You have to agree that, vintage or not, it truly is a fashion faux pas (or is it faux paws?) to wear a short fur jacket over your swimsuit on the beach.
Alfred Eisenstaedt Vintage Fashion Photo, 1940
Aside from looking rather ridiculous, most women could not bear such focus on & scrutiny of their swimsuit covered bottoms.
Photo of a woman wearing fur coat during a cold spell on Miami Beach, Florida, in 1940 taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt. (I wonder how Alfred managed to keep the camera still while taking this photo — my photos would be distorted from laughing! I guess that’s why he’s a professional photographer lol)
“American designer” fashions, running a gamut from a revealing bathing suit (l.) to a cover-up toga-ensemble (below), will be flown to Australia by Neiman-Marcus, Dallas specialty store, and modeled for the “Aussies” by typical American beauties.
Vintage Fashion News, July, 1950
Left photo caption reads, “$160 worth of swimsuit, by Cole of California, in fuchsia sequins.” Can you even imagine the decadence of a 160 dollar swimsuit in 1950′s dollars?! With inflation, what is that… like $1000 today? (Makes the prices on buying vintage bathing suits seem like a pittance!) And certainly sequin-covered swimsuits were as practical as they are today too. *wink*
Cole of California was founded in 1923 by Fred Cole, a former actor at Universal Studios. Cole’s attitude toward swimwear design was not typical for the time; while most companies of the 1920s and 1930s concentrated on designing functional swimwear, Cole was interested in making it fashionable & gamorous.
1936: Began collaborating with Hollywood costume designer Margit Fellegi.
1950: Signed Esther Williams to a merchandising-design contract; her designs & promotions made Cole of California the most popular and glamorous swim & bathing suits of the time.
1955: Began producing swimwear for Christian Dior.
1960′s: The company was purchased by Kayser-Roth, then sold to Wickes Company; Cole of California remains a recognizable name in swimsuits.
1982: Launched Anne Cole Collection; Anne Cole is the daughter of founder Fred.
1983: Licensing agreement with Adrienne Vittadini, until 1993
1989: Cole of California purchased by Taren Holdings,
1990: Juice junior line debuted.
1993: Cole of California acquired by Authentic Fitness Corp. and combined with Catalina to form Catalina Cole.
The other photo caption reads, “Bonnie Cashin’s ‘on-the-go’ ensemble: suit dress, checked toga.” I find it interesting that the checkered wrap would be called a toga, as it does not look like it could drape and cover the whole body (or even the lower half); it appears designed to ensure visibility of the body — or at least other fashions, like the suit. But it’s interesting to note, especially if you’re searching online and need another keyword to try. *wink*
If you think silent films are only corny slap-stick physical comedies or overly dramatic theatrical fare, have I got a treat for you!
The Peach Girl aka Peach Blossom Weeps Tears of Blood (1931) stars Ruan Lingyu (billed here as Lily Yuen; also known/billed as Ruan Ling-Yu, Lingyu Ruan, & Lily Yuan), an incredible Chinese silent film star whose works are not very well known here in the US — but once you see her in a film, I don’t think you can ever forget her. (Stay tunned for a complete bio post on her!)
Ruan Lingyu As Lim
In the film, Lingyu plays Miss Lim, a poor peasant girl who falls in love with the son of the landowner, Teh-en. He returns her love, but because of the classism, the couple are not permitted to marry.
While the tragic love story could be reduced to an intellectual discourse of classist societies, gender roles, etc., or worse yet, dismissed as “typical old movie fare,” it’s best to (at least the first few times), simply enjoy the film for the joy of film.
Director Bu Wancang masters the medium, using it to tell a harsh, sad story, with all the style of poetry.
Ruan Lingyu, The Peach Girl
The film’s title — and much of its poetry — comes from the peach tree Lim’s parents planted for her when she was a baby, saying that the tree would come to symbolize her life: If she grew up to be good, the tree would blossom and flourish; if she grew up to be evil of heart, the tree would surely wither and die. Cinematically, the tree not only marks the passage of time, illustrates the differences between country girl and city boy, but actually weeps for Lim.
