Cinema Spotlight 1930's The Divorcee

The Divorcee starring Norma Shearer in a role that won her an academy award is a pre code Classic (actually in some ways it was post code as Will Hays was working in Hollywood to police the studios, but The Divorcee flouted every aspect of the code and proved that it would be years before anyone followed it).   Shearer plays Jerry Martin a party girl who attempts to live as a man: career, lovers, parties and no apologies, and even if she is a bit chastened at the end of the film you'll barely notice.  

The film opens with Jerry embracing her new fiancée Ted

and discussing the egalitarian marriage they'll have. 

It's pretty obvious from the title that doom is coming and it comes quickly.  Jerry's friend Paul is in love with her and none too pleased to hear of the engagement. He drowns his sorrows and winds up taken a late not drive with Helen, a women whose in love with him, and Helen's sister. Unsuprisingly the drive does not go well.  

There's a horrific accident that leaves Helen's face terribly disfigured.  The damage is left to the audience's imagination, but confirmed with fantastic early Hollywood histrionics as her sister screams that she hopes Helen does not live after seeing her face. 

The next scene shows two weddings.   Jerry and Ted's in a church 

And Helen and a guilt stricken Paul's in the hospitall. 

The film then jumps forward three years to Jerry and Ted's third wedding anniversary.  Jerry is wearing a divine 1930s jumpsuit.  

Still a career girl she is shown finishing up some work 

Meanwhile, Ted is preparing to go on a business trip.  When her maid comments on their unusual arrangement Jerry laughs it off, secure in Ted's love for her.  After all he has just gifted her with an expensive bauble 

Prior to Ted's leaving the couple have some friends over.  That's when Jerry finds Ted in a compromising position with a known home wrecker 

And the plot thickens.  Never loosing her cool Jerry makes a snappy comment to which the home wrecker replies "If I could think as quick as that I would have stayed married." Jerry's retort "think of all the fun you would have missed." 

Ted appeals to Jerry's supposedly masculine nature by telling her to "take the broad minded view."  She pretends to agree, but is inwardly plotting her revenge.  As soon as Ted departs on his business Jerry sets about seducing his best friend.  Her knowing gaze from the wrappings of her velvet coat say it all.

When Ted returns home she gamely informs him that she has "balanced their accounts."

Ted is not too broad minded once the tables are turned.  The couple go their separate ways.  Jerry begins living like a man and getting all her "exercise in night clubs."  With an increasing fabulous set of outfits to go with her divine deco apartment:

Eventually Jerry tires of the partying and runs into Paul

who declares his continued love for her.   The two embark on an affair and are initially happy.

Paul wants to leave poor disfigured Helen and marry Jerry.  Initially Jerry is game but then Helen shows up at her apartment.  Nothing like a poor blameless disfigured accident victim in a black tule veil to put the damper on romance:

Jerry has second thoughts.   Newly chastened she decides for return to Ted and honor the sanctity of marriage.  So while The Divorcee does have a typical ending with Jerry regretting her past sins, the  the sinning sure looked like  glamorous fun!

Are You Too Old For Vintage?

I'm basically a vintage clothing newbie.  Though I have long admired vintage clothes and owned and worn a few vintage items, I didn't start really collecting vintage and vintage reproduction clothes, and dressing in period styles on a nearly daily basis until last year, around my thirty fifth birthday. 

One of my first full on vintage outfits made by Time Machine Vintage.  I wore it to the jazz age lawn party last year.

Around that time I decided in the spirit of you only live once that since I love vintage style clothes, I should wear them, every day, even if I'm just walking my dogs.

 I admit however, that initially as most of the vintage bloggers whose sites I  had been lurking on for months where younger then me, I wondered if perhaps I was a bit too old for vintage.  
 I did what any one confronted with a conundrum does these days, I googled it.   I actually didn't find too many articles, but many I did find, such as this one from XO Jane, seemed down on the idea of woman past 30 wearing vintage.  The feeling being that it might look dowdy, matronly, or costumey. 


My opinion people should wear just want they please, be it sweat pants or evening gowns, regardless of age.   Since embracing vintage style I have feel more like me and I find a new pleasure in getting dressed everyday. 







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  Today I turn 36 and I am more in love with vintage style then ever and I plan to keep on wearing it for as long as I'm on this earth.  In that spirit hear is my list of slightly older ladies, both real and fictional, who show that vintage style can look fantastic at any age.


