Classic Cinema Connection--the Spirit of Helen Rose in Kate Middleton's Wedding Gown

Now I was not one of the 2 billion people--roughly one third of the world's population--who watched the royal wedding on television yesterday. Nor was I one of the 1 million people who descended upon London to stand near Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace in order to feel part of the royal festivities.  I also was not one of the 1900 who were part of the wedding itself.  But I would honestly have to be living under a rock to miss the thousands of images now out there of the princess bride, Kate Middleton.

While in my serenely blissful state at the TCM Classic Film Festival yesterday, I happened to catch a photo of the wedding gown designed by the talented Sarah Burton, who now heads the house of McQueen after his tragic passing last year.  I immediately recognized something familiar...for the gorgeous gown is far less in the spirit of Lee Alexander McQueen and far more a replica of one of my favorite designers of all time, Helen Rose.

Helen Rose was not a fashion designer in the classic sense--she was actually the costume designer for MGM for many many years.  She won an Oscar for The Bad and the Beautiful and designed for countless other films including some of my personal favorites, such as Elizabeth Taylor's wardrobe in both Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Butterfield 8.  The movie Designing Woman happens to be based on Helen's life and her designing talent is marvelously modeled by Lauren Bacall throughout.

It is Helen who, along with Edith Head, has shaped my style more than anyone else.  You'll find both their names peppered throughout GlamAmor, including in my welcome and introduction to the site.  Their styles are similar in that they are both classic, embrace clean lines, and are very often quite colorful.  Interestingly, the two had a bit of a rivalry in Hollywood with Helen heading costume design at MGM and Edith heading costume design at Paramount.  That rivalry hit its absolute head when Grace Kelly chose Helen over Edith to design her gown when she wed Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.  After all, Edith was responsible for much of Grace's image from dressing her in all the Hitchcock movies--think of Grace's wardrobe in Rear Window alone.  But Helen also dressed Grace, including in The Philadelphia Story remake High Society, and for whatever reason it was Helen who was given the honor of the real life royal gown.  Grace looked perfectly the princess in it, so it's no wonder that Kate Middleton was inspired and looks lovely in her modern homage to the original.

GlamAmor is all about showing the connection of today's trends in fashion with their true origins in classic cinema.  And here perhaps is the grandest example of this reality in the Helen Rose-inspired Sarah Burton wedding gown for the now Duchess of Cambridge.

Grace Kelly's original wedding dress, now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Grace Kelly's Wedding Dress and Accessories

Made in United States

1956

Silk needle lace (rose point), silk faille, silk tulle, and seed pearls

Designed by Helen Rose, American, 1904 - 1985. Made by the wardrobe department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Culver City, California, founded 1924. Worn by Grace Kelly at her marriage to Prince Ranier of Monaco, American (Philadelphia), 1929 - 1982. Gift of Her Serene Highness, the Princesse Grace de Monaco, 1956.

Helen Rose working on the wedding gown for Grace Kelly at MGM

2011 TCM Classic Film Festival Kicks Off this Week!

Whereas most people are buzzing about the royal wedding right now, my excitement is decidedly in an different direction.  This week kicks off the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and I can't wait!  For cinemaphiles like myself, it is a pilgrimage and party not to be missed.  It's the opportunity to see favorite films on the big screen in theaters where they were originally shown, attend discussions about the films with the stars themselves, and celebrate the art of classic cinema with other fans at the historic Roosevelt Hotel.  I'm also personally excited to meet many of the people behind the network itself since they do such an incredible job of honoring and presenting these films each and every day on Turner Classic Movies.

Because of all the activity surrounding the festival, the GlamAmor Showroom will be closed through the next week and will reopen on Wednesday, May 4th.  Of course you can shop the GlamAmor Store online anytime.

To get into the spirit of the TCM Classic Film Festival, check out The Cinema File series here on GlamAmor and classic movie clips on the GlamAmor Channel on YouTube.  See you at the movies!

