Old Movie Madness - Gold Diggers of 1933

Jeepers, it's been over a month since I last posted.  I've been keeping up with my Facebook page but haven't really felt inspired to write anything here, especially since I left my camera in Eastbourne last month.  Ah well, we have some catching up to do!

I've signed up for a knitting class especially on sewing together knitted projects - a particular pet hate of mine - and as a result I've been spending a lot of time trying to get my several unfinished items knitted up.  As a result I spent most of yesterday, yarn in hand, watching old movies.

I finally got around to watching "Gold Diggers of 1933" an early Ginger Rogers number -boy I love Ginger - and so thought I'd share my thoughts on the costuming with you.

It's an interesting one as it is so VERY early 30s.  all small hats, sleeve details and beautifully waved hair.  Take a look at this picture before scrolling down.  Especially the second along.  Note the sleeves and the collar detail.

retrowaste.com

The film is, unsurprisingly given the title, set in 1933.  It centres around four showgirls - Carole (Joan Blondell) the sexy, knowing torch singer, Trixie (Aline McMahon) the tall, wise cracking comedienne, Polly (Ruby Keller) the innocent and somewhat dull ingenue and Fay (Ginger Rogers) the flirty glamourpuss.

Opening with a Busby Berkely number its clear the girls are having a hard time.  It's the Great Depression and they simply can't find work and have been reduced to stealing food from their neighbours just to get by.

They hear news of a new show opening and go all out to impress the producer who casts them all - only to find he has no money to actually bring it to the stage.

Luckily the girls friend, a "penniless" musician has had his music commissioned for the show, and on hearing of the lack of funds seems to miraculously find the $15,000 dollars needed for the production.

This young man is in fact a millionaire and is in love with the wet fish, Polly, much to the vexation of his uptight older brother who threatens to leave him penniless and who tries every trick in the book to try and break up the pair.

Carol poses as Polly to play him at his own game, but ends up in a stew herself.

The costumes were designed by Orry Kelly, an Australian artist who had move to Hollywood in 1932 in search of acting fame of his own.  Kelly would go on to design for Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey and Some Like it Hot.

The opening scene costumes for "We're in the Money" are pretty risque - little bikinis made of coins.  Here is Fay having hers taken by the bailiffs.

And a picture from the front.  How that girl managed to be funny, cute and sexy all at the same time I don't know.

In fact Ginger tended to have the best clothes throughout.  Her cosmetics counter uniform is simply to die for.  Back up top, second dress along!

working it like a boss

Look at the hat, the belt, the cuffs and the collar accent!

half'inched from the-telling.livejournal.com

It's quite a saucy costume and is referred to in the script as being very sheer.  I think it is a deliberate play on what someone "in the money" would wear - it could be elegant but it's overblown.  Too tight, too sheer, too detailed.  A bit "Stella Dallas."

She has to lend this little number to Carol and later appears in this delightful creation.  Circle details throughout - perhaps to mimic the earlier coin costumes.  Look at the target puffs on the sleeves and the circles on the belt.

It being the early 30s sleeves were a big deal - even a fairly dowdy secretary has these on her dress.  The pattern is somewhat 70s I think, I just love the fullness at the top and the tight forearm.  I'd also kill for those frumpy little specs.

Trixie has a couple of lovely outfits - this is really quite spectacular.  Look at the chevron print and the huge sheer collar.

She also has an evening dress that makes my heart hurt.  All liquid sequins and high necklines...i love that sort of cover all glamour.  Not to mention Carol's "illusion lace" style neckline here, with the almost nude net making the collar and bust detail of her gown look unconnected.  Amazing work Mr Kelly.  Amazing.

There were simply gorgeous details everywhere.

These buttons, on a dress which also had a sailor collar style tie at the back of the neck.  Look back up top at the second dress along.

Does this hat look just like fashion plates of the day?

fashion-era.com

And this outfit for the final big number.  Something which screams 50s bad girl rather than early 30s to me - with the low cut top, neck tie and tight fringed (fringed!) skirt.

In fact, even if you can't be bothered to watch the whole thing I'd advise watching that closing number.  Blondell acts her socks off.  Ignore the advert at the beginning.  Gods I hate adverts everywhere.

Now I'm off to go and watch "Love Affair" and knit some more.  I'll definitely not be away a month this time.  Definitely...

The mystery of the undead detective?

A sneak peek at the cover

So, I was idly flicking through a discarded newspaper (the Evening Standard, I know, vile rag but it just happened to be there) in the works kitchen this week when my eye was drawn to the magic word....Poirot.

