Showing posts with label Marlene Dietrich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marlene Dietrich. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Fur Glamour


Monolithic star, Miss Gene Marshall, poses for a publicity photo wearing Adrian's "A Woman of Means" jacket from the 1934 film Chained accessorized with dramatic fur.  The fabulous hat and shoulder accents are from Madame Alexander's "Houndstooth" Cissette.  Cigarette holder from The Couture Touch.  Jacket from Sandra Stillwell.  "Marceline" Gene Marshall is from Integrity.

My inspiration for this photo shoot were two Travis Banton costumes designed for Marlene Dietrich.

Scarlet Empress, 1934
Photo courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery

Desire, 1936
Travis Banton, chief costume designer for Paramount, was probably the most sought-after designer of his era and best known for shaping the style of such icons as Marlene Dietrich.  His designs were deceptively simple yet expertly cut, often on the bias, and enhanced with luxurious fabrics and extravagant decorations such as fur, feathers, and beading.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Eight Dramatic Paris Hats, 1936

High Drama Out of Paris....Marlene Dietrich purchased eight dramatic hats recently in Paris.


Hats by Agnes
Top left:  Blue and red suede hat with a cascade of blue feathers and a suede scarf to match.
Top right:  Black felt hat with red and blue suede and misted feathers.
Bottom left:  Wine-red suede hat with rolled brim jutting forward from a peaked crown.  A red feather quill streaks up one side.
Bottom right:  Fantastic black suede hat with the crown tweaked to a point and a tassel of fringe so long it may be looped around like a scarf.

Hats by Reboux
Left:  Cone shaped hat of wine felt with a woolen cord, and a dramatic wine dotted tie-silk scarf.
Right:  Peaked hat of alternating stripes of dull and shiny felt.


Hats by Reboux
Left:  Flower-pot hat of white and black felt with matching velvet scarf.
Right:  Amusing horn-like hat of furry purple felt with a silk scarf, combining pale and royal blue with purple.

Marlene Dietrich wears these hats with simple clothes - for a clever woman never goes dramatic in all directions at once.

                                                                                       
Source:   November 15, 1936 issue of Vogue magazine

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Blonde Lace

Click photo to enlarge
For the 1937 film Angel, Travis Banton applied one of his signature trademarks of using men's clothing for women in this fabulous costume designed for Marlene Dietrich.  Dietrich often chose to wear masculine clothes off screen as well as on.  Other actresses tried to emulate her style, but few could pull it off as well as she could. 

Click photo to enlarge
Here is a scene from the Ernst Lubitsch film showing Marlene Dietrich in the costume designed by Travis Banton.  Like many of the costume designers in Hollywood, Banton designed for Dietrich on and off the screen.

Click photo to enlarge
Golden Gala Madra Lord looking sophisticated in the miniature version called "Blonde Lace".  The ensemble was designed by Tim Kennedy exclusively for the 1995 Ashton Drake Gene Marshall Collection.  Circa 1941.