Memorable Movie Fashion: Eartha Kitt, "St. Louis Blues"

In this weeks Memorable Movie Fashion, I will be talking about the incredible Eartha Kitt in the 1958 film St. Louis Blues

The brief summary on IMDb says,

Will Handy (Nat 'King' Cole) grows up in Memphis with his preacher father (Juano Hernandez) and his Aunt Hagar (Pearl Bailey). His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but he can't stay away from the music of the streets and workers. After he writes a theme song for a local politician, Gogo (Eartha Kitt), a speakeasy singer, convinces Will to be her accompanist.

I wasn't able to find the film online, but here is a video showing Eartha Kitt and Nat King Cole in the last scene of the film!

I personally feel that Eartha Kitt is highly underrated, both as a singer and an actress. She was also, of course, incredibly beautiful. Here in this film we get to see a wonderful mix of her talent and the fashions that help emphasize how breathtaking she really was. I was unable to get a hold of the film, sadly, but I did find some great images that show costumes throughout the movie. Here you will see designs done by the always wonderful Edith Head.

Of course, the film is black and white so we can't necessarily tell what colors all the clothing is, but we can see here a relatively simplistic outfit for Ms. Kitt. Still, although it seems more "plain" compared to other outfits I will be showing, it is still a fantastic ensemble. The overall silhouette is beautiful as it shows Eartha Kitt's curves. Also, you can see how her character Gogo, contrasts with the other woman of the film. Her black ensemble stand out as showing a mysterious nature whereas the other woman here is wearing almost all white (typically represented as more pure and innocent).

I also really love the V-neck and bow on Gogo's dress as it adds a simple but interesting detail. I have started noticing similar designs like this coming back into style and I think it's great. I love the overall shapes used in this particular design

She also sports a short, curly hairstyle and very natural, makeup throughout the whole movie.

I really love the way this dress is styled. It appears to be made of a silky material and (I'm assuming as this is black and white) a beautiful white. This is of course a contrast to her other, more mysterious outfit. The light color also stands out against her gorgeous dark skin tone as well

This is definitely my favorite outfit by far. I love the overall silhouette of the dress and how Eartha rocks it. The side slit and loose flowiness helped bring in the fun, sassy nature of Gogo's career as a speakeasy singer. This outfit certainly gives off a more 1920's flapper-esque style into the mix.

Gogo wears a few different interesting ensembles throughout the film, while none of them look a whole lot like they are from the 1920's like the film is set in. Despite this, I still really enjoyed the costume design. Edith Head always comes up with great, memorable designs and therefore it was great looking at these beautiful designs.

Tune in next time where I will be flashing forward to the 90s with one of my favorite TV show characters. Here's a hint: smelly cat, smelly cat...

Fashion History: Overalls in Fashion

Yes, they have even been on the runway!

Today, I wanted to have another lesson in fashion history. Last time, I focused on the changing style of the summer dress (x). I thought that today I would go into another fashion item; overalls. People have varying different opinions on the use of overalls in fashion. Some people love it (like Rachel Green) and others... do not. However you feel about overalls being worn, I wanted to go into the background of overalls and the different ways they have been worn overtime!

History of Overalls

 When overalls were first around, their purpose was to be worn by working men. Men with jobs such as construction, farming, and railroad work were the most likely people you would see sporting such attire. Young children could also be seen wearing them, typically in the Southern and Midwestern states. That's to say, overalls certainly did not start out as being a "fashion staple" in someone's closet, unless they were a man who worked a lot outside! 

60s and 70s

During the late 60s and through the 70s, overalls started to become a fashion trend for both men and women. For women, typically these overalls would be short rather than the long ones. Overalls also started coming out in a variety of different bright colors. 

80s

During the 80s, overalls weren't quite as trendy as they had been in the past decade, but they were still worn and fairly popular, especially when worn with lots of fun, crazy accessories! The bolder was the better during the 80s. ♥

90s

Overalls started gaining some more momentum again in the 90s. You would see overalls worn on different TV shows and celebrities all over the place. Both long and short overalls were coming back into style. Often, they would also have patches, look distressed, or would be worn in a style where only one strap would be on. No neat and tidy looking overalls for the 90s generation. 

