A 1930s Suit Dress Inspired by the Mummy

I know Halloween is over but  today's outfit post does have a nod to the spooky.   One of my favorite film's is 1932's The Mummy staring Boris Karloff and Zita Johann.   Its a well made, clever horror film with a sympathetic monster and while most people today are doubtless more familiar with the 1999 version, which I think is a fine film, the original is in my opinion the better of the two.  In addition to a clever plot, gorgeous deco Egyptian sets, and good performances it has some excellent fashions worn by Zita Johann.  As Helen Grosevenor and the mummy's reincarnated love interest, the Princess Ankh-es-en-Amon, Zita wears glamorously slinky 1930s gowns



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And best of all a gorgeous 1930s black dress suit with diagonal white buttons.

 

 

 

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Ever since I first saw the film I've longed for a similar suit.  When I saw a pattern for a 1930s  suit in Time Machine Vintage's etsy shop I decided to ask Kim if she could make me a dress suit similar to the one in The Mummy.   Of course she came through brilliantly and while my suit isn't an exact copy, which I actually like, it definitely references the original.  I don't generally wear black, dog hair alert!, but this gorgeous and comfortable suit makes all the lint rolling well worth it.  Best of all Kim generously sent me a gold deco belt for cinching my suit.  I paired the suit with green 1930s hat from Lady Eve's Millinery and 1930s style shoes I got on sale from Miss L. Fire.  

 

 

 

 

 

 Its hard to see here but the vintage buttons have little faux pearls on them and Kim also included a silver satin neckerchief and a 1930s belt.

I wore the suit on Saturday on a trip to Bay Ridge Brooklyn.  It was raining but with my favorite pug umbrella I stayed pretty dry while my patient husband snapped some pictures of my new favorite outfit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Outfit Details

 

 

1930s Dress Suit Time Machine Vintage

1930s style Hat Lady Eve's Millinery

Vintage Deco Belt gift from Kim at Time Machine Vintage

Green Suede Gloves Thrifted

Green Suede Shoes Miss L Fire

Pink Pug Umbrella SanFrancisco Umbrella Company





Cinema Style Spotlight-Dracula 1931

In this post,  I wrote about my love of the two biggest vintage horror franchises: Universal Horror and Hammer Horror.

  As a sci-fi and horror fan and a vintage style nut, I never tire of these old school horror films.  While I love the over the top blood drenched kitschy drama of the Hammer films, my preference is for the Universal monsters.  The style in the Universal films is simply amazing.

  Of all the films the one that is by far my favorite is Dracula.   That's why I was so excited when Dracula, 1931 was released on Blu-ray. 

 Shot on a relatively modest budget, the studio was suffering the effects of the depression, this film version of the popular stage play adaption of the novel is considered by many to be the definitive film version of Dracula.  This of course is in large part due to Bella Lugosi's iconic performance.  Lugosi had been starring in the stage version for years, but he was almost not cast in the film.  Originally Lon Chaney was meant to play the count but he passed away before the film could be made opening the door for Lugosi.  His version of Dracula as a suave tuxedo wearing foreigner who charms his female victims

 was very different from the count as portrayed in Stoker's novel or in earlier film versions such as 1922's Nosferatu.

Universal was hopeful the film would help lift the studio out of the slump caused by the 1929 crash and invested in a big publicity campaign.  That warned of the titillating terror of the film:

as well as playing with the idea that vampires might actually exist.




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The campaign paid of and audience members flocked to see the movie, and while it might not seem so today, viewers really did find the film frightening.   Today the appeal of the movie lies more in the gothic sets:

clever, and cheap, camera tricks

 classic lines,

and lovely costumes.

The floatey dresses on Dracula's brides in this film version are particularly gorgeous

 and tasteful, when compared the Brides as seen in  later films

Dracula's English society victims, Mina and Lucy, get to wear some lovely costumes as well:



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One very interesting fact about the 1931 Dracula is that at the exact same time the English language version was being filmed, a Spanish language film was also being created.  Shot on the same set, at night, the Spanish version is considered by many to be superior, at least in terms of cinematography, apparently the Spanish crew would watch the English crew's takes and then endeavor to improve on them.

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From a fashion perspective its very interesting to see the difference in costume between the two versions.  While Mina as played by Helen Chandler in the English version is fashionably but sedately clad, the Spanish version as played by Lupita Tovar wears much more revealing gowns and undone flowing hair.

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Both versions of the film are available on the Blu-Ray set and make for excellent Halloween viewing. 

 

Vintage Horror Film Classics: Universal Horror Vs Hammer Horror

I wrote this post last year so I apologize if you read it and are bored by it, I wanted to update it a bit and re-post it for this Halloween. 

