Swing Fashionista » 1920s

Vintage photographer in focus: Fabulous Elmer Fryer

Michelle — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:55:15 +0000

Elmer Fryer was another wonderful photographer of Hollywood stars and celebrities. When I think of vintage Hollywood – Fryer and Hurrell always come to mind instantly. Fryer joined Warner in 1929 and during the 1930s he took portraits of Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Louise Brooks, Loretta Young, Ann Dvorak, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda and many other Warner Brothers stars. Sadly, Fryer died young at age 46, only 3 years after he left Warner Brothers in 1941. But, he left us a wonderful legacy to share in his photography.

I love the way Fryer designed his shots by using poses to suit the subject and to enhance their beauty. He seemed to have an uncanny sense of style and there is such an elegance to his work, especially with his use of black and white props, clothing and deep shadows. I adore the shot of Errol Flynn as I think it captures his personality perfectly – the handsome, cheeky, Aussie larrikin.

* All pics are linked back to their original sources

Vintage photographer in focus: Simply stunning Steichen

Michelle — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:26:21 +0000

I was pulling out some of my books on vintage photography today and was reminded of how much I love Edward Steichen. I adore his simple lines and the way uses shadow and light. Steichen’s photos of gowns designed by Paul Poiret in the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911 are some of the very first modern fashion photographs and he helped define an era of glamour and elegance. Along with fashion work, he also photographed stunning portraits of movie stars and well-known faces of the day including Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Anna May Wong, Pola Negri, Loretta Young, Lilian Gish, Amelia Earhart and Joan Crawford. Hope you enjoy these classic images.

http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/steichen/

Top Picks: Ralph Lauren Spring 2012

Sharon — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:16:59 +0000

Ralph Lauren fully embracing the 1920s trend for the season, in anticipation of Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby…

1930s beach and lounging pyjamas…how I love thee

Michelle — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:54:35 +0000

As a lover of 1930s fashion, in my humble opinion one of the most stylish garments to emerge from the 20s and 30s were beach or ‘lounge’ pyjamas. They just ooze elegance and sophistication and are visually very iconic. Until the 1920s, pyjamas were pretty much only worn as sleepwear, then sometime in the 1920s they made their way outdoors as a cover-up over swimming costumes on the beaches of the French Riveria. When crepe pyjamas were first worn at the seaside, trouser wearing women were rare sight and still very much confined to beach and promenade areas.

The trend took off all over the globe (the photo above is from the UK) and beach pyjamas soon also became casual-wear for less formal outdoor events in the warmer months. Many women took to wearing them around the home as ‘lounging pyjamas’ when entertaining or just relaxing.

In the 1920s, beach or lounge pajamas were usually a top and trouser set with matching jacket. By the 1930s, one-piece, jumpsuit-style pajamas were very popular and many featured a very wide leg. Fabric like shantung, linen or cotton was accepted for the for beach and lounging pajamas, but as they became widely popular in the 1930s, many were also available in rayon. Pyjamas were made in an amazing array of bold colors and patterns, as you will see in some of pictures and old advertisements I have added here. Many of the patterns were influenced by Japanese and Chinese art which was seen as very exotic at that time.

With lounge pyjamas a new category of clothing emereged: resort wear. With it’s bright designs and lightweight fabrics, resort wear was all about relaxing and holidaying and even today, when viewing the elegant vintage posters advertising these garments, I immediately think of luxury yachts, beaches, boardwalks and sunny weather. I have a wonderful 1930s Australian travel poster advertising Bondi Beach and all the women illustrated wearing beach pyjamas. With our weather here in Oz – they must have a been a blessing back in the day

Stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford had a lot to do with making lounging pyjamas extremely popular worldwide as they donned them in several of their movies during the 1930s and women everywhere took notice.