Overalls went from being a work staple to a fashion staple. Fashion trends are always an interesting part of history to look back at, especially sense when it comes to fashion history tends to repeat itself. Overalls are still an article of clothing that is either hated or beloved depending on who you talk to, but it certainly has been coming back in style. Plain denim overalls along with colored and patterned overalls. 

Would you like to see more fashion history on this blog? What fashion item would you like to see further explored? Let me know in the comments below!

 Photo Sources:
Runway
60s

70s

80s
90s 1
90s 2
90s 3

Style Spotlight: Jennifer Aniston

Today I'm flashing forward from our last Style Spotlight (x) from the 50s all the way to the 90s. Jennifer Aniston became well known in the 90s when the classic sitcom Friends first aired. Since then, everyone knows who she is! I wanted to focus on her style during the 90s and how it's changed!

Hair

90s, 2000s, and Now

The first thing most people think of when hearing the name "Jennifer Aniston" is her with her famous haircut, "The Rachel". Why this particular haircut became so popular, I really don't know. But it certainly was! Throughout the entire run of Friends, Jennifer sported a variety of different hairstyles and continues to change up her hair today. 

During the 90s, she started off with her hair fairly short with some loose curls. As the 90s went on and eventually went into the 2000s, her hair got longer, straighter, and lighter! Now, her hair is typically worn long with curls.

 Makeup

90s, 2000s, and Now

In the 90s, her makeup was usually pretty natural and paired with a nude or brown lip. This was probably the most popular makeup style at the time and it's been making a comeback recently! In all honesty, her makeup really hasn't changed much over the years. She continues to wear fairly natural makeup now, occasionally taking part in different trends.

Fashion

Jennifer's fashion in the 90s

One thing that tends to go through many changes is fashion. During the 90s, she wore a lot of turtlenecks, low cut tank tops, little black dresses, plaids, and high waisted pants, among other things. Jennifer Aniston was a prominent style icon of the 90s.

Jennifer's fashion in the 2000s

Fashion during the 2000s wasn't too exciting. There were good things, and lots of bad things. Jennifer managed to get through the interesting decade for fashion and typically wore simplistic clothes. Solid colored blouses, jeans, heels. On the red carpet, she would get a bit more daring.

Jennifer's fashion now

Her style hasn't changed too much sense then. She mainly wears clothes that are your typical closet staples.

What is your favorite Jennifer Aniston look? Do you want to see more 90s themed posts on the blog? Let me know in the comments below!

Photo Sources:

Photo 1

90s Hair 
2000s Hair
Today Hair 
90s Makeup
2000s Makeup
Today Makeup 
90s Fashion 1
90s Fashion 2
 90s Fashion 3
2000s Fashion 1
2000s Fashion 2
2000s Fashion 3
Today Fashion 1
Todays Fashion 2

Sunday Essays: Marilyn Monroe and How Her Career Affected Her Life

Diamond's are a girl's best friend...

Marilyn Monroe is by far one of the most well known actresses of all time. Just about everyone knows who she is even if they have never seen any of her films. Miss Norma Jeane has certainly made her mark on the world and continues to gain new fans all the time. Despite this, most people only associate Marilyn with a few things. Specifically, her beauty. They also tend to think of her as the "typical dumb blonde" as this is often times who she portrayed in films. But is that who she really was? How has this belief of her changed the way people viewed her in the past and now? I wanted to discuss Marilyn and her roles today and how the affected her positively, negatively, and also the lasting impression she has left on us today.

Marilyn with Jane Russell outside Graumans Chinese Theatre

There are many different elements of the Marilyn image that had a positive effect on her life. Clearly, one of these things are the success she found. Being one of the most well known actresses in the world is certainly a perk. Marilyn played a variety of roles in her life even though she unfortunately passed on fairly young. She became well known primarily for her beauty but also as a great actress. Marilyn got an abundance of incredible opportunities in her life and becoming a house hold name for about 50 years is certainly something to be proud of!

