Tag Archives: Fashion

Inspiration Board: Everything Old is New Again

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What follows is a mad cyclone of some of the oddly delectable bits and bobs setting my head and heart on fire this early November, vintage-style.

Maude Abrantes by Amedeo Modigliani, 1907
US Suffrage Map, 1920
Leatrice Joy
Joe Strummer. Always Joe Strummer.
Kiki de Montparnasse by Gustaw Gwozdecki, 1920
Louise Brooks, 1930
Opel Catalog, 1904
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1868
Zelda Fitzgerald, 1922
Mabel Normand, 1917
Cover of The Yellow Book by Aubrey Beardsley, 1894
William Butler Yeats, 1908
Solita Solano and Djuna Barnes in Paris, 1922. Look familiar?
Norma Talmadge on the cover of Photoplay, December 1929
Clyde Fitch’s Greatest Comedy, Girls

 

 

 

A Year in Books/Day 218: Max Factor’s Hollywood Glamour

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  • Title: Max Factor’s Hollywood Glamour
  • Author: Fred E. Basten (with Robert Salvatore & Paul A. Kaufman)
  • Year Published: 1995 (W. Quay Hays)
  • Year Purchased: 2003/2004
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: Max Factor isn’t just a name on wands of mascara and tubes of lipstick found in the beauty aisle at your local grocery store. The Max Factor cosmetics line wasn’t invented and branded by impersonal, slick-suited admen in a glossy boardroom. He was a pioneer who not only shaped and defined the aesthetics of classic cinema (from glamour girls to tough guys and everything in between) but he brought make-up to the masses in a way that was, and is, distinctly modern. His genius for invention and marketing, as well as his humble beginnings in Central Europe, make his story a neat parallel to those of the movie moguls who were his contemporaries. Continue reading →

A Year in Books/Day 170: Sophia Style

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  • Title: Sophia Style
  • Author: Deirdre Donohue
  • Year Published: 2001 (Barnes & Noble Books)
  • Year Purchased: 2004
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: In the physical sphere, Sophia Loren is everything I am not: tall, leggy, busty. Sure, we have a tiny waist in common but, on her, because of her height, it is more of a thing. Her style, on camera but especially in life, matches her features: striking, angular, and beautiful. Of course, even if she wore a potato sack (like Marilyn in that famous early cheese-cake photo) she would out-shine us all. Sophia Style examines and connects her characters’ wardrobes with her personal clothing choices, resulting in a book that is a melange of fashion, film, and personal history: it is really more interesting than it probably sounds.  Whether you love film or fashion, or are just looking to shade your brain from the reality of an ugly word for a couple of hours, it is a quick and fun read. It’s full of gorgeous photos from her first five decades in the spotlight.
  • Motivation: Sometimes I just like to look at pretty people in pretty clothes. It’s a nice break from thinking too much, which is how I usually spend approximately 95% of my waking hours.
  • Times Read: 2
  • Random Excerpt/Page 81: “(Marc) Bohan’s white slip gown in A Countess from Hong Kong is a unique creation, having an exceptional relationship to both Loren’s body and the character she portrays. This quality was requested by the director, Charlie Chaplin, as well as by Loren. Chaplin was very earnest and exacting about the countess’s look, and Loren, awed by this iconic film figure, uncharacteristically deferred wholly to his authority.”
  • Happiness Scale: 10+++
    Cropped screenshot of Sophia Loren from the fi...

    Cropped screenshot of Sophia Loren from the film Five Miles to Midnight (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     

A Year in Books/Day 147: Bare Blass

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  • Title: Bare Blass
  • Author: Bill Blass
  • Year Published: 2002 (HarperCollinsPublishers)
  • Year Purchased: 2010
  • Source: My lovely momma
  • About: The loosely structured autobiography of the great American fashion designer is a fun, quick and riveting read. His perspective on national and international society of the mid-to-late 20th-century is considerably more interesting that what I expected. His retelling of his journey from the Indiana boy he never quite left behind to sophisticated man-of-the-world is complex, humorous and compelling, with detours that I never suspected. Yet, his writing voice is exactly what you would expect: barbed, candid, and smooth. By story’s end, it is obvious why he was welcomed with open arms by high society. Bonus: The book includes his apparently famous recipe for meatloaf.
  • Motivation: It was $1.00. My mom knew that I would find it interesting, as I am  a fashion history hobbyist. Well played, Momma. Well played.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 72: “Actually, what I was shooting for was swagger-a cross between Damon Runyan and the Duke of Windsor, or what fashion editor Sally Kirkland, after seeing my first show, called “the Scarsdale Mafia look.” I loved the expressive masculine style of the thirties. I didn’t give a damn about tastefulness.”
  • Happiness Scale: 8

Shopping for the Bookworm: The Great Gatsby Edition

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It’s no secret that I am skeptical of the  Baz Luhrmann adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Since it is set for a Christmas Day release, we will be inundated with ads for another 6+ months. Now that we have seen the trailer I am, for the most part, content to turn my back on the growing hullabaloo surrounding the movie. Instead, I’m going to re-focus on the book. What a concept, right? In that vein, this Shopping for the Bookworm is dedicated to all things F. Scott Fitzgerald/Gatsby. Enjoy! Continue reading →

Shopping for the Bookworm: Mystic Moose Book Bags

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Since I usually schlep around half a dozen books on my petite person, not to mention all manner of writing paraphernalia, I cannot have too many tote bags (or, that’s what I tell  myself whenever I whip out my debit card to add another to my collection). I buy them like some people buy socks or lip balm, which is to say frequently.  Continue reading →

Diversions-7 April 2012

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Here are some recent discoveries from around the ‘net. They are not all literary based but they are still compelling.

  • Few things in life beat the sensory joy-fest of clutching a book in your palms. But my love for the written word is too large to be contained by inky pages alone; I’m greedy, I want to read all of the words in the world! This voraciousness has forced me to accept technology in all of its modern mediums, from a Nook to downloadable PDF books. I still buy way too many physical volumes, as curling up with a glowing and buzzing machine is a huge atmospheric mood killer. However, since so many classics are free, it’s painless to give them a test-run before buying a real-life copy. I don’t do that as much as I should because I am a really compulsive book shopper; wandering through aisles between stacked books makes me absurdly happy. But there are times when I appreciate the chance to read something for free without hoofing it to the library. Finding a free downloadable PDF of Alan Watts’ ‘On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are’ is definitely one of those times. I’ve never gotten around to reading this volume-until now. You can find it here.
  • Sal at Already Pretty has a thoughtful, well-mannered piece about defying cultural expectations about dressing as we ladies get older. I’m an extremist and fierce individualist with authority issues, so I am not about to turn into a pearl-wringing, neutral-wearing forty-something when the time comes. Although she doesn’t take the discussion as far as I think it needs to go, it’s nice to see it discussed at all.
  • The lovely Gala Darling gives detailed pointers about how to have an at-home retreat. Yes, please.
  • Vintage hand-painted suitcase by bluebernice

    Vintage hand-painted suitcase by bluebernice

    Would it be a bit odd for me to pack a suitcase for that at-home retreat? If I had this one, I definitely would!

  • Marc Wavra is a fantastic Cincinnati-based photographer-artist. I’ve been crushing on his colourful images for a few months now.

    Mt. Adams Steps by Marc Wavra

    Mt. Adams Steps by Marc Wavra

  • I came across this scrumptious Grilled Portobello and Peach Burgers recipe by Green Kitchen Stories on Design Sponge just in time for grilling season. I want it in my belly now! The photographs are guaranteed to make your jaw drop and mouth water.