Lessons Of Love In Weddings

By Jaynie Van Roe, 15 December, 2011, No Comment

In 1953, Marilyn Monroe was getting married — on screen — a lot. First in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and then in How To Marry a Millionaire. While the films played around with the ideas of gold digging women trying to marry men for money, both films centered on the notion that the best laid schemes of mice and ~~men~~ women are often run asunder by true love.

In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn delivers the punch about men and women to a disapproving father who doesn’t want his son trapped by a gold digger. As Lorelei Lee, Marilyn says, “Don’t you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn’t marry a girl just because she’s pretty, but my goodness, doesn’t it help?”

Jane Russell & Marilyn Monroe At The Alter

But in How To Marry a Millionaire, it’s Lauren Bacall’s character who is taught about love.

As Schatze Page, Bacall and Cameron Mitchell (playing the role of Tom Brookman) share an attraction. But it’s an attraction Schatze doesn’t want. She knows from prior marital experience that marrying a “gas pump jockey” for love isn’t a good investment. By the end of the film, Schatze just can’t go through with her wedding to the older wealthy man — she loves Tom!

Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable & Marilyn Monroe At The Alter

But the trick is on her, as Tom is uber wealthy — wealthier than the older man she left at the alter. This Schatze and her friends discover when they are eating at a diner and Tom pays the bill.

I’m guessing most of you know these films; they are not only classic, but wildly popular and shown on TV quite often. The main reason I write about these films is that a friend of mine is getting married and we’ve been talking wedding preparations. (Rather non-stop, actually; such is the way it goes with an engaged friend lol) During a recent discussion about wedding invitations, the subject of vintage wedding invites came up. When I showed her these invites with the classic cans tied to a car motif…

Vintage Styled Wedding Invites

I swear, she looked just like the cast of How To Marry A Millionaire making their discovery at the dinner!

Shock At The Dinner

In a good way, I assure you! Such instant shock and delight!

(…Though we aren’t sure if they will pass with the Mother of The Groom yet. *sigh* Weddings are a lot of work! Neither of these films covered those issues. *wink*)

PS Weren’t sheer floral lace wedding dresses popular in 1953!

Bacall's Sheer Lace Wedding Dress

Wrap Up The Savings: Turbans On Sale

By Jaynie Van Roe, 15 December, 2011, No Comment

Love turbans? They are great to pull out and wear this holiday season — not only glamorous, but who needs to worry about “hat hair” in cold weather when your turban stays on at the party? Right now, there’s a sale on Norma Kamali turbans: Buy one at $65, or get two for $115.

Of course, I’m partial to the gold lamé? How about you?

Designer Norma Kamali Turbans

The Red Shoes

By Jaynie Van Roe, 14 December, 2011, No Comment

One of the things about no longer being a paid columnist and being an independent fashion blogger is that you no longer have the discipline of writing on a schedule. That, folks, explains the irregular frequency of blogging. Feast and then famine — and today’s a feast. *wink*

Apparently I also lack discipline in other areas — like shoes. Finding vintage shoes may be difficult, but finding just the right pair of shoes to go with my vintage pieces is too much fun! Especially when I find shoe sales online!

One Day Shoe Sale At Macy's!

So I’m twirling away a day off, shopping for shoes online… Hey, I’m saving money! Not only with the sale, but by making sure I can — and will — wear all the outfits in my closet! *wink*

Giani Bernini Shoes, Marcela Comfort Flats, In Red

You’d think, as many times as I’ve watched it, I’d have learned something from The Red Shoes (1948):

Boris Lermontov: “The Ballet of The Red Shoes” is from a fairy tale by Hans Andersen. It is the story of a young girl who is devoured with an ambition to attend a dance in a pair of Red Shoes. She gets the shoes and goes to the dance. For a time, all goes well and she is very happy. At the end of the evening she is tired and wants to go home, but the Red Shoes are not tired. In fact, the Red Shoes are never tired. They dance her out into the street, they dance her over the mountains and valleys, through fields and forests, through night and day. Time rushes by, love rushes by, life rushes by, but the Red Shoes go on.

Julian Craster: What happens in the end?

Boris Lermontov: Oh, in the end, she dies.

Classic Maltese Cross Bangle On Sale

By Jaynie Van Roe, 14 December, 2011, No Comment

The Large Cross Hinge Bangle Bracelet by Betsey Johnson is a classic big black bangle bracelet with a big Maltese Cross — and it’s on sale for just $35.99. (Sale found via my Sale Mail Alert from Shop It To Me.)

Betsey Johnson Black Bangle Bracelet Wih Maltese Cross

The Here’s Linking To You, Kid Vintage Glamour Link Round Up

By Jaynie Van Roe, 8 December, 2011, No Comment

Check out the Bobbed-Hair Bimbos! Too charming!

Visit Hollywood homes at Christmas time, 1946.

Since vintage fashion lovers are familiar with auctions, check out this auction story from 1877.

Foundation garments, especially bras, are the foundation of any wardrobe, so check out A Slip Of A Girl‘s contest where she’s giving away five signed copies of bra fit expert Ali Cudby‘s book. You know Barbara Stanwyck was a believer in finding a proper bra fit!