Cinema Connection--the Glamorous 1930s are In Style

Lo and behold...immediately after I posted my last blogs on Jean Harlow and 1930s inspired gowns, I received my latest In Style magazine and found them highlighting 1930s fashion from the runways and in Reese Witherspoon's new film, Water for Elephants.  I love how the movie's costume designer, Jacqueline West, describes gowns from this elegant era as hanging "like wet metal poured over the body."  Need I say more?  If you want a gown for evening, there is just nothing sleeker and sexier than the 1930s silhouette.

Celebrate Earth Day Every Day with Vintage

Earth Day was founded in 1970 and it's incredible (and somewhat sad) how important and relevant the day has become.  We're now facing climate change, skyrocketing energy prices, water shortages, and a crisis with the waste constantly created by our global overpopulation.  These are just some of our environmental challenges, too.  Though daunting, the good news is that so much can be done by each person making only minor changes in his or her own life.  Earth Day helps to remind us all of that fact.

Of course one of my favorite ways to go green is by buying vintage, whether in vintage furniture or clothing.  The fact is that you're recycling something that was loved before---things just don't make it 40, 50, or 60 years without a little love.  Often times the design and quality is also superior to anything that you might find today.  So by recycling, you're taking something that might otherwise be wrongfully discarded and not contributing to all the waste--in materials, energy, and water--that comes as a result of the mega manufacturing process.  Of course I'm not suggesting that you eliminate new items entirely.  But know that every time you do buy vintage, you help the earth and everyone on it a little bit.  And every little bit really does count.

We've reached a point, too, where all the vintage that is sold does not necessarily look old.  There are now vendors who so carefully curate their collections that the vintage looks very modern.  GlamAmor has always been at the forefront of this in clothing and I am repeatedly told that my collection looks brand new.  See for yourself...you can shop GlamAmor through the online store or in person at the showroom at the California Market Center.  Celebrate Earth Day every day by enjoying a little vintage!

1930s Inspired Glamour at the California Market Center

In these more casual times, it's often hard to find the kind of glamour I admire and that was so celebrated in the 1930s.  Happily, I found some samples shining on the Fall 2011 runway at the California Market Center.  Musani Couture had many many vintage-inspired gowns in their latest collection...each one a true work of art.  I love the intricate beading in each of the dresses, many with wonderful plunging necklines in either the front or back.  If you drop by the CMC to visit GlamAmor, be sure to visit Musani's showroom in Suite A309 as well.

Cinema Style File--the 1930s Glamour of Jean Harlow

As you know from my vintage collection for GlamAmor, I am definitely partial to the 1950s and 1960s when it comes to design in daytime dresses. But when it comes to evening gowns?  In that case, I am allllllll about the 1930s.

To offer escape to an impoverished nation devastated by the Great Depression, design in film during the 1930s was all about sophisticated glamour.  Movies sparkled then...Deco penthouse apartments with lofty ceilings and satin bedding, supper clubs with sultry singers and champagne, men in tuxedos with top hats and tails, and women in floor-length gowns.  These were body conscious gowns, too, most often in slinky silk cut on the bias for a figure-flattering fit.  Some of the best dresses came from costume designers like Adrian at MGM, Jean Harlow's studio, and Travis Banton at Paramount.  Their design frequently blurred the line between underwear and outerwear since many garments could easily be mistaken for lingerie.  Sometimes they were embellished with details like feathers for the ultimate in over-the-top glamour.  But more often than not, designers let the woman's body do the talking with daring decolletage in either the front or back.  All of my evening gowns adhere to this type of silhouette, though now they are made in more modern fabrics like matte jersey.  For me, there is just nothing sexier.

No one seemed to wear the gorgeous gowns of the 1930s better than Jean Harlow.  Her body (and accompanying attitude) is what really made her a star.  She truly was both the original Platinum Blonde (1931) and bombshell, so named for her lead role in the hit Bombshell (1933).  The movie interestingly echoed aspects of her own life--both the good and the bad--of being a mega movie star in Hollywood.

