The 5 Minute Flapper: Eyes

Here's the final installment of the 5 Minute Flapper!  This week, spend 2 minutes and learn how to put on a dark, dramatic 1920's eye.

The 5 Minute Flapper: Brows

Hello again!  I'm here with the next installment of the 5 Minute Flapper (although perhaps I should have named it The 5 Minute & 45 Second Flapper, seeing as how those extra seconds add up!).  This week I'll show you in a jiffy how to get those perfectly curved half-moon brows that were so popular in the 1920s with flappers and starlets alike.

This video is only a minute and change, so break out your makeup bag and get started!

The 5 Minute Flapper: Lips

Hi there ladies and gents!  I've been wanting to do some video tutorials for awhile, so I went ahead and put together my first one!  This is the first of three mini-tutorials meant to show you how to transform into a fab flapper of the 1920s, using some simple drugstore makeup.  First up, the enviable 1920s Cupid's bow lip in less than 2 minutes!

Next week:  those brows, baby!

Winter Sunset

I'm so happy to show you the rest of the photos taken by the wonderful Naomi of Fresh Images Photography!  I've always loved the 1920's (watching Louise Brooks in her prime is still one of the most glorious cinematic experiences ever) and the era made a huge impression on me when I was learning how to my makeup and hair.  I've been hooked on Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (more on that later), and no small part due to the clothes.  Ladies in the 1920's knew how to dress for fun and for impact, and even though the popular silhouette was commonly boyish, the fabrics and details were very delicate and fanciful.  I came across a fringed sheer kimono that adds a cool Bohemian flapper touch to any dress.  

Here Naomi used the soft sunlight to show off the textures and warmth of the outfit.

 Dress and robe: Target

Hat: thrifted

Necklace: Forever21

Earrings: jade stones from my mom

For more of Naomi's work, visit FreshImagesPhotography.com

Silver Screen

Hello all!  I haven't forgotten you all; it's just been a crazy winter, and I'm happy to be back to posting.  I'm so excited to return with the first of two photo sessions in collaboration with Naomi of Fresh Images Photography!  She's my sister in-law, and was behind the awesome beach snaps of myself and Doc this past summer.  I know she loves any excuse to take photos, and I was so happy she agreed to do some more for me.  

I specifically wanted to showcase this show-stopping metallic dress that I found at, of all places, Forever 21.  It's a Grecian-style gown in silver and grey, and I knew I would not be able to take photos that captured the shimmer and glamour of it.  I styled it in a manner that (to my mind anyway) was similar to the Ziegfeld girls of the 1920s.  Their elaborate but feminine costumes and outfits set them apart from other chorus girls or performers.  Many stars of both silents and talking pictures got their start there, such as Louise Brooks, Tallulah Bankhead, and Barbara Stanwyck.  Ziegfeld girls were ostensibly presented as the girl next door, yet remained mysterious and exotic.  I'm so thankful that Naomi helped to create this look for me with impeccable lighting and design choices; she really knows how to set the scene in pictures.

For more of Naomi's work, visit FreshImagesPhotography.com

Farmgirl Flapper

 I spotted this one-room schoolhouse a while ago, and finally got the chance to go explore it a bit.  This is located in one of the earliest settlements in what became West Virginia, and from what I've read, this schoolhouse has probably been standing since the early 1800s.

  

The good weather also gave me an excuse to shoot my newest vintage find, a 60s-does-20s vintage dress that I found on eBay at an awesome price.

My intrepid photographer Morgan did a great job, and we rambled around through the old field and down to the creek for a quiet afternoon.

Dress is homemade vintage; shoes are secondhand.

The Cheongsam: Elegant and Modern

I've been wanting to do a post about cheongsam dresses for awhile now, and have just now found the time!  So, here are some photos of the beautifully designed cheongsam (or qi-pao) in modern times.

The cheongsam, a common staple of dress for years, began to be distinctly altered in the 1920's.  It became something sleeker, tighter, and more elaborate.  The garment had its heyday in the 1930's.  Cheongsams were often featured Shanghai advertisements at the time, using the 'beautiful girls' images to sell cigarettes and other items.

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The dress, while still a common style in China and Shanghai, became a symbol to the Western world of something exotic and mysterious, and oftentimes was used to play to negative Asian stereotypes.  Anna May Wong was sometimes cast as the deadly 'Dragon Lady' type, wearing a form-fitting, slinky cheongsam.  Her dress here is a fine example of the beauty of 1930's design.

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The cheongsam recently saw a resurgence in popularity thanks to director Wong Kar-Wai, in films such as In the Mood for Love and 2046.  The cheongsams used here are elegant, sophisticated, and alluring allusions to an age of dignified dress.  Even more recently, the film The Flowers of War featured many lovely vintage-styled cheongsams, all uniquely elaborate.

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The cheongsam has a rich history of both design and functionality, and while not as commonly worn today, it still remains a modern, classic style.

"The Personality Girl"

Hi, all!  Just stopping in to share a bit about one of my favorite 1920s singers, Ms. Annette Hanshaw.

She had a short but prolific career, starting around 1926, and she retired early in the 1930s.  She was known as "The Personality Girl," and made up for any lack of vocal talent with a sense of whimsy and girl-next-door charm.

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Her cheerful songs often end with a quick "That's all!", but she sang just as many songs of lost love and disappointment.
If you like other early jazz artists such as Ruth Etting or Ethel Waters, be sure to give Annette Hanshaw a listenin' to on your iPod, laptop, or Vitrola.

Lovely Ladies: Anna May Wong

I don't usually write anything to accompany this series, but this particular actress deserves some extra words.
Anna May Wong was born in Los Angeles in 1905, and gradually became a fine actress in 1920s cinema.  She was held back at every turn, for being a woman and for being Chinese-American.  Disappointed and frustrated with the Hollywood system--which wouldn't permit her to have an onscreen romance with any non-Chinese man-- she went to Europe, where she starred in several films, and even performed the lead role in a German operetta!

Her most famous role was with Marlene Dietrich in 1932's Shanghai Express.  While back in Hollywood, the studios frequently relegated her to 'Dragon Lady' roles, which were devious Chinese stereotypes.  She was extremely hurt by losing the lead female role in 'The Good Earth' and instead only being offered the role of the film's antagonist.
She filmed her favorite role in Daughter of Shanghai, and also spent much of her time working on propaganda films to benefit United China Relief.  In 1951, she starred in her own network TV series, The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, a detective show that has since been lost.

While many think of Clara Bow or Louise Brooks epitomizing the flapper, Anna May Wong worked hard to cultivate an image for herself.  She had a fascinating story, and I recommend checking out her Wikipedia entry for more information.

Prohibition Night at the Museum

A week ago, Mr. Williams and I put on our suspenders and stockings—respectively—and headed to the Crime and Punishment Museum in Washington, D.C.  It’s been 80 years since prohibition, and they were celebrating with a 1920s themed tour experience, including a whiskey tasting.
Much like the bootleggers and flappers of the ‘20s, we accept any invitation to dress up and drink.  (More on the drinking later...)

Date Night

Downtown, there's a locally owned drugstore which still offers home delivery, milkshakes, and smashing grilled cheese sandwiches.  In winter of 2010, Mr. Williams and I ventured in for a '20s styled photoshoot...