It seems that this is old news, google-fu suggests it was first released to the press in September 2013, but a new Poirot novel is being written.  HERESY! I hear you say.  Christie died in 1975 and Poirot, the novelist’s leading man, was killed off in his final tale, “Curtain” slightly earlier that same year. 

Worry not I say, as neither Poirot nor Christie are being brutally raised from the grave.  In fact, as part of what seems to be quite the new trend, a more modern crime writer is putting her name to a Poirot tale, which I understand will be sandwiched into the period between 1928 and 1932 where Christie did not set any of her original tales.

Sophie Hannah is a crime writer of good standing and long time fan of Christie, describing herself as “obsessively” devoted.  Her favourite tale is Murder on the Orient Express, which she has named as one of the books she would take to a desert island. 

The book has been commissioned by the Christie Estate and will be published in September this year to commemorate what would have been Agatha’s 125^th birthday. 

I’m thoroughly looking forward to reading it but I am sure a lot of you out there have reservations.  But, in the words of the author “I regard every word Agatha Christie ever wrote almost as a holy text, so I’m not going to be taking any liberties.  He won’t be taking up rollerskating.”

The author and members of the Christie Estate

In praise of the little black hat.

I've been thinking about the pretty hats in "The Divorce of Lady X" all morning.  I love hats.  Of all my vintage loves, hats would be my biggest passion.  The more ostentatious the better.

In my humble opinion, most vintage outfits can appear pretty nondescript.  A floral dress, at least to the untrained eye, is a floral dress.  It's the accessorising - the hair do, shoes, make up, gloves and, oh oh oh, the HATS which take a vintage outfit from frumpy to fabulous.  Yes.  I just wrote that.  It's because I'm enthused.

Hats can, however, be one of the scarier items of vintage to wear.  It's unusual to see anyone wearing a hat apart from in the depths of Winter, and it is certainly strange to see someone wearing one indoors, over lunch, with a smart suit.  For the shy and the new to vintage it must seem quite intimidating to go out dressed so obviously.

I certainly found it tough at first, and started off with a very modest 50s black felt number which went with everything.

There really is no better way to start your hat wearing career than a simple black titfer.  It will go with your vintage suits, winter dresses and most probably your winter coat too.

Something small in style can be especially versatile.

These ladies all agree:

Bette Davis in a small 30s skull cap style hat

Madge Bellamy in a pillbox style design - probably late 30s also

Merle Oberon in a bow design - I have one very similar

Rita Hayworth in a tilt hat

This dipped over the eye design flatters Barbara Stanwyck

I thought, therefore, I'd take a wander through Etsy and see what their vintage pages have to offer.  I hope you enjoy my selection.

(Links in the "thises" because I started doing it and could not be bothered to backtrack.  There, that is a little window into the cogs of my brain.)


This 40s creation has all the elements I love.  It is simple but with an asymmetric tilt, to be pulled down over the eye flirtatiously.  Perfect with a suit of any colour.

This little satin hat with a teardrop back would look wonderful with a dress or a more evening suit.  Stunning.

This simple felt turban adds a Wartime chic to the look.

This is very cheap and a great basic for someone new to hats as it can be worn as is or easily trimmed by pinning on flowers, pompoms or attaching a scarf of needed.

For a slightly later look this saucer is simplicity itself

And finally, if you prefer repro, BMillinery has some darling models in her Etsy shop, including this heavenly number for the slightly braver.  I almost dribbled onto my keyboard when I saw it.

So, here are my top suggestions for the hat shy.   I have hundreds more I'd like to post but I think you probably get the picture by now.

I'll be back on the hat topic soon with a few posts showcasing my own collection.

100 Vintage Days

Those of you who have found my Facebook page *linky* will be bored to tears of this already I expect, but I've been doing a little experiment.  I'm sure everyone with an internet connection has seen the #100happydays thing floating around.

The idea is that you post something each day that makes you happy.  I tried doing it and it was just hundreds of pictures of my cats...

So, I realised that with the terrible UK weather lately (more rain anyone?) I'd been living in trousers and nondescript tops with my hair pulled back.  Not good for ones reputation at work or for ones mental health really.

As a result I've decided to do #100vintagedays instead.  It's going to be about the vintage I love.  Largely outfit posts but also just general vintagey goodness.  The idea is to make me 1) make more of an effort of a morning, 2) keep me posting on the facebook and my blog regularly and 3) teach me how to use Instagram.

So - here is a round up of the first 10 days or so.

I'll be keeping the project going for the full 100 days.  updates can be found on Instagram, if you so desire.

My aim for this week is to wear more frocks.  Last week there were two skirts - this week I'm up to one already.

