Another Ugly Duckling Story.

Although in the Rocky movie series, the main character (Rocky) went through the biggest character transformation, there is a more subtle arc that occurs during the course of the movie.
When we first see Adrian Pennino (played by Talia Shire), she is a painfully shy girl who hides herself under chunky cardigans and glasses only people my grandma's age would wear. However, by the end of the story Adrian Balboa could not look more feminine.

Put together by costume supervisor Joanne Hutchinson and costumer Robert Cambel, Adrian’s outfits reflect a convincing shift in deep character from opening scene when she is too afraid to talk, progressing until she is a confident rock for her husband.

During their first scene together, Sylvester Stallone’s likeable Rocky Balboa regales Adrian with his terrible jokes and cheeky smile. Then, on their first date, she is dressed almost comically old-fashioned in a fleecy pull-on hat, long skirt and sixties cut double-breasted herringbone coat. The short lapels on the coat gives us the impression that she had probably borrowed it from her mother. Some items she wears look homemade.

As she and Rocky begin to fall in love, Adrian’s style of dress loosens slightly. There are telltale signs: she begins to unbutton her cardigan and even gets an edgier haircut. However, her most memorable outfit is still a shock.

In a red fur-lined wool coat with an empire waist and flared skirt and a white fur beret, Adrian is the picture of feminism. It is a classy look, even on the streets of low-income Philadelphia in the 1970s. After finally standing up to her tyrannical brother Paulie, Adrian is finally spending time and money on her herself. Thanks to Rocky, she has self-respect for the first time.

Yet, Adrian manages to outdo herself during the night of Rocky's last fight. Elegantly attired in a velvet suit with a ruffled white shirt and red boucle hat. At the time, women's trouser suits were just starting to take off, as they were the ideal choice for those with an independent, feminist spirit. This outfit completes Adrian's character transformation. She started as the beleaguered sister and became the doting lover because she took charge of her own destiny. Yo, Adrian! You go girl!