1) Poirot's Miss Lemon

I am so enamored of Poirot's Miss Lemon, I did a whole post on her here, as played by Pauline Moran on the Masterpiece Theatre series that I frequently lose track of the murder plots in the episodes of this show, because I'm too busy drooling over Miss Lemon's outfits.   I consider Miss Lemon the ultimate 1930s style icon, but Poirot is packed with other gorgeous examples of vintage style worn by ladies of all ages.


2) Fashion Journalist Lynn Yaeger

Lynn Yaeger may not wear strictly vintage but this fashion journalist obviously has eccentric retro influenced style and doesn't let age stand in her way of looking unique and fabulous.  Here is an article about her vintage collecting.

3) Katherine Hepburn-

Granted when she was wearing it, it wasn't vintage but Katherine Hepburn had a successful film career in the late 1940s and 1950s when she was in her 40s, making her a rarity at a time when younger actresses where de rigeur.  

4) Lucille Ball-

Again, the same issue as with Katherine Hepburn, but when Lucille Ball was at the height of her TV fame she was in her 40s.   Her cute 50s house dresses would look amazing on a woman of any age today.

5) Agatha Christie's Miss Marple as played by Joan Hickson on the 1984 to 92 series,

 understood that the key to true style is to have a uniform.   With her trademark straw hat, tweed suit, and carpet bag she had an eccentric and charming uniform.  Was it matronly, yes, but it had a lot of charm too.


6) Miss Marple as played by Geraldine McEwan on the 2004-2009 series.

McEwan's Marple is a bit more dressed up then Hickinson's but the essential components of the look: straw hat, carpet bag, and tweed are there.


7) All of the older ladies of advanced style.  These women sport many amazing outfits, from classic to kooky, and vintage is a frequent element.   If you ever get tired of seeing teenage models plastered across magazine covers and advertisements, then this blog is the anecdote.  It is a wonderful celebration of the creativity and style of older people.  The best part is it isn't just superficial style the blog tells the women's, and sometimes men's, stories all of which show that older people can live exciting and full lives.

 

All of the above images are from Advanced Style.

I'm sure there are many other wonderful examples of older people with great style, vintage and otherwise, if you have any additions to my list I'd love to hear them.

Vintage Style Icon-The Lovely Ms. Lemon

I'm a big fan of the long running BBC mystery show Poirot with its period perfect 1930s sets and costumes.  I particularly love Poirot's stylish secretary Ms. Lemon.  In every episode Ms. Lemon has a perfect quirky 1930s ensemble with plenty of art deco detail.  I also adore the fact that the lovely Ms. Lemon is no ingeneue,  she has a decade or so on me, something I appreciate as I think about how I might want to dress in the future:

When I saw this hat from Adeline's Attic on Etsy I thought it had a definite Ms. Lemon quality so I  had to get it.  I can't wait to channel Ms. Lemon and all her adventures as I wear it.

Vintage Style Icon-Adele Astaire

Today marks the 117th anniversary of the birth of Adele Astaire.

Though her fame was later eclipsed by that of her younger brother, Fred, Adele was during their 27 year partnership the star of the show.   The Astaire's career began as small children in Vaudeville with a dance number titled the Wedding Cake.  The first of a number of short acts and the beginning of Fred's life long association with top hat and tails.

By the time they were teenagers the Astaire's were tired of Vaudeville and had moved to Manhattan in search of a  stage career.  There success came in 1919 in the show Apple Blossoms, in which their imaginative dance numbers stole the show and made them overnight sensations (after years of hard work.)   Soon the Astaire's where the toast of Broadway.  In particular audiences, and critics, fell head over heats for Adele.  Her mischievous elfin demeanor perfectly matched the flapper ideal of the day.  She was soon besieged by admirers and received hundreds of proposals, some from gentleman who had never actually met her.   They appeared in many more shows and traveled to London becoming as famous there as they were in America.   

Adele retired in 1931 at the age of 35 and married Lord Charles Cavendish.  Sadly the marriage was marred by tragedy.  Adele's three children died in infancy and her husband passed away from complications due to alcoholism at the age of 38.   Happily a later marriage to investment banker Kingman Douglas appears to have been happier.  Adele never returned to the stage and today is largely forgotten, unlike her film star brother.   Thanks to the wonderful book The Astaire's  by Kathleen Riley readers have a change to learn more about Adele.