Few costumes in film history are as controversial as the pale blue ostrich‑feather gown Ginger Rogers wore in Top Hat (1935) for the “Cheek to Cheek” number. Designed by Bernard Newman, the dress became a symbol of 1930s glamour. It is, quite simply, one of the most iconic dance gowns ever created. A Dress Made to FloatContinue reading “Ginger Rogers’ Ostrich‑Feather Dress that Floated in “Cheek to Cheek” (and Fred Astaire’s reaction)”
Tag Archives: beauty history
How to Re‑Create 1940s Victory Rolls (Step‑by‑Step)
The iconic wartime hairstyle. Victory Rolls were a symbol of strength, femininity and wartime resilience. Today, Victory Rolls has become one of the most recognizable looks of the 1940s. Re-creating this popular hairstyle is actually easier than what most people think. With a few tools and the right technique, this classic hairstyle that defined the era,Continue reading “How to Re‑Create 1940s Victory Rolls (Step‑by‑Step)”
The Thin Brow: Popular 1930s Brow
The dramatic, high‑arched line that defined 1930s beauty. If the 1920s introduced the thin brow, the 1930s perfected it. This was the decade when eyebrows became what some may refer to as art, with the brows sculpted, elongated and re-drawn onto the brow into a single, expressive line, after women had shaved their brows. ItContinue reading “The Thin Brow: Popular 1930s Brow”
15 Wartime Beauty Hacks Women Actually Used
Resourcefulness, rationing, and the creativity that kept women glamorous through WWII. When the 1940s rolled around, it was a decade of sacrifice, it was however, also a decade of ingenuity. With rationing, shortages and factories re-directed to the war effort, women had to reinvent their beauty routines using whatever they could find at home. TheseContinue reading “15 Wartime Beauty Hacks Women Actually Used”
Claudette Colbert’s Lighting Trick to Enhance Her Beauty
Not a product but a technique. Colbert insisted on being filmed from her left side only, believing it was more flattering. She even had lighting instructions written into her contracts. In an era when studio lighting could make or break an actor, Claudette Colbert had learned and later mastered something few actresses dared to demand,Continue reading “Claudette Colbert’s Lighting Trick to Enhance Her Beauty”
Dior and Boussac: The Partnership That Built a Fashion Empire
When Christian Dior left Lucien Lelong’s atelier in 1946, he was stepping into his own couture house. Upon doing so, he was entering a partnership that would re-shape the future of French fashion. The man behind that transformation was Marcel Boussac, the French textile magnate known as “the king of cotton.” Boussac didn’t just fund Dior. He engineeredContinue reading “Dior and Boussac: The Partnership That Built a Fashion Empire”