Hair comb from Spitalfields Market

A new hair set

Blue Monday outfit

Weekend shopping

30s hat Friday

Nautical Nancy

Some Fairisle and a flopped set

Monochrome fun

Cateye specs

Hair setting

Cat earrings

Old Movie Madness - The Divorce of Lady X (and a bit of scene setting waffle)

So, I'm finally back with my film fashion stuff.  It's take a while but OMIGOD - dating really takes up a lot of time.  I used to blog, knit and watch old movies constantly but I rarely seem to get daytimes to myself these days.  Still, he's a keeper.  :-)

This weekend though I managed quite a bit of "me time" (what a terribly twee and yet accurate phrase that is).  On Saturday I met up with a dear chum and did some excellent charity shopping - see my haul below!  Yards and yards of chunky yarn in a delicious French navy, a dressing table set of hairbrush, clothes brush and mirror and some lovely bangles.

 I've probably got too much yarn and too many bangles as it is but - what the hey!  Look at Marlon photobombing the yarn pic.  Vain little fuzzbeast.

Sunday, the chap had to go and see his mother and so I got in some up close and personal time with my mending and sorting jobs.  I've now organised my mending pile and hope to tackle one thing a week.  I've also had a huge knitting clear out and am donating all my odds and sods of yarn to the above mentioned chum who is far more creative than I and who will, I'm sure, be able to make something from them.

I like company when I'm tidying, usually a radio play or a non taxing film on in the background to chivvy me along.  For this session I chose The Divorce of Lady X (1938) and little Lord Fauntleroy (1936).

I've been meaning to watch Lady X for some time, it was made in one of my favourite fashion years (I love 36-40 best of all I think) and it stars Larry Olivier.  Oh....Larry.  That voice!

The film opens in London in the middle of a real pea-souper of a foggy day.  The bright young things across town are trapped at their parties, Leslie Steele (Merle Oberon), being one of them.  She has been attending a costume party at a hotel and is forced to stay the night.  No rooms are available but Leslie uses her considerable wit and charm to convince the very dapper and gentlemanly divorce lawyer Everard Logan (Olivier) into giving her his bed, while he sleeps in the lounge.

Logan believes the young lady to be married and being a decent sort of chap makes no advances.  He is later horrified when Lord Mere asks him to represent him inn his divorce, after finding out Lady Mere had spent that evening in the same hotel with a man.  Surely the two women must be one and the same!

Ah, the fashions of 38.  Ah, Merle Oberon's tiny little cat face.  Here are some of my favourite outfits:

This off the face saucer hat with diamante clasps at the hairline is just a fabulous way to frame her beautiful face.  The hat is balanced by huge fur across the shoulders and an enormous muff (I can't type that without giggling - I'm such a child).  The column of black is relieved by that classic 30s touch of a large bow - here in a pale blue - a colour repeated throughout the film.

Again, more pale blue.  This hostess/dressing gown as worn by supporting actress Binnie Barnes, features the most beautiful scalloped detail down the front.  What you can't see well here is that it is worn with trousers.

Another dressing gown here, sadly I could not find a colour picture.  It is the most beautiful emerald green with bands of gold running down the arms.  I actually gasped seeing this.

Binnie again, in a simple an classically late 30s full length evening dress with an enormous corsage at the bust.

Another largely black outfit for Merle - with a sweet pointed hat.

Other treasures I have been unable to find pictures of were a leopard hat and gloves set (swoon), a full length short pile white fur coat and a two tone suit with a jaunty little peplum and a pale blue ankle length cape.

This is one of those movies that oozes fashion.  not as much as The Women - my all time favourite fashion film, but the clothes here certainly make a statement.

Costumes are by Rene Hubert, who had worked with Jean Patou.  Hubert also designed for Vivien Leigh in That Hamilton Woman and for the Four Feathers, among many other films.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, there was a great chemistry between the two leads and the bright Technicolour used worked especially well to contrast between foggy London and the gay abandon of the parties going on under it's roofs.  While the plot is somewhat predictable Oberon is so likeable you can forgive the weakness of the story line.

Definitely worth whiling away some time knitting along to.

Speaking of knitting, Larry doesn't look too impressed.

The film is available on YouTube.

Happy watching!

Test

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3....

Facebook knitting group and facebook me page.

Hello

Just a quick note to make you aware of the Facebook page for my blog, which I tend to keep a little more up to date than here (working on it, promise).

Blog page

I've also recently started a Vintage Knitting Circle - also on Facebook - for anyone interested in advice, pattern sharing, seeing other peoples works in progress and the like.

Knitting group


Here is a little pic of my current project: