Modern Muse

For nearly 20 years, I have loved classic cinema and learned so much from it. Costume design is probably at the top of that list. Adrian, Banton, Orry-Kelly, Travilla...the list is long and distinguished. But my favorite designers are two women--Edith Head and Helen Rose.

At a time when costume design was dominated by men, Edith headed the costume department at Paramount and Helen was at the helm at MGM. Both dressed the biggest stars in the world. MGM, for one, was known for having "more stars than there are in the heavens."

Since Edith and Helen worked during the same period of time and were both so capable at capturing simple elegance for women's clothing, there does seem to have been a bit of a rivalry. This was unquestionably fueled by Grace Kelly asking Helen--not Edith--to design her wedding gown to Prince Albert of Monaco. Grace's slight of a designer like Edith Head, someone who was so instrumental to Grace's career, speaks volumes of Helen Rose's talent.  

Elizabeth Taylor was another big fan. And why not? One of Helen's most inspired designs (and most copied) is her breezy white cocktail dress from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  You can see it in the photo above.  There is also the famous form-fitting Maggie the Cat white silk slip.  I'm also a huge fan of the blouse, pencil skirt, pumps, and handbag Liz sports early in the film.  Loved the hint of orange in the belt.

Believe me, when I first saw the movie, I wanted take each outfit into my own wardrobe. Should I only be lucky enough to find the pieces... 

...and then look what I found.

Though I absolutely adore vintage, occasionally I cannot resist a modern dress that is perfectly designed. This one from J. Crew comes pretty darn close. Classic. Simple. Elegant.

As I do with many of my clothes, I had the waist taken in and the hem brought up a bit to fit me better. Yes, this one's too dressy for work, but it's still very versatile and has worked for me on many different occasions.  

On this particular occassion, I was enjoying a warm spring evening and heading up to Geoffrey's in Malibu for dinner.  I was actually asked that night if the dress was vintage, and it was one of the rare times I said no!  But I did accessorize it with vintage turquoise earrings and matching bracelet, a gold leather clutch, and strappy gold stilettos. 

This is but one example of the ways that vintage inspires the design of today.  You might be buying something you think is completely new, but the designer of your dress is probably using vintage as its modern muse.

I Love Labels

No, I don't mean this in the same way that most women do. I think we all covet labels like Chanel or Dior or Gucci, but I am not necessarily fixated by them. That said, should I happen to enter a shop like Decades in Los Angeles--which specializes in extraordinary high-end designer vintage--I'm sure I would get very excited.  And faint. 

But the labels I'm talking about are those unknown designers and stores of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. These labels are in the clothes I wear and before I even do any research, my imagination fills with romantic backstories on each of them.  I own dresses from places like Greece and Sweden, and love to think how they may have found their way to Los Angeles. Hmmmmm...perhaps a glamorous globe-trotting woman was vacationing in Greece, and she popped into a chic local shop to buy a shift dress after finding the climate a trifle hot.  Hey, believe me...when you wear vintage, it's amazing to feel that you're wearing history.  Real or imagined.

As I see the designer names presented on these beautiful labels, I am reminded of two of the reasons that I love vintage. Quality and design. These are clothes whose quality stands the test of time and their design continues to inspire the best of the design houses today.  My Inspiration Board is covered with images of modern designers doing their best homage to the original. 

So why not wear the original?  Then you can be a glamorous globe-trotting woman, too.

The Style Essentials--'Hitchcock Style' Star Grace Kelly in 1954's REAR WINDOW

Whenever I am asked for my favorite fashion in film, it would have to be Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic Rear Window.  Though I had watched movies voraciously as a child, it was really seeing the trifecta of Rear Window, Woody Allen's Manhattan, and Frederico Fellini's La Dolce Vita one hot July weekend 20 years ago that seduced me into loving classic cinema.  Though all three led to a lifelong passion, it is Rear Window--and its sublime wardrobe--that has always captured my imagination.

It's easy to love Rear Window...there's so much to appreciate about it.  First, there's the chemistry of its charismatic co-stars Jimmy Stewart (L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries) and Grace Kelly (Lisa Fremont).  They were great friends in real life--both he and Hitchcock adored Grace--and that relationship really carried over onto the screen.  They engage the audience in a romance as well as a moody mystery, and the sinister side of Rear Window's plot unfolds as if you're watching a play.  The bamboo blinds in Jeff's apartment (above) even act like curtains for a show whose stage is New York's Greenwich Village.  Incredibly, you never suspect that the location is courtesy of a custom-built soundstage at Paramount, especially when you can practically feel the smoldering summer and heatwave from Robert Burks' cinematography.  Most significantly, though, has to be its wardrobe.  Everything changed when I saw Edith Head's design aesthetic for Rear Window.  "That," I remember thinking, "is how everyone should dress."
 
The winner of 8 Academy Awards over her 50+ year career, Edith was responsible for some of the most iconic costume design on film.  Most of her 400 film credits happened at her home studio of Paramount, where she would eventually become the head of costume design.  Her tenure included other Hitchcock classics such as To Catch a Thief (1955), Vertigo (1958), and The Birds (1963).   She also designed for close friend Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity (1941), Veronica Lake in This Gun for Hire (1944), Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950), and Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun (Oscar winner, 1951). The list goes on and on.  

But even in this company and among The Style Essentials, you can see that Rear Window is a standout.  Its timeless classic look makes it a wardobe that any woman would want.  The clothes include iconic fit and flare cocktail dresses that were particularly popular in the 1950s.  And no one did pencil skirts (and suits) like Edith Head, especially because her taste tended to lean toward more tailored looks.  Even accessories like the choker of pearls (below), charm bracelet, and Mark Cross overnight bag are considered classics as are Grace's hair and makeup.  All made an immediate impact on fashion in 1954 and continue to influence designers today.  It is Edith who one should think of whenever you hear the words 'Hitchcock Style.'  Rear Window is a prime example of her lasting legacy.

