SILVER SCREEN SPARKLE

The glitter and sparkle of sequins and beads have made a comeback in the latest evening fashions. Along with rhinestones, there is nothing quite like these materials to provide a touch of flash and glamour to an evening gown. While colored sequins had long been used in flapper-era dresses, it was the Hollywood movie gowns of the 1930s that created the modern look of glamour. And for these, the perfect effect was had using glass bugle-beads and gold or silver finish sequins. The bugle-beads were frequently lined in silver or gold, though it was hard to tell the difference on black and white film. Similarly, red or blue bugle-beads were used while appearing dark or light gray on b&w film. Either way, their sparkle was unmistakable, and when sequins were used, they positively flashed under the bright studio lights. Sequins are more commonly used today -  as they are both lighter and cheaper to use than beads. 

No one carried beaded gowns like Jean Harlow - the original blond bombshell. Dressed by Adrian, she set the pattern for what would be considered the modern sex goddess and the image of glamour. She was unabashed in revealing her body, but the tastes of the day and the talent of Adrian combined to play a game of hide and seek. Her gowns looked like they could drop off of her shoulders at any minute, and the weight of the bugle-beaded gowns hugged and fully revealed her every curve. This was especially so in the beaded night gown shown above, with the extra weight of the train pulling against her body as  she moved. Her platinum blond hair was complemented by the silver-lined bugle beads and  the white ostrich plume sleeves. This total look of whiteness made her the perfect good-bad girl. And Adrian loved contrast and polarities. He combined the soft warmth of the feathers with the hard skin and sheen of the beads in this intoxicating costume.

Dolores Del Rio models a stunning sequin gown above, designed by Orry-Kelly in Wonder Bar, 1934. The gown hugs her body and she walks like a moving mosaic of mirrors. Her dark hair contrasts with the flashing sequins.

Ginger Rogers wears this Bernard Newman-designed gown in "In Person," 1935.The gown is made of silver-lined bugle beads sewn onto turquoise chiffon. The buttons are rhinestones and the horizontal bands are also formed from rows of bugle beads. 

Maureen O'Sullivan models this beautiful gown of black bugle beads designed by Dolly Tree for Hold That Kiss in 1938. The gown is complemented with a long tulle train that starts at her neckline.

Opera diva Lily Pons truly sparkles in this sequin gown designed by Edward Stevenson in That Girl From Paris, 1937. The gown is uncharacteristically trimmed with a white collar and sleeves, giving her a touch of warmth.

Greta Garbo is all business as Mata Hari,1931, shown above in a stunning creation designed by Adrian, one of the most unique costumes in movie history. Garbo's costume consists of pants made of gold mesh, with a long skirted tunic also made of gold embroidery and green bugle beads. The bodice is heavily decorated in rhinestones and cut glass. The costume's protective hard metallic front is contradicted by being completely backless, a symbolic play on the double life and exposed back of an international spy.

Irene Dunne looks stylish in this bugle beaded gown in Joy of Living, 1937, designed by Edward Stevenson at RKO. The off-the-one-shoulder cape is a nice feature.

Carole Lombard never took a bad picture. Travis Banton designed beautiful gowns for her at Paramount, including this one for The Princess Comes Across, in 1936. Though the bugle beads appear silver in this b&w photo, the gown was actually pink.

And beaded gowns weren't just made for looking good against a wall. Ginger Rogers knew how to look fabulous in them while twirling in the arms of Fred Astaire (Fred wasn't as keen on them - but that's another story). Here she wears a Bernard Newman fur-trimmed bugle beaded gown in Follow the Fleet, 1936. Seeing her leg perfectly outlined in this photo shows the merits of the beaded gown on screen. But then again it weighed about 30 pounds. No one said being a star was easy. The two above worked as hard as anybody to make their art look perfect. And let's also recognize the set designers and builders, the painters and plasterers, the wardrobe ladies and prop men - all the toilers and creators in the dream factory.

Thank you for making such lasting dreams.

BLACK AND WHITE COSTUMES IN COLOR part 2

This is part two in a series on how black & white film costumes looked in color. These images are not from the colorization process that Ted Turner had launched years ago and that thankfully died out. Nor are the images taken from the post-colorization process that was used for early lobby cards and more recently for video and DVD cases. The colors used for these, especially for DVD cover art, is unreliable in regards to the true colors of the original costumes. Color photographs began being used in Hollywood in the 1930s. They were not used extensively, however, not due to the cost of color photography but rather because of the high cost of color printing in newspapers and magazines. These media preferred  black and white for most of their photos, even into the 1960s. But  color photos were taken using the Carbro (carbon bromide) process in the 1930s and early 40s, and they show the stars and their costumes in beautiful colors. These shots were used sparingly in the fan magazines and in other publicity, but they are a revelation in showing the real colors of those black and white film costumes

The photo above shows Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire from 1941. She is also shown below in black and white with her co-star Gary Cooper. While we know her costume is made from a metallic finish material such as lame or sequins, in black and white they give the appearance of silver. Gold finishes were often used in costumes. Both gold and silver lames tarnish with age, and thus the vintage Hollywood costumes that sparkled like the sun on film have now unfortunately lost that luster.

Photofest

Of the several Cleopatra movies,  the one starring Claudette Colbert with costume designs by Travis Banton, is my favorite of them all for Cleopatra's costumes. They were strictly art-deco/ Hollywood glamour rather than classic Egyptian, but who cares with costumes like these.

