THE costume designer for hit flick Erin Brockovich has rubbished claims that
the bra made famous by the movie was created by Michelle Mone’s firm Ultimo.
Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Kurland, 62, insists the cleavage-boosting garment
worn by Julia Roberts in the 2000 film was specially made in the US —
despite Mone taking credit.
Kurland said: “I designed the movie, I’d know if they designed the bra.
“I’ve heard of the name (Ultimo) but I didn’t use them. The bra was created by
a shop here in Los Angeles called Bill Hardgate Costumes.
“A draper there made and rigged the bra to fit Julia. It was all done
in-house. How can anyone take credit for something they didn’t do?”
The wardrobe guru, who also kitted out Brad Pitt and George Clooney in stylish
threads for Ocean’s 11, added: “We had to make Julia many sizes larger than
she actually was.
“We used many different brassieres, took them apart and re-rigged them.”
Mone, 43, who set up Ultimo with ex-hubby Michael, 47, in 1999, has always
insisted their success was founded on supplying the underwear.
In her autobiography My Fight To The Top, out this week, Mone told how the
boss of US shop Saks Fifth Avenue called to order the firm’s gear.
She writes: “She told me Julia Roberts was wearing one of my bras in Erin
Brockovich and Saks wanted to stock it in all 54 of their stores.
“It turned out that Julia Roberts really had been wearing the bra, one of the
samples I’d sent out to numerous wardrobe people and stylists.”
Mone frequently mentions the story during motivational business speeches.
She once said: “I’ll never forget the reception we got when Julia wore our bra
in Erin Brockovich to create her super cleavage.”
Last night Mone insisted Kurland had admitted using her lingerie.
She said: “My people called him and his manager and they said they had
received bras and they had been amended in the costume shop in Los Angeles
to fit Julia.
“If you amend the bra then that’s great but it’s still the original bra. I
don’t know if there has been some confusion because it’s been so long.”
The film, which saw Roberts win the best actress Oscar, was based on the real
story of legal clerk Erin’s court battle with a giant energy firm
Ex-hubby fury at ‘false book’
MONE’S furious ex-hubby has branded her book “total fiction”.
Michael, 47, denies allegations he assaulted her during a mid-air row and had
an affair with designer Samantha Bunn.
The Ultimo co-founder last night hit out at “outrageous false claims”.
He said: “The book is a work of total fiction, easily disproved by simple
facts and is full of accusations about me which I refute entirely.”