And it should.
The couple meet as small children, and, as the title cards state, they do note notice such things as “class difference” — but the parents do. Years later, the couple meets again — and the differences may make for apparent awkwardness, both are more enamored of each other’s perceived glamour. When he finds her sitting & working at a spinning wheel, he exclaims, “A city girl’s beauty depends on powder and rouge. But this is true beauty!”
From then on, the couple is clearly in love, but, as I said, the parents are fixed on tradition & forbid the couple to marry — even after Lim gives birth to Teh-en’s daughter.
The Peach Girl, A Tragic Silent Film Love Story
Watching Teh-en’s weakness to stand up to his mother (who goes so far as to lock him up) is perhaps the most infuriating (and that includes watching Lim rebuff lewd men) — but the most agonizing things to watch are the scenes involving Lingyu’s beautiful & emotive face.
If you’ve been looking for a beautiful film to begin your foray into silent film, give The Peach Girl a try. And if you already love silent film, don’t miss it!
A Busby Berkeley billed musical recording? Of course I snapped up the retro vinyl — but Berekely’s lavish, lush and sometimes lewd choreography sure isn’t seen on an LP!
A United Artists record (UA-LA361-H-0798 Mono, copyright 1975), it comes with a 16 page booklet (the full size of the sleeve!) with lots of photos and brief information on the musical numbers, songs and film. Certainly delightful — and the music is fine (though my personal copy has a few “skips,” so I am going to have to clean it better and see if I can improve things), but just the idea of audio sufficing for the splendor of a Busby Berekely production is still too funny.
Even if you have an excellent memory and want to close your eyes as you listen to the music & remember the glamour and spectacle of Berkeley’s sequences, they will pale in comparison; nothing, not even your vivid imagination, compares to seeing the incredible art of Busby Berkeley. He’s just too magical.
The record contains the original soundtrack recordings — and if you love these old movies, you’ll love hearing them.
Songs Side A:
1. Introduction — The Busby Berkeley Girls Medley: Blue Moon, I’m Like A Fish Out Of Water, Hooray For Hollywood/Johnnie “Scat” Davis, Frances Langford
2. I’m Going Shopping With You, The Words Are In My Heart/Dick Powell
3. You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me/Bebe Daniels
4. The Lady In Red/Winifred Shaw
5. All’s Fair In Love & War/Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Lee Dixon, Rosalind Marquis
Songs Side B:
1. Young & Healthy, Shuffle Off To Buffalo/Ruby Keeler, Clarence Nordstrum, Una Merkel, Ginger Rogers
2. Don’t Say Goodnight/Dick Powell
3. Young & Healthy/Dick Powell
4. Spin A Little Web Of Dreams/Veree Teasdale
5. Dames
6. Dames/Dick Powell
However, the record itself has, on side B, what can only be called a Berkeley-inspired idea: a circle of ladies who will spin on your turntable!
That’s the role Knotts has in The Love God? (1969) — a mocking romp of magazines, obscenity law, and the sexual revolution.
Don Knotts As The Love God
In the film, Don Knotts plays the prim & proper publisher of The Peacock (a nature magazine devoted to birds — of the feathered variety) who mistakenly becomes the pigeon to a smut publisher has lost his own mailing rights due to obscenity. Now that he’s unwittingly traded birds for chicks, he becomes the publication’s reluctant & geeky publicity tool. While he enjoys the attention, he quickly is forced to choose between the playboy’s lifestyle & fame and the only “bird” he wants in his hand, his true-blue girl back home. (Awwww!)
The Love God? is a cheeky film, full of retro fashions & fun, but it also seems to capture the contrasts of the 60′s — affectionately mocking both the conservative & the liberal, the hip & square. Forty years later, the irony is that most of these “sides” are still at odds with one another. That, and Hugh Hefner now looks a lot like Don Knotts *wink*
An awesome quote from Anna Sten in Nana (1934), “It’s men who make women whatever they are.”
