Watch GlamAmor in TCM Podcast for November's "Battle of the Blondes"

November on Turner Classic Movies is going to be a real "Battle of the Blondes"...everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Brigitte Bardot will be featured in their film festival Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the month.  Tonight Marilyn Monroe kicks things off showing her sultrier side as a femme fatale in 1953's Niagara.  

As a quintessential blonde myself, I was invited by TCM to discuss the iconic style of these iconic blondes with host Scott McGee for this month's podcast.  Watch and then delve deeper into the discussion here on GlamAmor...all the women are already in the Cinema Style File , including the most recent addition of Doris Day in Pillow Talk.  You can also scroll through the Style Subject Archives in the sidebar to find all of your favorite films and stars.  

I promise much more on these exciting and exceptional women throughout November, so stay tuned for all the photo stories and videos coming on GlamAmor!

GlamAmor in TCM Podcast for November's "Battle of the Blondes"

November on Turner Classic Movies will be a real "Battle of the Blondes"...everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Brigitte Bardot will be featured on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the month.  As a quintessential blonde myself, I have been invited by TCM to discuss the iconic style of these iconic blondes in their next podcast.  All the women above are already in the archives on GlamAmor (see sidebar) with the exception of Doris Day, who is actually next in line to be celebrated in the Cinema Style File.  I promise much more on these exciting and exceptional women throughout November, so stay tuned for all the photo stories and videos coming on GlamAmor.

In the meantime, you can take a look at my last podcast with TCM discussing MGM costume designer Helen Rose, who dressed many blondes in her day.  This included Grace Kelly in Mogambo and designing her real-life wedding dress when she officially became a princess.

Brigitte Bardot-inspired Hair in Glamour

Just about every magazine has done an editorial spread inspired by Brigitte Bardot's hair styles over the past few months.  Here is one from July's Glamour magazine showing us their take on modern ways to borrow from Brigitte along with tips on how to achieve the looks this summer.

Cinema Style File--Brigitte Bardot's Hair Inspiration

Much like how the styles in fashion are constantly inspired by classic cinema, the same can be said of the styles found in hair.  This summer has launched many retro-inspired trends in hair, and I'll start by sharing perennial favorite Brigitte Bardot.  Over the years, countless celebrities, models, and magazine editors have borrowed from her style.  This includes another of my favorite actresses from the 60s, Julie Christie, who also has extraordinary hair.  Brigitte's look actually varied slightly in the early part of her career, especially with regard to her all-important hair.  The color was darker and the styles were generally much more finished.  But around the time of And God Created Woman, she really broke into that great golden blonde and learned that a wild mane was a look that really worked for her.

Whether Brigitte's hair is worn up or down, there's so much to love and learn from her.  Most importantly is to work with your natural texture and even rough it up a bit.  In fact, the messier the better...Brigitte was the queen of mastering the bedhead and always looked like she had just come from some sexy encounter.  She loved working with second or even third day hair, but you can always use dry shampoo to get a similar texture. She's also a master of using her bangs...sometimes they're very long and layered in front, and other times she tucks them away to give a slightly different look.  But absolutely everything must look like it is done in a hurry and completely uncalculated.  That said, she always knew exactly what she was doing.  Here are four overarching lessons that Brigitte can teach us all.  Pencils ready?

#1 Headbands

A chic and essential accessory for next-day hair

#2 The Five Minute Updo

Quickly teased bun usually finished with messy bangs in the front

#3 The Half Up/Half Down

Sometimes teased up and then tied in ponytails or braids...

sometimes teased up and left long in the back

#4 The Beautiful Mess

Long, layered, and lots of natural texture

To find the best selection of Brigitte Bardot films, be sure to visit the TCM Shop!

Cinema Connection--Chic in Classic Stripes

Classic stripes are definitely in season right now for summer and the look has a long history.  In the early part of the 20th century, Coco Chanel admired the uniforms of sailors in the seaside towns of Deauville and Biarritz where she lived.  In a move now known as revolutionary in fashion, she decided to turn their look into the ultimate in French chic.  She borrowed both the pattern and even the sailors' knit fabric for her first and future collections...this at a time when women were still locked into layers and layers of uncomfortable dresses.  Soon other designers would follow suit and women throughout France enthusiastically embraced the trend.  This would eventually include stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Jean Seberg, who wore statement stripes throughout Jean-Luc Godard's French classic film Breathless.  Across the Atlantic, stripes became an essential part of the East Coast preppy style as well.  In the 1950s and 1960s, WASP icon Audrey Hepburn donned stripes in America just as often as Brigitte Bardot did in France.

Striped shirts are both classic and surprisingly versatile, able to be dressed up or down.  You can pair a top with trousers, skirts, jeans, shorts, and even over a swimsuit as you'll see below.  Just this past weekend, I wore mine with black leggings, black patent leather flats, and a matching patent handbag and headband.  Whether you want the look to say classic Americana or French chic, you will always in style in stripes.

ABOVE:  Rose Byrne in stripes for this month's Lucky

French gamine style--Coco Chanel starting it all around 1920 (above)

and Jean Seberg in her own shirt for 1960's Breathless

Stripes paired with skinny jeans--models in the pages of Harper's Bazaar (above)

and on Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s and 1960s

All American brunettes--stripes on Olivia Wilde for the cover of Glamour (above)

and on Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s

All American blondes--Reese Witherspoon's classic style with stripes (above)

and admired on Kim Novak in the 1950s

Preppy seaside chic--on socialite Amanda Hearst in the Hamptons for Marie Claire (above)

and on Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s

Sea stripes in red and white--classic East Coast style in the pages of Lucky (above)

and on Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s

Layering stripes--on Victoria Justice and Geri Halliwell (above right)

and Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s 

Stripes with skirts a la Brigitte in Lucky (above)

and Jean Seberg's own dress in Breathless