Barbara Stanwyck: Discreet But Visible Bra Beneath Sheer Blouse

White Diamonds

By Jaynie Van Roe, 7 December, 2011, No Comment

This post is inspired in part by those annoying commercials for brown “chocolate” diamonds (yuck!) and the passing of Liz Taylor. Too many people, in my real world, still only remember Liz from her White Diamonds perfume commercials. Yes, that means they recall the old Liz, the “fat” Liz, but they also are thinking of her in terms of the large more gaudy jewelry too.

White Diamonds Ad

When Liz launched White Diamonds, it was the end of 80s — and big hair still ruled. At least for the ruling class, the rich and mighty as shown on the small screen in shows like Dynasty. Big jewelry was required to balance out that hair and to show the opulence. But that is not the imagery I have in my mind of Liz…

Elegant Elizabeth Taylor

No, I recall the more elegant Elizabeth Taylor. One who’s jewelry was more refined, simple, and was in proportion not only to her hair, her wardrobe, her figure, but her person. She was the exquisite stone to be set off — not covered-up — by what she wore. It’s what we’d call a more classical look.

The Simple Elegance Of Liz Taylor

The great news about this is that with such demure proportions, nearly any fashionista, going for vintage glamour or not, can afford to have diamonds like Elizabeth Taylor.

Liz Taylor Wearing Chandelier Drop Earrings

White Gold Chandelier Drop Diamond Earrings

And you just know that with all of Liz’s glamour, she’s wearing sweet little diamond drop earrings or diamond studs — even if we can’t see them!

Elizabeth Taylor Glamorous In Red Dress & White Fur (Are Diamond Earrings Hiding There?)

Elizabeth Taylor: Natural Elegance

Image credits: While gold Chandelier drop diamond earrings like Elizabeth Taylor wore from Seven Seven Diamonds.

Lombard: Twentieth Century Fox

By Jaynie Van Roe, 21 November, 2011, No Comment

A simple — but heavily image laden — review of Twentieth Century (1934); Carole Lombard at her comedic and lingerie-wearing best. First in a bra and step-ins aka tap pants, then in the classic 1930s glamour gown.

Carole Lombard In Bra & Tap Pants

Carole Lombard 1930s Glamour

Beauty & Hair Tips From The 60s and 70s

By Jaynie Van Roe, 19 November, 2011, No Comment

Hair and makeup artist Lexi DeRock has a book helping you get the looks: Decades of Style: A Step-by-Step Hair & Makeup Guide – 60s & 70s. Plus, now through Thanksgiving, she’s giving away one copy a day! She’s also giving 50% off and free shipping to the first 50 people who ask for it!

Decades of Style

Sometimes You Just Can’t Get That Authentic Vintage Look

By Jaynie Van Roe, 3 November, 2011, No Comment

Sometimes you just can’t replicate the look — not on my budget, anyway. Exhibit A: Peggy Hopkins Joyce.

Peggy Hopkins Joyce

On the back of the vintage photo, the reasons why most of us can’t get this look: “Peggy Hopkins Joyce, star of Earl Carroll’s Vanities of 1923 wearing a $6,000 gown of rhinestones and chinchilla and her million and a half dollars in jewels”.

Description Of Fashions

The seller offers this history on Joyce:

Famous mainly for being famous — and for marrying and divorcing (or merely dating) a dizzying array of millionaires — blonde-bobbed Peggy Hopkins Joyce (born Marguerite Upton) had been in the Follies and Earl Carroll’s Vanities when the famous illustrator James Montgomery Flagg directed her in a series of short subjects in the 1910s. She would descend on Hollywood at intervals in the 1910s, 1920s, and early ’30s but managed mainly to prove that she was no actress. Her most notorious film appearance was also her last, playing an internationally famous gold digger in International House (1933), a hodgepodge Paramount comedy in which she earned top billing over the likes of George Burns, Gracie Allen, and W. C. Fields. The latter supplied the film’s biggest laugh and most notorious moment in a scene that has to be seen to be believed, but which included the suggestive discussion of the whereabouts of a cat. Her life an endless series of tabloid headlines, Peggy Hopkins Joyce is believed to have been the inspiration for the character of the mercenary Lorelei Lee in Anita Loos’ twice-filmed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. One of her contemporaries perhaps best summed up her appeal; said nightclub hostess Texas Guinan: “Peggy Hopkins Joyce should not be buried like other folks, or cremated, or anything like that, but just be put into Tiffany’s window to sparkle forever.” ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Hair Extensions, 1932

By Jaynie Van Roe, 29 October, 2011, No Comment

Sheila Terry, with her trademark pre-code bad girl sneer, photographed by Elmer Fryer to promote Scarlet Dawn. Notice her long braided hair that serves as jewelery or an accessory.

Sheila Terry's Braided Hair Extensions

From the back of the photo:

Sheila Terry belies her Irish name by going exotic…She will next be seen with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the First National picture, “Scarlet Dawn.”

Photo via.

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