Anna Sten
The line, in case you don’t feel it, is in response to the judgment of women in general and her mother specifically. As soon as Sten (as Nana) utters the retort, I was smitten with this tale of a poor girl who scratches her way out of poverty to become a streetwalker (if you find yourself judging, recall that line!) and then finds work in the theater — where she uses her wiles to flirt her way into lead roles, public adoration & high society. But when she falls in love…
Well, she’s thwarted by the man’s jealous brother, who plots & schemes to have Nana for himself! (See how true that line is?!)
Nana (aka Lady of the Boulevards in the UK) was a vehicle for Anna Sten, a Russian actress Sam Goldwyn was determined to make the next Garbo or Dietrich (listening to Sten sing, you can really hear the comparison to Dietrich). But Sten never endeared herself to film fans in America… Some blame the fact that she never did learn English very well. Whatever the reason, Anna Sten was dubbed Goldwyn’s Folly.
Perhaps this is why I’ve never heard of the film before… Watching it, I really enjoyed it — save for predictable Code ending. *Boo Hiss*
Totally worth watching, no matter what film critics say.
5. The 3rd edition of the New Vintage Reviews Carnival, where “old stuff” (vintage film included!) is reviewed monthly, is out and if you’ve got something to share, you can submit your own posts (or those you find elsewhere) via the carnival submission form for the next editions.
I’ve long admired vintage Lucite purses — I say “admired” because these rare babies keep me at arm’s length with their hefty price tags and my fear of damaging them while using them. Don’t get me wrong; their rarity completely warrants the digits on tags. In fact, I don’t see them at antique stores or vintage fashion shops very often, and even online, they can be difficult to find. (All of this only reinforces my fear of using them.)
Anyway, because I don’t see them very often anymore, I was surprised to find not one but two sellers at my local antique mall selling multiple old Lucite purses; so I snapped some pics.
Vintage Lucite Purses
Shopping for vintage Lucite purses becomes even more thrilling when you consider the vast array of styles, shapes and colors these vintage purses came in. And that’s part of the challenge too — as with most fabulous vintage finds, when you fall in love with one, rest assured, finding another just like it is no picnic.
Of course, you can always fall in love again with another, right? (But trust me, your heart will still ache for that long lost love…)
Because I do far more longing for & playing peek-a-boo with vintage plastic handbags, I know more about them than a non-owner or non-collector should…
Here are Thirteen Things About Vintage Lucite Purses
1. While we collectively call these vintage purses “Lucite purses,” there’s a bit of irony to the name. Technically the purses are made of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate), a thermoplastic and transparent plastic first patented by German chemist Otto Röhm in the early 1930′s and sold under the name Plexiglass. Lucite is the registered name of DuPont‘s acrylic:
Both DuPont and Rohm & Haas licensed the process and began commercial production in 1936. Lucite®, however, never generated substantial earnings for DuPont. Since it was that company’s primary product, Rohm & Haas was able to commit more resources to Plexiglas® and it consistently undercut DuPont in price.
While DuPont claims poor earnings for Lucite, it’s the name we give to these beautiful vintage plastic purses.
2. Some people mistake Lucite for Bakelite. This is easy for novices to do, but once you’ve held both old plastics, you can more easily discern between the two. Deanna Dahlsad says:
[Lucite] has a slicker feel and is lighter than Bakelite. Like Bakelite, it would be rare to find a piece with mold marks or seams. Generally speaking, Lucite comes in bright colors and patterns that are not seen in Bakelite. Sometimes in darker colors it is confused with Bakelite. However, if you’ve done the Bakelite tests (and feel the piece does not have a damaged or altered finish), the piece is likely Lucite. “No smelli, Plexi” is what I say.
