Love this! Contract Clause from 1940s Actress

"The aforementioned Teresa Wright shall not be required to pose for photographs in a bathing suit unless she is in the water. Neither may she be photographed running on the beach with her hair flying in the wind. Nor may she pose in any of the following situations: In shorts, playing with a cocker spaniel; digging in a garden; whipping up a meal; attired in firecrackers and holding skyrockets for the Fourth of July; looking insinuatingly at a turkey for Thanksgiving; wearing a bunny cap with long ears for Easter; twinkling on prop snow in a skiing outfit while a fan blows her scarf; assuming an athletic stance while pretending to hit something with a bow and arrow."

~from the 1941 contract of two-time Oscar nominee and one-time Oscar winner, Teresa Wright (via here).

If only modern day actresses had similar sensibilities in regard to how they are marketed.

XOXO,

The Most Beautiful Woman in Film

In 1938, Oscar-winning producer David O. Selznik wrote a letter to the director, editor, and production manager for the film, Intermezzo, starring Ingrid Bergman.  The letter (via Letters of Note) alluded to a movie called Algiers, starring the impossibly beautiful, Hedy Lamarr, who was once hailed as "the most beautiful woman in Europe."

Selznik wrote:

 I think the success of "Intermezzo" is to an unusual extent dependent upon how beautifully we can photograph Miss Bergman. If we can get the public talking about her to an extent comparable to that in which they talked about Miss Lamar in "Algiers", we will have added a great deal to the gross of our picture, as well as increasing the possibility of our having a new star. Bear in mind that Miss Lamar did not give a performance that anybody could estimate and to this day it is not known whether or not she is an actress; and that her success is traceable entirely to half a dozen or a dozen close-ups that Jimmy Howe made of her. 

I had not heard of Algiers, but after hearing tale of Ms. Lamarr's beauty, I knew I must check it out.  The movie is set in the famed Casbah (also unfamiliar to me) of Algiers in Algeria.  The Casbah (which in Arabic means citadel) is a walled area of the city that resembles a labyrinth, with twisting roads and dead-end alleys.  It is the central location of the film and looks like an amazing place to visit.


While watching the film on archive.org, I was captivated by the costumes in addition to the story.  I loved the Arabic flavor of the movie as it reminded me of my time spent in the Arabian Peninsula.  Charles Boyer, as jewel thief Pepe le Moko, is quite mysterious and debonair and Lamarr, as Gaby, really does light up the screen.  She contrasts beautifully as the sophisticated European next to the locals who also shine in their harem pants and fez caps.  It is quite the juxtaposition and helps illustrate why Pepe is drawn to Gaby.  Pepe's girlfriend, Ines, who has lived in the Casbah her whole life, is also an exotic beauty.


The movie is available through Netflix(which probably has better picture quality), but you can also stream it below.  Enjoy!  It is a lovely film, and does celebrates both the beauty of Algiers and Ms. Hedy Lamarr.



Related Trivia:

• Hedy Lamarr was born in Austria-Hungary and worked exclusively in Europe before moving to Hollywood in 1938.  Algiers was her first American movie.
• Lamarr was more than just a pretty face: she is credited with co-inventing an early technique for spread spectrum communications, which is currently used in wireless communications (such as cell phones) today.
• Actress Rachel Weisz is slated to play Lamarr in a biopic based on her life (with a focus on her scientific achievements).
• The character of Pepe le Pew (a romantically-inclined skunk) in Looney Tunes is directly based on Charles Boyer's character in Algiers.
• Tom the cat of Tom and Jerry also imitates Boyer's famous voice (especially when Tom is attempting to woo a female cat).

Below are some screenshots from the film, Algiers (1938).

XOXO,

You Win Some, You Lose Some

My mom unwittingly set me off on an eBay buying spree last week when she clicked on a link that led her to some 1940s patterns on the site.  In all of my madcap (as of late) buying of patterns, it somehow had not occurred to me check this rather obvious source of patterns.

