Dean Martin’s Matching Cabana Set in Artists and Models
Dean Martin and Dorothy Malone in Artists and Models (1955)
Vitals
Dean Martin as Rick Todd, struggling but smooth-talking painter
New York City, Summer 1955
Film: Artists and Models
Release Date: November 7, 1955
Director: Frank Tashlin
Costume Designer: Edith Head
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Iconic entertainer Dean Martin was born 108 years ago today on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio. Born Dino Crocetti, the singer and actor remains well-known for his joint acts like the Rat Pack and a decade-long partnership with comedian Jerry Lewis.
After debuting together in Atlantic City in 1946, Martin and Lewis made a total of 16 movies together. Their 14th feature, Artists and Models, was released 70 years ago on November 7, 1955—five months to the day after Martin’s 38th birthday. Though the team would make two more movies before the dissolution of their partnership the following year, Artists and Models foreshadowed the future directions of their respective solo careers as the first of eight collaborations between Lewis and Looney Tunes director Frank Tashlin and the first of seven times that Martin would star with Shirley MacLaine.
Martin and Lewis brought their usual personas to Artists and Models as the romantic painter Rick Todd and goofy children’s author Eugene Fullstack, respectively. In her second film appearance, MacLaine co-stars as Lewis’ love interest Bessie Sparrowbush, who also helps Rick woo her friend, professional artist Abigail Parker (Dorothy Malone).
In one instance, Rick stumbles upon Abigail and Bessie sunbathing on their building’s roof, where the latter silently agrees to move aside so that Rick can massage her while debuting the ballad “Innamorata (Sweetheart)”—which Harry Warren and Jack Brooks wrote for the film and would reach #26 on the Billboard chart.
When Abigail asks who sang it, Bessie shouts out “oh, you know, he’s the fella that had the big record ‘That’s Amore’,” an in-joke to Dino’s 1953 hit. “I don’t sing as good as he does, but I’m trying,” Rick quips when Abigail turns over and realizes he’s the one who’s been massaging her.
What’d He Wear?
Dino dresses for this brief sunbathing scene in a matching cabana set, either pulled from the entertainer’s own closet or selected for him by costume designer Edith Head. Popular through the mid-20th century, these two-piece shirt-and-short combos have reemerged as warm-weather staples in recent years.
Rick’s beige cabana set is made from a cloth that suggests raw silk, with visible slubs and a subtle sheen. Both the short-sleeved shirt and shorts are accented with red, gold, and blue madras plaid trim.
The cabana shirt has a sporty loop collar, designed to be generally worn open-neck but rigged with a loop extending from the left side that would connect to a button under the right collar leaf. The short sleeves are finished with a single row of madras banded about a half-inch from each end, matching the wider madras trim up the seven-button front placket—which Martin wears with only the second-to-bottom button fastened. Meant to be worn untucked, the shirt has a straight hem with side vents. There are also two open-top patch pockets over the chest.
With a thigh-bearing inseam of approximately 3-4 inches, Rick’s matching shorts channel mid-century poolside confidence in keeping with era leisurewear. The tailored but not overly tight cut offers room at the leg openings while still comfortably close at the hips. The untucked shirt covers most of them, leaving the waistband and pocket situation a mystery, though they maintain the colorfully contrasting madras trim down each side seam.
Martin maintains the continental sophistication of Rick’s summer leisurewear with cross-strap flip-flops. These simple backless sandals are constructed with two wide tan leather straps that form an “X” over the instep, attached to cork-lined soles.
How to Get the Look
Dean Martin in Artists and Models (1955)
One of few 20th century style icons crowned the “King of Cool”, Dean Martin illustrates how to look relaxed yet refined in nothing more than a cabana set and cross-strap sandals.
- Beige slubby silk cabana set:
- Short-sleeved shirt with loop collar, two open-top chest pockets, and madras-trimmed sleeve-ends and six-button front placket
- Short-inseam shorts with madras-trimmed side seams
- Tan leather cross-strap backless sandals with cork soles
The closest alternative to the aesthetic of Dino's Artists and Models set is:
You'll have far more luck tracking down tan leather cross-strap sandals: Prices and availability current as of June 6, 2025.
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
Ah, you’re breathin’ heavy again. I should’ve brought along my stethoscope.
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A very cool man. Was there a genre Dean couldn’t master? Comedy, musicals, dramas, Westerns, heist films, war films, spy films – he did it all! And – more often than not – outshining more celebrated actors. Thanks very much for reminding me of this great gent, Luckystrike.