3. The most expensive Lucite purses were made by Wilardy of New York and once they were showcased in major department stores throughout the country, as a cheaper alternative to leather handbags. Some of the best Lucite purse designers were Rialto, Llewllyn, Charles S. Kahn, Gilli Originals, Patricia of Miami, Evans, and Myles & Maxim. Over time, of course, many cheaper versions, including knock-offs, were made. Most companies marked their handbag creations on the inside, with a stamp on the metal frames or by affixing a clear or paper label — but over the years many of the clear labels have fallen off, making identification & attribution difficult — both for Lucite purses by famous makers and even for identifying other makers of vintage Lucite purses.
4. There are many opaque or translucent colors of Lucite purses. While many agree the carved clear plastic is the most beautiful, it is far from practical in terms of use. Because it’s clear, you can see everything inside & most ladies prefer the contents of their handbags & clutches to be secret.
5. The most popular (and therefore pricey) color of vintage Lucite purses seems to be the tortoiseshell — followed closely by amber. My guess is that, along with being so pretty, the darker brown colors are more practical both in terms of keeping the purse’s contents hidden and, like brown leather, very easily mixed into one’s wardrobe.
Vintage Tortoiseshell Lucite Purse
Vintage Amber Lucite Purse
Of course, the near rainbow of available colors, means fashionistas and collectors are always looking for the unusual shades, such as pearlized pastels and always-in-fashion black.
6. Vintage Lucite purses come in many shapes too. There are square & rectangular “box” styles, ovals, trapezoid, cylinders, “kidney” shapes, “beehives,” scalloped shaped “kidney” clutches… Some vintage Lucite purses will have “lids” that open, others open like “clams.” Most have Lucite handles, but some will have straps of chain or other material.
7. Along with the myriad of color choices & shapes, Lucite purses are often embellished with carvings, metal work (not just clasps, hinges & feet, but fancy filigree and woven metal work), and/or rhinestones, confetti, shells, flowers, lace, etc. embedded into or set upon it.
Vintage Cylindrical Lucite Purse With Carved Ends On Metal Feet
Tortoiseshell Lucite Purse With Open Metal Work ($96)
Vintage Clear Carved Lucite Purse With Large Rhinestones
8. One area of cross-collecting, and therefore pieces with higher prices, are the Lucite purses with built-in compacts. (These are my ultimate fantasy pieces.)
9. As I said, I’m very worried about damaging vintage Lucite purses. Along with cracks, of which no elegant & effective repairs are known (the glue discolors &/or muddles the old plastic), Lucite scratches rather easily. These scratches are especially noticeable on clear and lighter shades of Lucite. Use soft cloths and avoid products with abrasives when cleaning them; extra caution should be taken with tortoiseshell purses because the pattern can be muddled or removed. Novus Polish Kit: Plastic Polish & Scratch Remover is highly recommended for cleaning & minimizing scratches in Lucite. (A metal polish, such as Simichrome Polish, is recommended to clean & keep the metal hardware in good condition — just keep it confined to the metal.)
10. If you find a lovely vintage Lucite purse with a missing rhinestone or two, they can be replaced with care; Sparklz has very detailed information on how to replace missing rhinestones. You’ll have to consider if the vintage purse is worth saving in terms of price, other conditions issues — and your dexterity to make the repairs. (Do not replace/repair and then sell without disclosing that you did so!)
11. Clutches especially have metal frames which should be inspected for damages; if they are too bent to clasp properly, I’d avoid them. Likewise missing or damaged clasps, handles etc. Sure, if you search diligently enough, you can find replacement Lucite handles and metal fittings. (Some are old store stock; others are salvaged from purses too badly damaged to rescue.) Purse-onally, I’m not sure I’d try to tackle all the varying metal fittings — risking cracking the purse. But there are those who claim to be able to make such repairs. (Exercise extreme caution & investigation in these persons/companies before entrusting your vintage purse in their care; see my other vintage guides for more on evaluating professional repair services.)