A 1920s pattern that I bid on but did not win.

I immediately created a wish list of sorts, and began bidding.  I set my eye on some pretty fabulous patterns, losing a few auctions, and winning a few.  I finally cut myself off and would not allow myself to visit eBay anymore.

Beautiful 1920s patterns that I would LOVE to own but decided not to bid on since my spending was getting out of hand.  The patterns were in the same auction and only one dress was in my size.

I was surprised by the number of 1920s pattern I found.  I love the silhouette created by the drop waist, and I think it would be cool to have a dress made from an authentic 1920s pattern.  However, I am not sure that my body is suited to this particular style.  The 1920s silhouette looks best on women with longer torsos and narrow hips.

Another pattern I did not win.  I did not bid on this, but now wish I had as it was my size and sold for $4.00.

I learned the hard way that when the seller says that the pattern pieces are not counted that the buyer should take caution.  If you are buying used, vintage patterns, make sure the seller has counted all the pieces.  The one dress pattern I bought had literally five pattern pieces: cuff, collar, shorts back, shorts front, and facing.  It is totally my fault since I bought the pattern knowing that the seller had not counted the pieces, but I feel swindled in a way as it is obvious without counting that this pattern does not have everything included.  I really wish the seller had been more upfront about this, but, oh well, my lesson has been learned!

Here are the three dress patterns that I won:

Ironically, the one I wanted most (the last one with the playsuit) is the one that does not have all of the pattern pieces.  I have been wanting a playsuit ever since I saw Teresa Cotton wearing one in the 1943 Hitchcock film, Shadow of a Doubt.

Alas, just when I thought I had given up my eBay obsession, it seems I have reason to go back again.  I WILL find a playsuit pattern!


XOXO,

A Little Learning

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

~Alexander Pope, "An Essay on Criticism"

"I am half-sick of shadows," said the Lady of Shalott

The new J. Crew Catalog came in the mail today.  It looked very Anthropologie-ish to me.  That's not a bad thing, though, as I happen to love Anthropologie and find myself not usually as enamored by J. Crew.

Does the cover remind you of anything else?  Think hard...

Well, the second thing I thought when I saw it was, "Oh, the Lady Ophelia!"  Take a look at this depiction by John Everett Millais (Ophelia, 1851-1852):

Of course, I will give you full credit as well if you said, "The Lady of Shalott," or perhaps, "The Lady Elaine."

Oh, Anne of Green Gables, you are so dear to my heart!

Does it make me completely morbid to want to do my own Lady of Shalott/Elaine/Ophelia-inspired photoshoot?  (Did you see Anja's "Northern Lake Baptism" shoot on her blog?  It is sooo beautiful, you really should check it out!)

I would love to see a series of photographs based on tragic women figures in history and literature, kind of a Harold and Maude sort of a thing (i.e., death scenes).  Wouldn't that be terribly romantic?  Hmmm, now to think of some examples.  There is Cleopatra and the asp, Lady Jane Grey and the axe, Emma Bovary and the arsenic...

Who else can we think of?


XOXO,

New Blog Header

Those of you who visit my blog through an RSS reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines will have missed a change that I recently made to the appearance of my blog.  Visitors to the website may have missed it as well, as it is a subtle change.  Have you figured it out yet?  Yep, that's right-- I have a new header!  The header is the part at the top of the page which shows the name of my blog.  The new header isn't terribly different from the previous one; I've popped the colors a bit (giving them a bit of a glow), added new pink polka dots, and fixed one typo that was glaring right at me.

Can you believe it?  I had a misspelled word that has been in the header of my blog for the last nine months or so.  Nine months!  I am horrified.  It is amazing to me that I never caught it, and moreover, that no one ever pointed it out to me.  I shall not tell you what the mistake was, but instead, present you with my new and improved header.

Ta-da!