A picture from Marilyn's last photo shoot, taken by George Barris three weeks before her death

Despite the fact that Marilyn was beloved by many, her public image did not always bring happiness. Marilyn had to face a few problems due to the way she was portrayed in films. In many of her films, she portrayed characters who were the typical "dumb blonde". She had a lot of roles where the primary aspect of the character was her beauty. This lead to people then (and still sometimes now) believing that Marilyn herself was also not very smart. People wouldn't always take her seriously as an intelligent individual. Many people seemed to not care about what was going through her mind or what she felt in her heart, they were more interested in what she was wearing and how gorgeous she looked. That's not to sat that everyone viewed Marilyn this way, but most people did view her simply as a sex symbol. We also unfortunately can see that her life wasn't an overall happy one. In the days of classic Hollywood, you wouldn't hear quite as much about celebrity scandals and the truth that can often lie behind their dazzling smiles as much as we do today. There is still mystery surrounding her death, but we clearly know that she wasn't in a good mind set during her last few days whether she did commit suicide or if there was foul play. She had to go through many difficult problems in her life through a rough childhood, divorces, a few miscarriages, along with problems with alcoholism and drugs. Still, she painted a smile on her face because that's what the people wanted to see and she wanted to show a bright face to the world. Of course, she did still have happy moments but we can never really know everything that was going through her mind. Even with the millions of audience members who loved her, so many of them didn't know the real Marilyn and I believe that having to hide all this pain from the world is truly what lead to her unfortunate death.

Marilyn signing an autograph while on a break filming "There's No Business Like Show Business" in 1954

Today, Marilyn continues to be viewed in many different ways. Some people admire her. They see the beauty of her soul, the kindness that she showed others, the things she believed in. Others simply don't know very much about her besides the fact that she a beautiful actress during the 1950s. Then there are others who only see the bad. They see the fact that she had many affairs, that she succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse, and that it seemed as though she was only good for her looks. I think it's important to remember that Marilyn Monroe was one thing: a human being. She was not a perfect being, but she was also not an evil being. She was simply human. She good qualities along with bad qualities. It is not wise to look at her as though she could do no wrong, but this doesn't mean you should despise her. She was a lovely actress who had beliefs and goals. She loved things and hated things, laughed and cried. Marilyn continues to have a lasting affect on our pop culture in both positive and negative lights.

Whether you are a fan of Ms. Monroe or not, there are things that can be learned about this woman who has become a classic image of the 1950s. Marilyn was a part of the crazy world of Hollywood and was often times thrust into the spotlight during unfortunate circumstances. She certainly had a passion for acting and adored getting to live this dream, she was also beloved by so many people. Still, she had to face harsh realities and judgement from those around her who may have not even known what it was that she was going through. Overall, people must remember the fact that Marilyn was not the roles she played, she was herself. She was simply Norma Jeane.

If you would like to discuss any of the topics I brought up in this article, please feel free to do so in the comments. I only ask that you keep it civil! I would love to hear other people's opinions on the way Hollywood affected Marilyn in both positive and negative ways.

Information Sources:

Evans, Peter. "Marilyn Monroe's Last Weekend: Told for the First Time, an Eyewitness's Account of the Row with Frank Sinatra That Friends Fear Signed Her Death Warrant." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 02 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1299496/Marilyn-Monroes-weekend--told-time-eyewitnesss-account-row-Frank-Sinatra-friends-fear-signed-death-warrant.html

Kashner, Sam. "Marilyn and Her Monsters." Vanity Fair. Condé Nast, 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/11/marilyn-monroe-201011

"The Secret Pain That Marilyn Monroe Shared With So Many Women." Immortal Marilyn. Immortal Marilyn, 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.immortalmarilyn.com/the-secret-pain-that-marilyn-monroe-shared-with-so-many-women/ 

Photo Sources:

Top Image

Marilyn and Jane Russell

Marilyn Last Photo

Marilyn Signing an Autograph

 Young Marilyn

Classic Marilyn

Modern Classic: Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez is one of my favorite singers, and one thing I love about her is her unique style. She tends to mix modern day fashion with retro-esque pieces. It reflects her music perfectly as her music is very modern but has some undertones of vintage music (think 50s and 60s especially, with maybe some 80s new-wave influences as well). The most notable would of course be her song "Pity Party" in which she uses some of the chorus of the song "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore.

Classic Pieces Worn by Melanie

Melanie's style and overall image involves her taking vintage inspired pieces and adding her own twist to each of them to make them her own. 