Jean made love with every camera she stood in front of and fully used the opportunities that pre-Code Hollywood afforded her.  In 1930, the Hays Code enacted guidelines for "decency" on film, but it wasn't fully enforced until around 1934.  So until then, sexual boundaries and the characters that Jean and other actresses played could be pushed to the limit.  She is infamous for icing her breasts before going in front of the camera so that her body looked its absolute perkiest.  Jean didn't shy away from nudity either, including making a a point of announcing that she always slept in the nude and never wore underwear.  This level of candor and eroticism was of course shocking at the time.  Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Madonna...they all owe their own iconic images and brazen sexuality to Jean Harlow.

Jean made an enormous impact with her tragically short life--it's incredible to believe that she was only 26-years-old when she passed away.  But she has been captured forever in sumptuous black and white, a vision and one of the best examples of 1930s glamour.  Including George Hurrell's images of Jean in her iconic Adrian gown from 1933's Dinner at Eight (above and below), here are just some of the reasons she is still so memorable today.

As James Cagney's moll in 1931's The Public Enemy

With one of her best co-stars, Clark Gable, 

in 1932's Red Dust (above) and 1937's Saratoga

Scene stealer as a trophy wife in George Cukor's 1933 ensemble classic Dinner at Eight

Gowns, gowns, and more gowns...

We see the inspiration of 1930s outfits like these in movies like Bonnie and Clyde

Jean having a couple Marlene Dietrich moments

The great love of Jean's life, The Thin Man's William Powell

For the best selection of Jean Harlow films, be sure to visit the TCM Shop!

Open House at GlamAmor this Saturday!

You're invited to the GlamAmor Open House this Saturday!

4:30 PM to 8:00 PM

110 East 9th Street

Suite A1179

Los Angeles, CA 90079

Parking beneath the CMC for around $10 or parking in lots across street for around $5 (recommended)

Light refreshments will be served

After 8 PM, feel free to join me for even more refreshments...

 Cocktails at the historic Broadway Bar 

RSVP through Facebook.  I look foward to seeing you!

Out and About--Birthday Celebration at Topanga Canyon's Inn of the Seventh Ray

One of my most beloved spots in Los Angeles is Topanga Canyon's Inn of the Seventh Ray.  I love it so much that I invariably spend time here every year around my birthday and this year was no exception.  It's a magical mix of many of my favorite things.  I love hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains and here you're able to dine outdoors both hillside and creekside in the middle of Topanga Canyon.  You can smell the eucalyptus trees and wild herbs, listen to the rippling brook and frogs croaking, and watch the sun go down in the canyon all as you enjoy your meal.  Then there's the Inn's bookstore--the new age Spiral Staircase--that features guides on the flora, fauna, and history of the area along with more reflective tomes for when you're feeling philosophical or spiritual.  But perhaps most importantly for a restaurant in Los Angeles, the Inn of the Seventh Ray is a gourmand's delight with an extensive wine list and organic foods that are locally grown and carefully prepared.  Everything is always delicious.

The Inn becomes an enchanted spot at sunset when the patio is suddenly aglow in candlelight, and it's no wonder that it has a reputation as one of the most romantic spots in Los Angeles.  The staff really encourage you to take your time and relax, so I find it a wonderful place to celebrate and enjoy great conversation with friends.  Built as someone's retreat in the 1930s, it doesn't surprise me that its origin was a place to get away from it all...I know I always feel calmer and more centered when I leave.  I think you'll understand why from these photos and others on their website, and I encourage you to visit the Inn the next time you're looking for an incredible dining experience.

First stop...checking out the Spiral Staircase bookstore with its intoxicating incense

After the bookstore, walking through the restaurant before being shown to the table

Birthday Girl:  1960s pink and white shortsleeve A-line dress, 1960s pearl drop earrings, J. Crew black patent leather belt, 

black patent leather envelope clutch (found at a vintage store), Guess black patent leather peeptoe pumps

Our table right along the creek and, as always, celebrating with champagne

A peek at the menu

As the sun begins to go down on the Santa Monica mountains, the Inn transforms...

Making a wish...and so grateful for those that are already coming true!

Thanks to everyone for their birthday messages and the continued celebrations!