1950s

1950s Hand Drawn Dresses by Hermes

1950s Hand Drawn Dresses by Hermes

I don’t know very much about these fashions, except that they were captioned ‘Hermes Dresses, 1952’.  I love the idea of all the detail being drawn on, although I’m not sure they would look quite this fabulous in real life rather than on super-glamorous 50s models! Does anyone know anything about the back-story to these(…)

Iconic Wedding Dresses #8: Jayne Mansfield (1958)

Iconic Wedding Dresses #8: Jayne Mansfield (1958)

50s blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield was married 3 times before her tragic death at the age of just 34.  For her second wedding to bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay she wore this sensational skin-tight dress covered with lace and sequins. (He proposed with a whopping 10-carat diamond ring which cost $5.000 at the time – something like(…)

Back When Everybody Smoked…

Back When Everybody Smoked…

More and more smokers are becoming social pariahs. They have to stand on the street in the rain outside restaurants, bars, pubs and even their own cars (if their kids are inside). And while I don’t mind this, being a non-smoker, it does strike me as strange that in years gone by smoking was seen(…)

Bizarre 1950s Body Jewelry

Bizarre 1950s Body Jewelry

So, who knew there was a trend for body jewelry in the 50s?  These photos are from 1951 of ‘Cling’ jewelry, which presumably was somehow stuck to your skin rather than pierced into your skin!  Frankly I suspect these twinkling baubles would be uncomfortable, would probably fall off after a short time and also leave(…)

1950s Wet Proof Paper Bikini..?

1950s Wet Proof Paper Bikini..?

Er, I can’t claim to tell you much about these photos except that they were labelled ‘wet proof paper’ 1953. I have to assume that the bikini and beachwear are made from ‘wet proof paper’. Why, or what that is, and whether it’s suitable material for swimwear I have no idea. Sorry! If you can(…)

The First Ever Miss Universe Contest, 1952

The First Ever Miss Universe Contest, 1952

It was the lovely Armi Kuusela from Finland who won the first ever Miss Universe contest in 1952*, with Miss Hawaii, Miss Greece, Miss Hong Kong and Miss Germany in the runner up positions.  Interestingly Miss United Kingdom, Aileen P. Chase, who was a runner up in Miss World the previous year didn’t even make(…)

Iconic Wedding Dresses #3: Grace Kelly (1956)

Iconic Wedding Dresses #3: Grace Kelly (1956)

If you want to talk fairy tale weddings then Grace Kelly‘s wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco was the real deal.  One of the world’s biggest movie stars marrying a prince in a bonefide Royal wedding? You can’t beat that! Of course once she married into the Royal Family and became a princess she(…)

1950s Swimwear Shoot: the Elegant and the Experimental…

1950s Swimwear Shoot: the Elegant and the Experimental…

We tend to think of 1950s swimwear as being the height of style and sophistication, and some of it WAS beautiful, but as you can tell by these photos some of the more experimental items of beachwear were more miss than hit! The giant puffy beachball look anyone?

The Can Can Dancers at the Moulin Rouge 1950s

The Can Can Dancers at the Moulin Rouge 1950s

The can-can dancers of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, probably taken some time in the 1950s judging by the hair and make-up styles.  Those flying leaps into the splits look really painful! The backstage photos showing them warming up before a performance are really interesting too, they were all so bendy!

The Best Dressed Boys of Goodwood Revival 2015

The Best Dressed Boys of Goodwood Revival 2015

As promised when I published my favourite women’s outfits from this year’s Goodwood Revival, here are my pick of the most dapper gents.  Their outfits are all 1940s, 50s or 60s themed and I think you’ll agree that they all look splendid! As always there were so many military uniforms, that I decided not to(…)

Queen Elizabeth II in the 1930s, 40s and 50s

Queen Elizabeth II in the 1930s, 40s and 50s

Tomorrow Queen Elizabeth II overtakes Queen Victoria as the longest serving monarch in British History.  I was born in the 1970s so she’s always seemed very much an older woman to me, so I thought it might be nice to see some photos of her as a young woman. I particularly love the photos of(…)

Angela Lansbury before Murder She Wrote

Angela Lansbury before Murder She Wrote

We all know and love Angela Lansbury from Murder She Wrote, plus she was the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. However she didn’t start out in life as a middle-aged crime-solving widow (or a singing teapot). Back in the 40s and 50s she looked rather different and played a huge(…)

What the Creature From the Black Lagoon Really Looked Like!

What the Creature From the Black Lagoon Really Looked Like!

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of those iconic monsters that everyone recognizes, like King Kong, Dracula and Frankensteins’s Monster. Unsurprisingly he was much better looking without his head on! Ricou Browning played the Gill-man in all 3 Creature movies, but only in the underwater scenes – different actors played the creature on(…)

Movie Tuesday: Dial M For Murder (1954)

Movie Tuesday: Dial M For Murder (1954)

Oh, how I love a Hitchcock movie! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad one, apart from ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much‘. And that’s just a strange story line told using unlikeable characters, as you might remember me complaining a while back. Actually that’s probably a good definition of a bad movie isn’t(…)

Movie Friday: The Thing from Another World (1951)

Movie Friday: The Thing from Another World (1951)

Oh, I love a good comfy horror / sci-fi movie. Nothing gruesome or truly frightening, just something really enjoyable and this movie definitely fits that bill.  It’s nothing like the 1982 Kurt Russell remake of The Thing, which was bleak and gruesome, it’s a delight from start to finish. From it’s swashbuckling army hero (Kenneth(…)

Fashion Inspiration: Grace Kelly

Fashion Inspiration: Grace Kelly

Whatever role she played Grace Kelly was always the epitome of cool style and sophistication. Whoever she was in a movie, she was always impeccably turned out and beautiful in a very grown-up stylish way. Never saucy or scandalously dressed she was a sex symbol who drew everybody’s gaze without having to make a show(…)

What Hallowe’en Used To Look Like

What Hallowe’en Used To Look Like

I love the different Hallowe’en costumes in these photos, although being British I always find it strange to see people dressing in ‘regular’ fancy dress during Hallowe’en. Here we just wear spooky costumes (ghosts, skeletons etc) whereas in America any kind of fancy dress seems fine. Anyone know why? I have no idea but I’d(…)

Winter Vintage: Layer it Up Baby!

Winter Vintage: Layer it Up Baby!

I was asked by Modcloth to create a vintage-inspired layered outfit perfect for this Autumn and, well, you know I can’t resist a challenge! We all know that dressing vintage couldn’t be simpler in the summer – all you need is a cute sundress, some great sunglasses and you’re pretty much there! As the nights(…)