With the Winter Olympics in full swing it’s a great time to talk about 1930s skating and movie star Sonja Henie. Henie was a Norwegian skater who won pretty much everything in ice-skating from 1927 to 1936 back in the days when figure skating competitions took place on frozen lakes rather than ice rinks (see(…)
Beauty throughout the 1940s was dominated by wartime shortages and rationing. Clothing rationing ended in 1949 and soap rationing in 1950 so a real ‘make do and mend’ attitude was needed to get through the post-war years (sweets rationing didn’t end until 1953!). I remember my grandma telling me stories how they had to paint(…)
Nothing can transport you back in time like a fragrance. They say that your sense of smell is the most powerful and evocative sense, and it’s true: Chanel No. 5 will forever remind me of my mum, Armani pour Homme is my husband, and Brut – well that reminds me of staying out late as(…)
The snood (rhymes with food) is a type of hairnet or scarf which was particuarly popular with factory girls during World War II. It kept their long hair out of the way of machinery and was worn by lots of celebrities including wartime sweetheart Vera Lynn. You can even see the ever-glamorous Rita Hayworth wearing(…)
1940s studio publicity photo of MGM actress June Allyson for the film Music for Millions (1944). I love her stripey blouse, it’s another one of those outfits which probably look better in black and white than in colour! I didn’t realise who she was from the photo, but as soon as I saw her smile(…)
There’s a real soft-spot in my heart for 1940s fashions. Perhaps it’s because I grew up seeing the big shoulder pads and nipped in waists of the of the 80s and thinking it was all oh so glamorous, and later I realised how one decade was an echo of the other. Both embraced similar trends:(…)
Oh my, it’s definitely getting colder out there. The nights have drawn in and Christmas lights are starting to spring up all over the place (my next door neighbours back garden looks like a plastic Santa’s grotto – they’ve been out there all morning hanging it all up!). It’s definitely time to wrap up warm(…)
Jeepers creepers it’s COLD out there! About 5 minutes after I finished taking these photos it started hailing and then sleeting. Yeuch! Bring back summer, I want a tan and a chance to wear shorts again! This beautiful vintage 1940s dress was kindly loaned to me by Helene from Revival Vintage. It pretty chilly once(…)
Young ladies in 1940s bikinis overlooked by some giant seahorses at the municipal casino: Lido Beach, Florida. c. 1945. Don’t they look elegant? (the girls and the seahorses)
Marilyn Monroe and Groucho (I think?) Marx in 1949. The young Marilyn (and her wiggle) made a lasting impression on Marx during her first screen test for the movie Love Happy. Apparently it was all because of her walk! Love Happy is regarded as the worst Marx Brothers movie, but we’re still grateful that it(…)
Some vintage Aquascutum adverts from the 1940s along with a fascinating note from Buckingham Palace regarding articles ordered for the Queen, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret for their 1947 trip to South Africa. I wonder whether they wore any of these lovely items or whether everything was bespoke..? Either way I particularly like The ‘Ladies(…)
It’s my son’s school trip today. They’re learning about World War 2 in history at the moment and they’re off to have a WW2-themed day at Holdenby House where they’ll get to experience cooking with rations, bomb shelters and various other things which *may* give him nightmares. Having said that learning about the war is(…)
I love movie posters – especially from classic movies. I have a poster of ‘To Catch a Thief’ in my living room which I absolutely adore. I’ve always particularly liked foreign language posters of Hollywood movies too though, like these Japanese versions. They’re an interesting take on the really familiar. From top: Singing in the(…)
Sarasota Sun-Debs from 1949 learning how to elegantly pick things up off the floor at Lido Beach, Florida. Which one of these two are doing it correctly? I’m guessing it’s the girl who’s got her knees bent rather than the one bending down with her bottom at perfect pinching level! Does anyone know what a Sun-Deb is? Are they(…)
Best known for her performance in Gilda, Rita Hayworth was one of the 1940s most famous (and one of my all time favourite) movie stars. I certainly didn’t know all of these facts, so I’d love to know how many are new to you too! Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn, New(…)
A how of 1940s shoes from the cover of McCall Style & Beauty magazine from 1942. I’d love to know how all those ladies are standing on one leg, what must this picture have looked like from backstage?!
A very young Elvis Presley photographed in 1948 aged either 12 or 13. He looks completely different without his trademark hairstyle doesn’t he?