12. The myth that antique shops and vintage fashion boutiques (real stores or virtual ones) price their items higher than eBay is false. The purses I found & photographed at my local antique mall were priced from $60 to just under $300 (for the torti), which when compared to eBay prices is fair if not actually lower than current auction prices (and recent past sales). Of course, prices will depend upon the conditions & attributes mentioned above. And if you’re looking for something specific or quickly for a special event, online searching will produce more options & more quickly than hunting in physical locations.
Vintage Lucite Box Purse At Antique Mall ($64.50)
13. If you love the look of vintage Lucite purses, there are folks making reproductions & “vintage style” Lucite purses. These vintage styled Lucite purses (found via The DebLog) are beautiful, and if you fear using an authentic vintage purse, it’s an option…
Vintage Style (Reproduction) Pink Lucite Purse
Carved Lucite Top and Handle on Reproduction Lucite Purse
The prices on the modern made Lucite purses are in the same range as their vintage inspirations; but, again, you won’t have the worry of having destroyed a potential one of a kind vintage piece. However, please note that even the new Lucite will be prone to scratches (and cracks).
Ava Gardner & Venus Statue From One Touch of Venus
One Touch of Venus is the 1948 version of Mannequin: a window dresser (Robert Walker) kisses a statue of Venus which then comes to life (Ava Gardner); hilarity ensues.
However, I don’t think one can really compare Ava Gardner to Kim Cattrall without thinking that Gardner’s the better-looking babe.
At least I’m more likely to fall in love with art than a merchandising hanger — and I’m not just comparing the statue of Venus to a mannequin here.
According to press releases for the film, Ava Gardner’s measurements were:
All I know of Kim Cattrall’s measurements are that she wears a size 6 French maid costume and a 9.5 shoe; which is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. And we can’t always trust movie studios for precise measurement information either. But I think most would agree that Ava has a more curvy look.
(Also, regarding Ava’s measurements in the press release, I love the use of the word inches used only for “thighs”, presumably so people would know they weren’t quantity and wouldn’t mistakenly think Gardner had 19 thighs — as opposed to 34 hips and 7.5 ankles?)
To help in the creation of a proper life-size statue to be used in the film, Ava was sent to pose for New York sculptor Joseph Nicolosi. Several hours each day for two weeks she assumed a position in the studio at Nicolosi’s Malibu home. At first clad in a two-piece bathing suit, she saw the sculptor repeatedly stop work to approach her and star with concern at the swimming costume. It seemed that the fabric disturbed him as an interruption of the body’s natural line; the Anatolian Venus, Nicolosi sighed dramatically, had worn no such garment.
“Would you like the bra off?” Ava asked.
Nicolosi averred that it would surely aid the cause of art, and so Ava, after a steady stream of what she described as “hot drinks,” unhooked the swimsuit top and resumed her stance with breasts bared. Further sighs of dissatisfaction from Nicolosi eventually resulted in her rolling the bottom of the bathing suit to just below the pubic mound (the mons veneris, indeed). Sometime later, prompted by a reporter and sculpture enthusiast eager to hear more details of these modeling session, Nicolosi said, “Miss Gardner gives an appearance of slenderness but possesses the roundness and fullness in the necessary places which set her apart from the emaciated female whose cadaverous outlines most American women seem determined to achieve.”
In early February the sculptor proudly unveiled his finished work to producer Lester Cowan and was met with a torrent of invective.
“Are you crazy? Her tits are showing! How are we gonna put that in a movie?”
The sculptor had to go back and create a more modest goddess.
Joseph Nicolosi (1893-1961), an Italian-born American sculptor, executed the figure for One Touch of Venus. The statue, which bears a passable but not remarkable resemblance to Gradner, is thoroughly indigestible as a veritable antiquity, recently excavated from the Anatolian earth. In Nicolosi’s defense, however, certain conditions mitigated strongly against the figure acquiring the aura or patina of “authenticity.” Materials are one. It would have been foolhardy, never mind improbably in terms of budgets and schedules, for a motion picture studio to invite an artist — even an academically trained one, like Nicolosi, accustomed to doing so — to work in the sort of materials that were used in antiquity and might survive many hundreds of years intact, that is, bronze, or, more likely, hard stone, such as marble. The processes involved are too elaborate and the materials too expensive for the manufacture of what is, ultimately, a mere prop. Even so, one might expect more in terms of style from a neoclassical sculptor like Nicolosi. An anecdote from Gardner’s memoir explains how the statue used in the film had to made under considerable time pressures, due to a rather amusing and telling misunderstanding:
Most Venuses I’d seen in art books were nude or had a magically clinging drape low on the hips, and Mr. Nicolosi clearly had the same idea. Because when I took off my clothes behind a screen and appeared modestly clothed in a two piece bathing suit, he looked at me rather severely and gave a sigh that could have been heard as far away as the Acropolis…
Nude? Me? Not even MGM had that in their contract. Bare my breasts? What would Mama have thought?… The artist, however, prevailed… “Your body is beautiful. It will make all the difference.” And do you know what? He was right. Immodest as it may sound, I have to say that the final statue looked very nice indeed. It was carted off to the studio with filming scheduled to begin in a little more than a week.
Then came the explosion. A nude statue! Who said anything about nudity? Tits! Didn’t anyone tell you that tits aren’t allowed in a Hollywood film? It doesn’t matter how beautiful they are, it’s immoral and indecent. Plus, the goddamn statue has to come to life on screen. Do you want us to be accused of corrupting the whole of America?
As the owner of the offending objects, I sat back and did not say a word. After all, I’d done my bit for the arts. But the poor sculptor, who’d poured his soul into this clay, was shattered. No one had told him they’d wanted a Venus dressed up like Queen Victoria. Finally, another statue was made, this one with me wearing the belted-at-the-waist off-th-shoulder gown that Orry Kelly had designed for Venus, and America’s morals survived to fight another day.
Another factor, of course, although one with which one might not expect Nicolosi, who studied with Solon Borglum and was a fellow of the National Sculture Society with numerous public commissions, to be particularly sympathetic, is that the film is a comedy. The aesthetic distance between the Venus de Milo and Savory’s “Anatolian Venus” ultimately affords another possibility source of amusement in a rather sweet and frothy amusement.
Ah, it’s rather like a retailer complaining about the look of the titular mannequin and then realizing, “Hey, it’s a comedy!”
But for more of Ava Gardner — and some cheeky humor — we return to Lee Server’s bio of Ava Gardner & discussion of statues for the film One Touch of Venus:
Ava Gardner As Venus
Another piece of art was created, a small souvenir knockoff of the Nicolosi statue, an idea cooked up by the Universal publicity department, to be sent to select members of the press as a promotional giveaway. Someone in the art department created the eight-inch clay version of Venus, and before it was sent out for casting, publicist Bob Rains decided that as a courtesy they should show it to Ava first. “I took the clay model over to her dressing room. I said, ‘Ava, you want to take a look at this? What do you think?’ She looked it over an laughed. She said, ‘That’s not my figure.’ And then with a cute smile on her face she pinched off some of the clay from the chest area and stuck it to the rear end. She smoothed it on with her finger and made the fanny bigger. She said, ‘That’s more like my ass.’ I was startled by amused. I took it back to the department and told them what happened and everyone broke into hysterics.”
No word on which figure, the art department’s original or Gardner’s adjusted clay model, was used to cast the promotional Venus.
And because you know I find it so damn amazing that a woman’s nipples are a danger to society, it should be noted that Server also mentions that many good takes on the filming of One Touch of Venus had to be discarded due to the chiffon gown worn by Gardner on a chilly set; eventually prop man Roy Neal was assigned to follow the actress everywhere with a portable heater to avoid such horrors as visible erect female nipples.
However, I think you’ll agree if you click to see the larger photo below, that you can see Ava Gardner’s areola. I guess that’s OK because it’s not going to poke your eye out, or whatever it is that erect nipples are feared to do.