Big Bows 

Melanie has incorporated various different kinds of bows into her outfits and always looks adorable. Hair bows were a popular accessory, especially for children and young teens, in the 50s and 60s. But her oversized style can also apply to the 80s. Melanie style is very childlike with her own spooky little twists and I love it! The big hair bows gives her that childlike cutesy appearance.

Dresses

Melanie also wears a LOT of vintage styles dresses, especially ones that look reminecent to dresses worn by children in the 50s to give an even more childlike feel to her appearance. It provides a nice contrast to her always crazy, creative, more modern makeup!

Hairstyles

Her various hairstyles have a vintage feeling to them but with her own twists. She has worn her hair in ringlet curls and bobs which give her usually more 50s style a more 1920s vibe.

Music Video Examples

In her music videos, she likes to incorporates a lot of vintage elements. She especially likes to use vintage toys and furniture in her music videos. I have included various different shots for the music videos (Cry Baby, Dollhouse, Sippy Cup, Carousel, Alphabet Boy, Soap, Training Wheels, Pity Party, Tag you're it/Milk and Cookies) to show some more example of her style as well as the vintage feel of her videos.

Are you a Melanie fan? Which song of hers is your favorite? Are there any modern singers or actresses that you think have a retro/vintage flair? Let me know in the comments below!

Photo Sources:

http://melaniemartinezbrasil.tumblr.com/post/90809973308

http://www.s-aika.com/fashionhair/index_38.php 

http://alchetron.com/Colleen-Corby-474108-W  

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1950skidsfashion.html

http://stealherstyle.net/melanie-martinez/page/2/?post_type=hair

http://www.sonicamp.com/albums/album.php?page=crybaby

https://crybabycolombia.tumblr.com/post/147669599949/crybabycolombia-melanie-martinez-alphabet-boy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFU_wJes-xE 

http://www.spin.com/2015/11/melanie-martinez-soap-training-wheels-music-video-watch/  

http://keenanmyersa2media.blogspot.com/2015/09/melanie-martinez-pity-part-music-video.html

Original Goth: Countess Marya Zaleska (Dracula's Daughter)

She's one spooky lady, that's for sure. Today I thought I would focus on a horror movie that doesn't get talked about much. Everyone loves the classics like Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and (of course) Dracula. But rarely do I see anyone talk about the child of one of these icons, Dracula's Daughter.

Dracula's Daughter was released in 1936, five years after the original Dracula film starring Bela Legosi was released. Here is a description of the film from Google,

Although Count Dracula was destroyed by Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), who is now being tried for his murder, Dracula's daughter, the Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden), is still alive -- and her father's death has brought her no closer to eradicating her vampiric thirst for blood. When attempts to free herself of the disease fail, she turns to psychiatrist Dr. Garth (Otto Kruger) for assistance, but soon finds herself struggling with the desire to make him one of the undead as well. 

I have seen this movie a few times now on Svengoolie (on MeTV). This show is a must if your a fan of old classic horror films. I have gotten to see a lot of interesting films that I had never even heard of along with the classics. This film was interesting when it came to the lead in the film. The character of Marya Zaleska is very similar to Bela Legosi's Dracula when it came to her actions, the way she spoke, and such. 

Makeup 

 
I'm going to start off with the makeup of the Dracula's lovely daughter. Since the film is in black and white, I can't be sure what exact colors are used on her face, but considering she was supposed to be a vampire I'm assuming no bright colors were being used on her in order to keep her pale and ghostly. 

First of all, let's focus on her eyebrows. During the 1930s, the typical style for eyebrows was very thin and often times with a very dramatic arch. While the arch on her brows isn't quite as dramatic as some during this time period (Jean Harlow for example), her eyebrows are still dramatically rounded and pretty thin. They definitely weren't going for the natural look (after all, she is part of the supernatural).

For her eye makeup, like I said before, I can't be completely sure what colors are used on her eye makeup. But, when I found a poster for the movie online, I was able to get better look at what colors were most likely involved in her eye look. On her lid, it appears that she has a light neutral shade, just a bit lighter than her skin tone. In the crease, she has a much darker brown or possibly a gray eye shadow. This gave her eyes a much harsher look to them and made them much more vampy. She also sports some fairly thick winged liner. It looks to me that she also has some false lashes. Lastly, she has some dark red intense lips. 