Sometimes I regret both the choice of web address (http://www.elventryst.blogspot.com) and title of this blog.  The web address comes from my screen name that I have used since the days of AOL when I was sixteen. I was obsessed with elves back then!  


Dum Spiro Spero (pronounced Doom spée-roh spéh-roh) is a Latin phrase that means "While I Breathe, I Hope."  It is the state motto of my home state of South Carolina, and moreover, it is a reflection of my faith as a Christian.  I love that it comprises those two facets of my life.  My only regret is that neither the elventryst nor the Latin phrase are easily remembered, but at least I can hope that you will learn a new Latin phrase from this blog.


Finally, you may notice that in the folder's tab at the top of your browser that I have replaced the standard Blogger icon with a pretty pink butterfly.  It personalizes the blog and is actually pretty simple to do.  If you would like to change the icon on your blog, you can find all the information you need by clicking on this link.


I hope you have a lovely week.  Tomorrow I am heading up to picturesque New Hope, Pennsylvania to do a shoot for Redbook magazine.  Wish me luck!


XOXO,

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Kater over at All This Happiness posted this video today.  I just had to repost because it's the cutest thing ever.  Just watch!

Did you love it? Marcel is sooooo cute!


XOXO,

Cracks Trailer - HD

Cracks (2009)

Yesterday while doing a Google image search for velvet dresses (my newest wish list item for my closet-- I'll post some inspiration pics later), I came across a picture of Eva Green in this new film.

Has anyone seen Cracks?  Apparently it came out in the UK last year, but I can't find if it has been released here.  It seems I am a sucker for movies set in the 1930's-- I imagine I would like anything set in that time period solely because of the glorious costumes, but throw in Ms. Green (whose face is just about perfect), an English countryside, and a bunch of schoolgirls, and I am completely sold.


Eva plays a school teacher at an English boarding school.  She's charismatic, enigmatic, and popular, but when a new student arrives, it seems to throw everyone into a tizzy.  The film trailer shows brooding girls traipsing through moors and floating in boats a la the Lady of Shalott.  I kept thinking of that other dark boarding school film, Picnic at Hanging Rock (which, by the way, I LOVED and highly recommend).


Well, if yesterday's post was dedicated to styles of the 1920's, then today's is dedicated to the 1930's.  Here are some screen shots to whet your appetite for the film.  If anyone has any info of when it will be playing here in the States, will you please let me know?

XOXO,

Roaring Twenties

Did you know that after I graduated from design school, I turned my back on all things sewing and design related? It's true. I had spent my entire college career slaving away over garments until the wee hours of the morning. Each garment would start with a series of sketches and inspiration boards, and from there we would flat pattern or drape the garment, create a pattern, fit it in muslin, and finally sew it in the fashion fabric. It was an enlightening process, but, oh, what labor of love (with the emphasis on labor)!

I moved to New York City seven months after I graduated college, and while I took a job in fashion, it had little to do with fashion design. Instead, I decided to play the part of muse, pursuing modeling rather than designing.

Well, seven years after putting down that needle (with a few exceptions here and there), my passion for sewing seems to have returned with a vengeance. These days it seems that all I think about are patterns. I am not drafting my own so much (I don't have a personalized fitting shell, nor a dress form in my proportions), but am working with store bought patterns.

A screen capture from Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

I have bought a few modern patterns, but mostly my interest runs to patterns from earlier eras, namely the twenties to the fifties. I have spoken of my love of the styles of the 1920s before, but not unlike the protagonist of Thoroughly Modern Millie, my shape just doesn't accomodate the silhouette of the twenties. Nevertheless, I was practically salivating over this pattern book from spring 1923 that is on Ebay right now. The going price is still quite low, but I'm sure it's going to shoot up, and alas, I have no room in my budget these days for such items. Below are the seller's images from the book. They're lovely!

If you happen to be the lucky winner of this magnificent book, won't you please share the images with us?


XOXO,