We first meet Grace's character--Lisa...Carol... Freemont-- 

in a black and white cocktail dress "straight off the runway from Paris" and a choker of pearls

Lisa chooses a classic floral 1950s fit and flare when things get a bit more adventurous

She tries this black belted cocktail dress with sheer sleeves and pleated skirt to seduce Jeff (Jimmy Stewart),

but he's much more interested in a possible murder

Stunning green skirt suit matched with a backless white silk halter and pearl accessories

Rear Window has inspired me personally in several ways.  One was when I first tried to accessorize a vintage 1960s celadon sheath.  I recalled that that Lisa's shoes and Mark Cross handbag were black, so I paired my dress with a 1960s black patent leather frame bag and modern black patent leather peeptoe pumps.  The green-black combination might seem obvious now, but I assure you it wasn't when I was debating my options at the store.  And of course the double-strand pearl bracelet around my wrist (actually a necklace repurposed) is yet another nod to my inspiration.

 

Sheer silk robe over a bias-cut gown for bed,

which has design elements similar to Edith's for Veronica Lake

Grace's wardrobe included everything from lingerie (above)
to jeans and penny loafers for her friend and favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock

Extraordinary production design all the way around in Rear Window

Inspiration Board

Inspiration Board

I subscribe to just about every single fashion magazine under the sun...and I know I'm not the only one out there. Some come weekly, some come monthly, and I can't tell you how excited I get whenever a new issue arrives.  It may seem quite silly, but there's just something about seeing all that design that thrills me. 

Then at the end of every month, after several rounds of reading and reviewing, I tear page after page after page out to post on my Inspiration Board.  You can see quite a bit of it in the post after this.  

One corner is dedicated to day to night dresses...one corner for evening...one corner for with suits segueing into more casual looks...and one corner for separates.  This board has grown so much that it nearly takes up an entire wall in my hallway now.  Thankfully, I have this blog to extend my Inspiration Board and share things that have caught my eye or recently inspired a look. I have also extended things to You Tube with the GlamAmor Inspiration channel so you can check out clips from classic cinema with some of my favorite fashion. 

I hope you can find a little inspiration here at GlamAmor!

Out and About

Most of the vintage I wear moves from day to night, but from time to time I'm able to go to some really great venues in Los Angeles and can break out things for evening.

I'll share a couple looks I've worn while out on the town...

The look above is 1970s vintage. Pale sky blue, polyester of course, it drapes like jersey and has a lovely light sheen.  I think it has a little 1930 slip dress appeal, though it's not necessarily cut on the bias.  I accessorized it with a shiny silver 1930s hard clamshell clutch, strappy silver Charles David stilettos, and big emerald cut diamond earrings with a matching ring.  On this particular evening, I wore it to Mastro's in Beverly Hills after an event.

Grace Kelly is always an inspiration for me, and this time I couldn't help but think of Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief.  Her blue gown in that movie has inspired many women, including Princess Diana who even had a dress made using Grace's as the model.  Looking online, I honestly could not find a photo that does Grace's blue dress justice, so you can see it in motion around the 4 minute mark in this clip from the movie.  Of course this dress is but one example of Edith Head's design genius, who created the wardrobes for several of the most popular Hitchcock movies.

Another inspiration for most people is Audrey Hepburn.  There is a great moment from Stanley Donen's Two for the Road when she breaks out a minidress covered in enormous silver sequins. 

I actually found the dress on the right before seeing the movie, so I got very excited when I saw that scene for the first time.  I wore my late 1960s minidress to the famous Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills (immortalized in song by Steely Dan).  It was quite an interesting evening.  I blame the dress and my beau's 1972 Le Mans convertible for the flock of paparazzi that chased us several blocks after dinner...chased us right out of Beverly Hills back to Santa Monica.

Incredibly, I've found that this dress can actually be accessorized many different ways.  Nude patent stilettos.  Black heeled knee-high boots.  Very bare silver strappy sandals, which is how I wore it one time to a fete at the Hammer Museum.  

For Mr. Chow's I tried the dress with black patent peep toe pumps (it was right around the time when the first Louboutin's hit the market) and accompanied those with a small black patent clutch.  And certainly with dress like this one, the less additional adornment...the better.  The only jewelry I ever wear with this dress are delicate diamond studs.

Welcome to GlamAmor!

"Where do you get all your great dresses?"  I have heard this more times than you can possibly imagine while at both work and play around Los Angeles.  

For nearly a decade, I have built my wardrobe from the vintage stores here.  What began as a simple need for affordable career clothing evolved into a passion for great design.  This passion was largely fueled by my love for classic cinema and discovering the talents of designers like Edith Head and Helen Rose, women who created some of the most iconic and classic wardrobes on film.  I take a great interest in fashion--both past and present--where magazines, books, and film all come together to influence my aesthetic.

GlamAmor is my ongoing collection of vintage and vintage-inspired clothing.  The wardrobe centers on colorful classic dresses--most from the 1950s and 1960s--and it extends to coats, skirts, sweaters, and other pieces as well.  GlamAmor also includes clothes from vintage stores that are not from a bygone era, but their design is strong enough to be considered completely consistent with the collection.  The most important factor for me in any piece is classic yet modern style.  

At GlamAmor, you will find stylish pieces that work beautifully from day to night.  You are also virtually guaranteed to be buying something that is one of a kind.  Shop the store and then use the blog to get inspiration and ideas for putting your look together.

Welcome to GlamAmor!