Louise Dahl-Wolfe

All those old Harper's Bazaar covers got me thinking about the photographs of the immensely influential Louise Dahl-Wolfe. One of my favourites Louise was a staff fashion photographer for US Harper's Bazaar from the late 30s to the late 50s. Here are a couple of eher arlier shots that are both tremendously evocative and thoroughly modern. And both those dresses are to die for.

Skorver1 has a great set of Louise's photographs on her Flickr page. Worth checking out.

Mildred Pierce

Jumping back a decade to the 1930s, director Todd Haynes remake of Mildred Pierce is currently playing on Showtime on Foxtel. Unfortunately I don't have Pay TV, so I'm going to have to go the DVD route. Not only do the costumes look divine, but I'm a sucker for a good melodrama (please see earlier posts about Douglas Sirk films and Todd Hayne homages i.e. Far From Heaven).

The costume designer on Mildred Pierce was Ann Roth, responsible for other period films like Evening, The Hours, The Talented Mr Ripley, Cold Mountain (loved that book) and The English Patient (loved that book and that movie). You can read an insightful interview with her at the LA Times here.
My favourite quote? 'Costuming is not fashion ... we're not doing a Vogue spread ... it was the way people dressed.'

Has anyone out there - overseas perhaps - watched the mini-series already? Thoughts?

Bringing the 30s Back

The film Water for Elephants is inspiring fashion editors and viewers everywhere with it's lovely 1930s costumes. I saw the film over the weekend with my friends Helen and Emma and while the film had its issues (for me), I still found it really entertaining and oh so very pretty. Costume designer Jacqueline West fitted Reese out in gorgeous separates for day-wear (love that scarf), slinky bias cut gowns (which were worn sans underwear in the 30s) for evening, and sparkly, revealing costumes for the big top scenes. I loved the art direction too; the big top scenes were fantastic.
And yummy Rob Pattinson looks great in a vest, and vintage undies, and a tuxedo, and braces ...
Okay, okay, he looks good in anything at all.

The 1930s may have been a time of economic woe, but the high fashions of the time were all about sleek glamour. For example, here are a few gorgeous & genuine 1930s frocks that Dorothea's Closet uploaded to the site this week. Lovely, huh?

If I died and went to vintage heaven ...

I might just wake up in George Cukor's 1939 film The Women. Last night it felt a little bit like I had. I've been unwell the last few days and I woke up in the wee hours last night feeling very ill and unable to sleep. I ventured out to the couch for a while, only to discover this film - with Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell and more resplendent in Adrian gowns - playing on late night TV.

Adrian's designs for this film were out of this world; completely unique, often ridiculous (but in a good way) and with a very high glamour quotient. Rosalind Russell's character is particularly spectacular, with all manner of mad head wear and check out this blouse covered in eyes!

Before I fell back into the land of sleep, I was lucky enough to catch the technicolour segue (the film is otherwise B&W) fashion show. Unfortunately I can't find a complete clip of it on You Tube which I can embed, but you can watch some of it here (not sure about the soundtrack?) or Casey from the blog Elegant Musings has posted extensively about it, including screen caps, here.

I particularly love the play suits and the evening gowns with capes. Who doesn't love a pair of gloves with built in light bulbs? Not even Patricia Field managed anything this weird in Sex and the City 2.

Movie Love: British glamour

I'm sure all you vintage fans have seen the gorgeous Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day before, but I enjoyed an encore performance after raiding my Mum's extensive DVD collection on Sunday, and I thought my blog friends wouldn't mind an encore either.
This delightful film recalls the screwball romantic comedies of the 1930s, with Amy Adams (Delysia Lafosse) resembling Marilyn Monroe in her performance, and Ginger Rogers in her appearance. The late 1930s costumes are divine.

Oh, and I seriously love, love, love Delysia's luxurious London apartment. Can some hotel out there please replicate this room for me?

Here are some gorgeous 1930s evening gowns - courtesy of The Frock - that wouldn't look out of place on the dance floor at smarmy Nick's nightclub.

Why we still love 1930s frocks ...

The 1930s and 1950s are widely regarded as the most elegant decades of the last century. Where the 1950s was all cinched waists and voluminous skirts, the 1930s was all about thigh skimming fabrics and long and lean silhouettes. Evening wear from the 30s can still look startlingly modern today. Just remember the collective sigh when Keira Knightley appeared on screen in this beautiful green gown in the 30s/40s period film Atonement. The September issue of The Australian Women's Weekly just selected this dress as one of the ten most memorable of all time.

So in celebration of sleek beauty, here are a few genuine 1930s gowns that I can't afford and have no where to wear. But I love to gaze on them regardless, and I like knowing that they are out there.

Torso Vintages/Madison Avenue Couture/Coquette/Torso Vintages/Torso Vintages

A bride in 2010

I was sharing New Year well wishes with my friend Liana today and we were reflecting that by the end of 2010 we are both going to be married women. How thoroughly grown-up of us. While lovely Liana has yet to buy her wedding dress, I bought mine back in June and it now hangs in my wardrobe for me to gaze at whenever the fancy takes me (and the betrothed isn't home). My crush on my 1950's Ceil Chapman still rages, but that doesn't stop me from occasionally checking out other flashy frocks. It makes me happy whilst reaffirming my choice of dress as wholly right.

My long-term readers would know that I bought my wedding dress from the fantastic Etsy seller Timeless Vixen Vintage. They always have the most gorgeous selection of mid-century vintage, updated very regularly, with styles to suit most tastes. Here is a selection of the wedding dresses they currently have on offer that have caught my eye. The top dress almost makes me want to marry twice (minus the expense but including the honeymoon) and the first frock below is a genuine 1950's Dior!

Over at Posh Girl Vintage, this 1950's Cahill of Beverley Hills frock is both breathtaking and breathtakingly expensive (for vintage, mind you). Oh how I'd love to see this on a statuesque bride.

And this sexy pleated number from DRESS would look smashing on a girl that loves the vintage bombshell look a la Marilyn Monroe.

And finally this 1950's Italian evening gown from Etsy seller Vintage Blue Moon isn't exactly a wedding dress, but it is so modern looking and so drop dead stunning, I reckon it could easily work as one.

More Cinematic Joy

This is another film post, but it is only because there is so much goodness on the horizon for 2010, both in terms of drama and fashion inspiration. Famous director Ridley Scott has passed down his expertise to daughter Jordan, who looks like she is about to make critical waves with Cracks, starring the crazy beautiful Eva Green. It is a boarding school drama set in the 1930's and Eva, who plays a teacher that the students look up to but who has a secret past, looks ravishing and super stylish in her period garb.

I love the innate elegance of 1930's style, but apart from the aesthetic delights of this film, what girl can resist a story of intrigue set in a ladies boarding school? I never went to one, so they still evoke a kind of romance mixed with terror for me.

As far as boarding school dramas go though, Picnic at Hanging Rock has to be my favourite of all time. Released in 1975, I've been fascinated with this film since childhood. The Aussie bush, the eerie music, the use of natural light, those beautiful turn of the century white dresses and especially the gorgeous Miranda who is the alpha female whom the girls and boys and the film's audience all want to get close to.

Here is a nice video tribute to this classic ...