Photofest

The black and white photos are just as stunning.

Photofest

Cleopatra's gold lame gown shown below was sold in the first Debbie Reynolds auction held last June. It was hammered down at $40,000.

Photofest

I had owned the photo shown below of Rita Hayworth in Cover Girl, 1944, long before I ever saw the movie. I never really liked this costume as photographed in black and white, it seemed excessive and campy. But when I saw the film in its original Technicolor, with the costume in red and black, I loved it. I was even more amazed seeing the dots up close at the Debbie Reynolds auction - they were not made from sequins but buttons. It was a fabulous design by Jean Louis.

The original costume from the Debbie Reynolds collection at the Profiles in History auction.

Above is a close-up of the costume as it was shown at the Debbie Reynolds auction in June 2011.

I also owned several of the famous and gorgeous oversize black and white photos of Jane Russell in her first film, The Outlaw, 1943. The black and white photos are still my favorites, but the color photo below is also a knock-out. The B&W photos were some of the most popular pin-ups with the GIs in WWII, especially due to the racy reputation the movie had acquired. Jane Russell looks fierce in either black and white or in color.

Photofest

And one of the most endearing films of all time, one of my favorites, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, 1946,  starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. We can't imagine it in anything but black and white, but here's a photo of the pair in color. Photos of screen couples smiling are as rare as was the use of color itself.  This one brings us cheer.

Happy Holidays.

THE DEBBIE REYNOLDS AUCTION II

The second of the three planned auctions of the famed Debbie Reynolds collection of Hollywood film costumes and props was held on Saturday December 3 by the  Profiles in History auction house. While the auction didn't have the same frenzy as the first one last June, there was still plenty of competition for the iconic costumes of Hollywood's Golden Age. Debbie began collecting with the first movie studio auction, the MGM auction of wardrobe, props, cameras and other items in 1970. That auction really began the whole field of Hollywood movie memorabilia collecting, and Debbie was there from the start in an effort to collect, preserve, and display movie heritage. Now, more than forty years later, that is still a worthwhile project, with miles to go before we sleep.

Photo by Christian Esquevin

                

The beautiful costume above was designed by Charles LeMaire and worn by Susan Hayward in With a Song in My Heart (1952), a biopic about singer Jane Froman. It is made with silver-lined bugle beads, rhinestones, and ostrich plumes. It sold for $9000.

Photo by Christian Esquevin

As was the case with the first auction, the Marilyn Monroe worn items fetched the most money. The gown above was designed by Dorothy Jeakins for Marilyn Monroe in Let's Make Love, (1960). It is made of a pale green pleated silk decorated with rhinestones at the bust and at the Empire waist. It was hammered down for $240,000.

Photo by Christian Esquevin

Shown above is Marilyn's green show-girl leotard designed by William Travilla for Bus Stop, (1956). It is decorated with black sequins and beaded fringe. It went down for $230,000. In addition, Marilyn's pale-green suit from Niagara sold for $210,000, and her embroidered gown and bolero jacket from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes designed by Travilla sold for $260,000. These were among the top five big ticket items of the sale.

Photo by Christian Esquevin

The costume above was designed by Jean Louis for Rhonda Fleming playing Cleopatra in Serpent of the Nile, (1953). The gown is made of a silk and a metallic fabric  to resemble reptilian skin, and decorated with purple beetle-like beads. It was sold for $13,000.

                                                                                    Photo by Christian Esquevin     

Above is a fabulous show-girl costume designed by Adrian and worn by Eve Arden in Ziegfeld Girl, (1941). The gown is made of a silver lame with silver sequin stars embroidered on to a nude chiffon. The silver lame has tarnished to appear a golden color. The gown was sold for $5,500.

Photo by Christian Esquevin

The fabulous blue and black bugle-beaded gown above was designed by Charles LeMaire and worn by Betty Grable in My Blue Heaven during her song and dance number with Dan Dailey. The blue beads transition to black ending in a fringe hemline. It was a bargain at $6000.

                                                                                Photo by Christian Esquevin

This striking dress was also designed by Charles LeMaire for Katharine Hepburn in Desk Set, (1957). It is a wool dress of black, gray, and cream-colored stripes with red accents.

It sold for $6500.

                                                          Photo by Christian Esquevin

One would definitely say that the costume above was designed for a star. Indeed it was, Donald Brooks designed it for Julie Andrews in Star! (1968). The coat is black velvet adorned with plastic silver stars. A silver lame top and pants were worn underneath, also decorated with stars. I should add that the Studio system was no longer in place when this costume was made. By 1968, the stars on the costume were no longer being made of sequins  fastidiously sewn onto the garment - the stars were now plastic. The famous line from The Graduate, "Plastic!" seems to have already  grabbed hold in the wardrobe department. The three piece costume sold for $7000.

Debbie Reynolds never realized her dream of a Hollywood memorabilia museum. There are now plans for a new movie museum organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Alas, Debbie's fabulous and historic costumes and props collection won't be part of it. And probably harder to bear, the costumes, including sets from a single movie, are being scattered. One Internet bidder seems to have won most of the choice costumes. It would be great if it was for a local collection or institution. More likely, these will go overseas along with the cream of Debbie's first auction held last June. At least Debbie Reynolds, in attendance with her daughter Carrie and son Todd, seemed happy. The Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds, she can be called.