 

For the vintage loving horror fan their are two essential series to know: Universal Horror, also referred to as the Universal Monsters, and Hammer Horror.  Universal monsters gave audiences a chill  from 1923 to 1960 and was the provenance of horror meistros Lon Chaney, Bella Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney Jr.  The universal horror films began with Lon Chaney Sr.  starring in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera in the 1920s 





Lon Chaney in the Phanton of The Opera

These were extremely lavish productions for the time with elaborate sets and costumes and audiences flocked to see them again and again.  Thankfully unlike many films from this era both survive to this day.
 
Universal Horror's hey day  was the early 1930s with the advent of the classic monster films Dracula and Frankenstein.  





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Bride of Frankenstein 1935


The iconic performances of Bella Lugosi and Boris Karloff made these films classics, but the gorgeous sets, clever cinematography, and beautiful 1930s costumes certainly didn't hurt.  I don't think there has ever been a more beautiful wedding dress on film then the one in 1931s Frankenstein



Frankenstein 1931



and of course Bride of Frankenstein, 1935 had a minimalist modern look that was decades ahead of its time.



Encouraged by the enormous success of Dracula and Frankenstein during the heart of the depression Universal began making scores of monster movies.
Films like The Mummy 1932, The Invisible Man 1933, and The Wolf Man 1941 remain eternal classics.




The Mummy 1932



The Invisible Man 1933



The Wolf Man 1941

  By the 1940s Universal may have been running out of horror film ideas, or at least monsters, and began churning out monster meetup films.

 

 

These films, charming though they may be, were clearly the swan song of the Studio, the reign of the Universal Monsters was over .  Thankfully Hammer Horror was there to pick up the monster film torch.


While Universal Horror films are  black and white with a Gothic sensibility and a certain restrained subtlety, Hammer Horror  films luxuriate in techni-color.  Innocent as they are as compared to todays scary movies, they are a blood bath.  Specifically a blood bath of brightest red blood you have ever seen. 



 

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From late 1950s through the 70s the studio churned out blood drenched period horror films.  An interesting mix of restrained British class and B movie shocks.

Dracula 1958

The Curse of Frankenstein 1957

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave 1968

Severak of the films, such as Horror of Dracula,  starred Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.   They make excellent screen partners and elevated the somewhat low brow fare.



Hound of The Baskervilles 1959

Most Hammer films are costume dramas set in the Victorian era or earlier, but you can see a definitely early 60s vibe in the clothing, and the flesh, on display.



 



Brides of Dracula, 1960

Hound of the Baskervilles. 1959

 

 

Curse of the Werewolf, 1961

 

Frankenstein Created Woman, 1967 

 If you are interested in either the Universal or Hammer Films there are box set collections available from Amazon.  The Universal Classic Monsters Blu Ray set and the Hammer Horror Series 8 Film Collection, both make excellent October viewing.  

Cinema Style Saturday-Universal Horror VS Hammer Horror

For the vintage horror fan their are two essentials: Universal Horror, also referred to as the Universal Monsters, and Hammer Horror.  Universal monsters gave audiences a spooky from 1923 to 1960 and was the provenance of horror meistros Lon Chaney, Bella Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney Jr.  The universal horror films began with Lon Chaney Sr. The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera in the 1920s and the popularity peaked in the early 1930s with the advent of Dracula and Frankenstein.   From their Universal began capitalizing on the horror drama with scores of monster movies with  varying results.  Universal horror films are generally black and white with a Gothic sensibility and often feature a  sympathetic monster, such as Frankenstein or the Wolf Man.  The popularity of the films has stayed strong over the decades wtih collectors shelling out sizable sums for memorabilia:

Lon Chaney in the Phanton of The Opera

Dracula 1931

Frankenstein 1931

Bride of Frankenstein 1935

The Mummy 1932

The Invisible Man 1933

The Wolf Man 1941

In the late 1950s through the 70s Hammer Horror took over where Universal had left off.  Again they specialized in lush stories with a British tinge.  The big difference was Hammer Horror appeared in thrilling techni-color with redder then red blood, plenty of gore, and lots of scantily clad females.

Dracula 1958

The Curse of Frankenstein 1957

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave 1968

Hound of The Baskervilles 1959

Brides of Dracula, 1960

 Perhaps because my preferred vintage decade is the 1930s I have a strong preference for the Universal Monsters, though the Hammer films are plenty of fun too.  I strongly recomend a viewing marathon of either this Halloween.  Preferably with a dog or cat cuddled up on your lap.