I hope you enjoy some of my favourite images here. I regularly wear and own many pairs of high-waisted, flowy, wide legged trousers, which I find extremely flattering, so I’m a big fan of beach pyjamas. Which reminds me; I am still to make a pair from a Wearing History pattern (below) that I purchased early this year. My friend Lauren has done a wonderful job of putting this pattern together, so if you love lounging PJs, you can now indulge yoursel. Also, thanks to La Mode Pyjama for her wonderful blog containing a collection of beautiful photos, vintage advertising, posters and patterns of beach and lounging PJs. It’s where I pilfered some of these pics from

Top Picks: John Galliano Fall 2005 Ready to Wear

Sharon — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:10:34 +0000

Fantasy flappers! Oh my! And check out the half-moon manicures, back in 2005 before they were all the rage…

Released today: Fashion Sourcebook 1920s

Sharon — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:00:50 +0000

Charlotte Fiell’s latest compilation has just been released today: Fashion Sourcebook of the 1920s! I’m guessing this will be a gorgeous sourcebook for original images of twenties fashions. I want this now! But I can’t buy it until February when I move to London (and therefore have a bookshelf to put it in!). Oh well, you kids can buy it now at Amazon.com. Here’s the blurb:

Saucy flappers and manic Charlestons, dramatic silent movies and the bigband euphoria of early jazz: the 1920s must surely rank amoung the most dashing eras in American styles history, and this volume documents in ravishing detail the clothing that helped make the decade so stylish and glamorous. Sumptuously illustrated with more than 600 original photographs, drawings and prints, Fashion Sourcebook 1920s focuses largely on the Art Deco period, with its beautiful beaded dresses, cloche hats and t-bar shoes as worn by the fahsionable flappers and the “bright young things” of the time. Hemlines and haircuts both became drastically shorter, mirroring the changing social roles: at the decade’s outset, women gained the right to vote and Prohibition led many otherwise law abiding Americans to break the law of the land rather than abandon their gin fizzes. This title will prove an indispensable reference work not only for students of fashion but for all fashionistas seeking ideas for the major themes within fashion during this period, surveying its most famous designers and assessing their creative contributions. A cornucopia of beautiful clothes with exquisite detailing, this book is a rich source of inspiration as well as an important survey of Art Deco fashion.

John Galliano Spring 2011 Menswear

Sharon — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:14:13 +0000

John Galliano chooses theme after theme for his menswear collections that I love love love! Fall 2006 was aviation, Spring 2006 had New Orleans and jazzmen, and now for Spring 2011 it was epic show themed on silent movie stars like Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. Look at this!

Watch the full show, it’s a fabulous spectacle:

Carl Erickson Fashion Illustration

Sharon — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:40:52 +0000

Carl Erickson (1891 – 1958) was an American fashion and advertising illustrator from the 1910s through to the 1940s. At the peak of his career, he signed his work “Eric” and was known by this name. He worked a great deal for Vogue in the 1930s and 40s. He had a reputation for being obsessively hardworking. He only ever sketched from live models. For each illustration that appeared in a magazine, he had made dozens of studies. And he was known for bringing his sketchbook with him everywhere he went – to the restaurant, to the theatre – and capturing the elegance he saw around him.

Chloe Memisevic in Donna Karan by Yasunari Kikuma

Sharon — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:47:55 +0000

Chloe Memisevic in Donna Karan by Yasunari Kikuma for Numéro Tokyo November 2011

Burlesque/Vintage Costume Designer: Stephanie Ludwig

Morgan Lee — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:27:58 +0000

Stephanie is a one of my role models for sure! I was her intern 2 years ago, and she showed me a world filled with rhinestones, feathers, and pasties. Her work is tantalizing and she used to dance with Hop Swing & A Jump back in the day!

I asked Stephanie to share her story about how she came about making costumes, here is piece from my interview with her:

I was inspired to make show/dancer costumes after I saw a really terrible burlesque show in 1999. The dancers’ costumes were falling off at all the wrong times, besides looking really cheap and badly made. I was attracted to the idea of reverse engineering – making clothing to meant to peel off effortlessly and the fact that I coud work with fun materials like sequins and beading. I kept the idea in the back of my head until I finally contacted a burlesque dancer to offer my costuming services. She encouraged me to just join her troupe and make costumes for myself, which I did. My first costume was a pearl bead embellished bra and belt, which I still love. I’ve made many costumes since – my favorite burlesque costumes are the Marie Antoinette piece and the blue satin corset outfit.