Louise Brooks with her sharply bobbed hair is one of the most iconic figures of 1920s cinema and epitomized the rebellious modern woman of the time. She started off her career as a chorus girl and dancer in 1922, and by 1925 was a dancer for Ziegfeld’s Follies. It was as a Follies girl that(…)
1928 was an interesting turning point in 1920s fashion. The boyish figure of the mid 1920s was starting to become more feminine again with female curves starting to re-emerge from androgyny. The tubular flattening underwear of earlier in the decade was becoming more forgiving (or at least more womanly in shape), and once again women(…)
How did women go from the straight laced Edwardian era to free and easy fashions of 1920s flapper in just 1 decade? The catalyst was the same that changed not only fashion, but society and many aspects of everyday life: war. The Edwardian Era Just in case you’re not sure what Edwardian ladies looked like,(…)
These couture designs seem to mostly be by French fashion designer Lucien Lelong, who ran a French fashion house from the 1920s-1940s. Hubert de Givenchy trailed as a designer for Lelong, and Garbo and Gloria Swanson were amongst the celebrities who wore his fashions. Aren’t these designs glorious? Way better than the modernized versions of(…)
‘I learnt one thing on my honeymoon – to take drugs’. Tiger Woman is the autobiography of Betty May, a bohemian wild-child and the unlikely heroine of this truly astonishing story. Born in a poverty-stricken area of London, we hear Betty’s shocking journey which culminates in her becoming a notorious 1920s flapper and artists muse,(…)
When we think of silent movie stars we inevitably think of Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino as well as perhaps Lillian Gish (not forgetting the quintessential flappers Clara Bow and Louise Brooks). But for every movie icon there were hundreds of actresses who appeared in silent movies whose names haven’t stood the test of time(…)
If you’re looking for an authentic 1920s makeup-look DON’T look at The Great Gatsby – it’s great for a general sense of style and decadence of the roaring Twenties but for some reason they made-up Carey Mulligan with great sweeps of 50s eyeliner which isn’t right at all! For 1920s make-up inspiration take a look(…)
Lillian Gish 1922
Bebe Daniels from Motion Picture Classic, 1920. Miss Daniels stepped from screen farce to drama so recently that the even is still being talked about. Miss Daniels was Harold Lloyd’s charming foil in dozens of Pathe film comedies Source and copyright: This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies(…)
Fanny Brice – c. 1915-1925 – Ziegfeld girl photographed by Alfred Cheney Johnston.
Ziegfeld Follies girl Doris Eaton Travis (1904-2010) in her youth (somewhere around 1922).
Is there a more recognizable literary flapper than the flighty and frivolous Daisy Buchanan from the Great Gatsby? As much as I’m loving the elegant and understated 1920s style of Downton Abbey I can’t resist the allure of the flapper either! I’ve had a fun morning browsing around looking for fashions that Miss Buchanan would(…)
Ziegfeld Girls: The gorgeous Fairbank Twins photographed by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1922
A very fancy 1920s cloche hat with amazing detailing and what looks like metallic inserts. Isn’t it fabulous?
A striking photo of Joan Crawford in the 1920s. I love the way the silhouette and shadows really add to the composition of this picture. Isn’t it stunning?
A young Joan Crawford wearing a cloche hat and some very austere makeup from, 1927. I love her embroidered collar and the brooch pinned to her hat…
Louise Brooks with her sharply bobbed hair is one of the most iconic figures of 1920s cinema, but I realised I didn’t know much about this enigmatic figure. This is what I discovered… Louise Brooks started off as a chorus girl and dancer in 1922, and by 1925 was a dancer for Ziegfeld’s Follies. It(…)
A 1920s movie poster for the Clara Bow movie The Wild Party which was released in 1929. It was Clara Bow’s first talkie (i.e non-silent movie) but the movie was also released as a silent movie for theatres which didn’t have sound equipment.