femme fatale. To the frenzied rhythm of You’re The One That I Want, Olivia Newton-John twirls, sways and electrifies a John Travolta literally at her feet with a glance. To highlight the evolution of the character, the costume designer Albert Wolsky wanted to create a striking chromatic contrast: while Sandy is dressed in pastel throughout the film, adopting the style of her boyfriend, she stands out from the rest of the crowd. In the extremely colorful world of the carnival in which the couple meets, we only have eyes for the two dark figures who intertwine and take turns seducing each other. But while John Travolta had a few tips for dancing comfortably in all of his costumes, Olivia Newton-John didn't. On the contrary, the actress, who was eagerly awaiting the famous "Bad Sandy" look, hadn't expected to be as oppressed in her pants as in a corset. The high-waisted spandex pants were so tight she could barely move. For Authenticity's sake, the pants were already vintage during the shoot in 1978. During the costume creation process, Albert Wolsky had set his sights on a sharkskin piece dating from the 1950s. The only pants available were then almost 30 years old and needed to be treated with the utmost care. Olivia Newton-John recently confided in the difficulties encountered during the filming of this scene, which lasted a week: “When I tried on those pants for the first time, the zipper was broken and Albert didn't want to rip them trying to put in a new one or remove the old one. Instead, I'd be sewn into them each morning!”
An exceptional auction
In 2019, Julien’s Auctions is organizing a special Grease auction at the request of the actress with a promotional poster signed by the co-stars, in original script… in all, 500 objects from Randal Kleiser's film were put up for sale. Much of the proceeds were donated to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, an institute created by the actress herself as she has battled breast cancer since 1992. Among the items up for auction, the actress that played the iconic Sandy character parted with the jacket and pants of the legendary finale scene. Total sale of the two pieces: $405,700 dollars, or about 360,000 euros. But Olivia Newton-John didn't stay away from her leather jacket for long. The buyer who got the jacket for $243,200 returned it a month later. The man who had wished to remain anonymous spoke with the actress during a meeting arranged by Julien's Auctions: "This jacket belongs to you and the collective soul of those who love you, those for whom you are the soundtrack of their lives. It should not sit in a billionaire's closet for country club bragging rights," A good deed that moved the actress to tears.
Translated by Constance Caiola