Hair

Her hair is almost done in a halo braid style, although instead of the wrapped around portion of the hair being braided, it is done so that it's twisted.

Fashion 

"I'll stop wearing black when they invent a darker color."

  As you can see, the Countess is quite a fan of the color black. I put in some pictures to showcase some of the styles she wore in the film. Lots of dramatic dresses and capes!
 

How To Bring Countess Marya Zaleska's Style Into YOUR Un-Life!

 

I have created three ensembles inspired by Dracula's lovely daughter.

For the first outfit, I decided to go for a very dramatic, glamorous look since I think the Countess would like it that way! I have a black off shoulder top with some ruffles. I thought the necklace was very interesting as well and worked well for such an interesting character. I added a black long skirt as well, although I must say I think a longer and more flowy skirt would work a bit better! Add black stilettos and dangly black earrings and BAM! You've got a dramatic look inspired by a very dramatic character!

I wanted to create a look that would be good for the cold weather that has been coming down on us. So, for the second outfit I included a black sweater, black high waisted jeans, black boots, and a black infinity scarf. A lot of Marya dresses had high necklines and so I thought the addition of the infinity scarf helped tie in this part of her look. I also included these black heart shaped dangly earrings that say "GO AWAY" on them simply because I felt like that was her over all attitude towards others!

For the last look, I wanted to go for a modern vampire look. Basically, if the film Dracula's Daughter were made today, what would they want this character to wear? The top is really what sold me. It had a very similar style to what Marya wears in the film. I then paired it with a black pencil skirt and black peep toe booties. The black lace tights adds to the gothic vampy vibe while the black floppy help can help keep her delicate skin out of the wicked sunlight. A black velvet choker and black sunglasses simply add to her mysterious darkness. 


Are you a fan of the film Dracula's Daughter? What's your favorite classic horror film? What spooky characters would you like me to cover next October? Let me know in the comments below! Stay tuned for next week when I will go over someone who I consider to be a modern classic! Can you guess who she is? A hint: she's a bit of a cry baby...

I hope you have had a fang-tastically spooky Halloween!

 

Photo Sources:

Movie Poster and Fashion Photo 2

Photo 1 

Makeup Photo

Hair Photo

Fashion Photo 1

Fashion Photo 3

Original Goth: Angelique Bouchard (Dark Shadows)

Dark Shadows was a super popular horror-soap opera of the 60s and continues to have a huge fanbase to this day! I just happen to be one of those fans. One of the most popular, well-known characters of the series would be the witch, Angelique (played by Lara Parker) who is probably the most prominent and memorable antagonist of the series. Angelique had a very intense love-hate relationship with the vampire Barnabas Collins.

Today, I thought I would focus on this wild and crazy character and discuss the various different clothes that Miss Bouchard wore in the first month of appearances on the show. I'm planning on going through her other outfits as well at some point on this blog as well. 

November 1967 - The Beginning of Angelique

Pictures are from: Episode 368/369, Episode 370 , Episode 372, Episode 373, Episode 374

In November of 1967, Angelique made her first appearance on the show. Throughout this month, she made various different appearances. She initially was only going to show up to explain Barnabas' backstory but she proved to be popular so they had her continue to show up throughout the series.

These episodes are set back in the day (i.e. the 1700s) to show the backstory of Angelique and Barnabas. So, through these different episodes we see her wearing many different long dresses, bonnets, and because this show was made in the 60s, intense makeup and hair. I put in pictures (courtesy of the the blog darkshadowseveryday) of all her different appearance during this month to show you the variety of costumes she wore. It really is impressive how much work the costume designers (Ramsey Mostoller, Stanley Simmons, Mary McKinley, and Hazel Roy) went into for each episode.

I really love the character of Angelique. She's a wonderfully wicked witch, constantly causing problems for everyone in the show. Right when you think she's gone she comes right back!

Are you a fan of Dark Shadows? If so, who is your favorite character? Is there a character on the show you would like me to highlight? Or an actress? Let me know in the comment section below!

Stay tuned for the next ~spooky~ Halloween post where I will focus on the daughter of a famous horror icon!

Photo Sources:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Dark Shadows Every Day