I was happy to see that my Shoe book, published 14 years ago, is still providing inspiration. American Duchess is releasing a new shoe style for their retro collection based on an original pair in the FHM. The original 1930s shoes are English, although their version has used a more practical Cuban heel style.
I was stumped earlier this year when I was contacted by the Carleton Place and Beckwith Museum with a picture of a wire thingy in their collection and asked if I knew how it was used… I couldn’t help. However, when they did find an identical one on its original display card they shared their find. It’s an early 1940s collar stay to keep men’s collar points crisp!
This ‘spy camera’ is likely similar or even the same model used by 19 year old Carl Stormer when he took these round shaped photos in the 1890s in Oslo, Norway.
I just heard that Lee Radziwell, younger sister of Jacqueline Kennedy, passed away two days ago. Radziwill (1933 – 2019) was known for her impeccable style and was even entered into the Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 1994. While I was reading up on her I rediscovered this photograph of her in 1976 wearing the identical hammered satin dress by Halston that we have in the FHM collection.
This painting of Nathanial Olds was done in 1837 by Jeptha Homer Wade and is in the Cleveland Art Museum. Olds is wearing shaded glasses, similar to this pair I recently found online:
French evening dress by Paquin from the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin, and the cover of the May 1912 issue of Les Modes with the same model being worn.
I just came across this image of Judy Garland in this peculiar looking costume from the 1948 film The Pirate. Although strange, there was something about the tartan tam that seemed familiar. Sure enough the design was borrowed from this c. 1830 French illustration by Charles Philipon of a Parisian ‘modiste’ (stylist) trimming a bonnet (an original copy of this illustration is in the archives of the Fashion History Museum.) Although the bodice is not sitting quite right on Judy Garland’s shoulders and the print is too bold (and fights with the tartan tam for attention), it is otherwise quite a faithful reproduction of the original image.
Looking up the film on IMDB I discovered the costumes were done by the American born fashion illustrator Tom Keogh (1922 – 1980). His illustrations of Paris couture frequently appeared on the covers of French Vogue magazine in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Around that same time Keogh was also designing the annual Christmas windows for Galeries Lafayette in Paris. He designed costumes for the ballet in Paris, but The Pirate is the only film for which he is solely credited with designing the costumes…
I found a clip that shows her singing in the outfit (it looks a lot better than in the black and white image):
This dress was worn in 1942 by a woman who lived in Niagara Falls, Canada but during the war worked across the border in U.S. This was her favourite ‘date night’ outfit that she often wore while being courted by her future husband.
1955 pyjama top: “Sleeptalk goes glamorous with ‘Scaps’ by Schiaparelli! They’re knitted pajamas with 3/4 length sleeves and toreador pants, no less”.
Images courtesy of ‘That’s the Ticket’, and advert courtesy of Carrie Pollock