Make-up History from Madeleine Marsh & Lisa Eldridge

Madeleine Marsh is a writer and historian, and I've had an eye on her book 'The History of Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty From Victorian Times to the Present Day' for a while. So imagine my pleasure when I came across these YouTube videos from makeup artist Lisa Eldridge where she talks to Marsh about the history of makeup and goes through her very extensive collection of vintage lipsticks, compacts and rouge boxes.

 

I loved what Marsh said about Victorian era: when makeup was frowned upon, fashion and hair became a substitute for makeup and allowed women to express their personal style.

Camille Clifford, a lady with a tiny waist and big hair.

Though we all know that even then women used all sorts of ointments and some discrete rouge to enhance their features. And certainly actresses did not shy away from makeup both on and off stage.

The second video trances the history of makeup form the harsh times of wartime rationing to the hyper-feminine styles of the 50s (love the little novelty compacts!) to the make-love-not-war freedom of the 60s.    

What I enjoyed most about these videos is that they use actual collectibles to illustrate what makeup and attitudes to makeup were like at different time periods. I'm almost tempted to start collecting vintage makeup myself. Just look at this cute Pierrot compact. Isn't it just the bee's knees?

TOKALON Paris gilded compact, Etsy

The only vintage-looking makeup I own is this lovely little eye shadow by Bourjois Paris from their 2008 Vintage Collection Little Round Pots. The color is a beautiful shimmering brown which is perfect for evenings out. I bought this many years ago when I was visiting France and I still can't forgive myself for not getting all of the limited edition pots with the cute 19th - early 20th century designs.

My very own Bourjois Vintage Collection Little Pot in Marron Glace 

Bourjois Vintage Collection, 2008 

If you want to emulate some of these vintage makeup styles, check out Lisa Eldridge's video tutorials. Take a look at these Tippi Hedren, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn looks. And she has a lot of contemporary makeup tips and tricks on her website.       

BBC Recreates the Netherfield Ball

To celebrate the bicentennial of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, BBC decided to recreate one of the pivotal moments in the book, the Netherfield ball. The ball, held by Mr. Bingley, becomes the venue for our Lizzy Bennet's many embarrassments and misunderstandings.

Every savage can dance. Source: BBC News

The hour and a half Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball documentary with Amanda Vickery and Alastair Sooke is a wonderfully detailed recreation of the food, fashions, manners and dances of the Regency. While a lot of this is not ground breaking material,  for anyone who wants a crash-course in Regency fine living or looking to understand the nuances of Jane Austen's writing, this program is the perfect place to start.    

Food 
The food at a 1813 ball would have been highly ornate and grand. But to our modern sensibilities it would have also looked slightly disgusting. My favorite weird food was the whole chicken with legs and head, beak and all, still in place and a jello with about six little crayfish inside.

Whole chicken was quite a delicacy. Source: BBC News 

Fashion     
Regency fashion, unlike our contemporary duds, was not mass produced. Most dresses were made at home or with the help of a seamstress. That would have meant that at a ball one would see a much broader range of fabrics, patterns, flounces and styles than one could possibly find at any modern party. The individual style of the wearer would be that much more visible. And so good or bad taste would be that much more important.

All  dressed up and ready to party. Source: BBC News

Lighting 
Fun fact about candles during the time is that they were sold by length. There were four hour or six hour candles. So just by looking at the candles the guests would know how long the party was going to last. The rich could afford beeswax candles that gave off more light, while the poor had to be content with tallow candles that were made of animal fat and smelled foul.

Beeswax candles - a real status symbol. Source: BBC News

Dance 
Balls in period films often look like stately affairs, with lots of slow, pristine gliding around the rooms. But most English country dances actually involved a lot of complicated steps and quite a bit of jumping and prancing that would leave even modern professional dancers slightly out of breath. What's more, some dances were so complicated that special paper fans were available with little cheat-sheets on the back, that showed the music and the steps that one had to follow.

Are they feeling warm or trying to memorize dance steps? Source: BBC News 

You can watch the the whole documentary here. Or visit the BBC website for more fun facts and mini-documentaries.

The Myth of the Well-dressed Past

This is an opinion post, so brace yourself.

A recent CBS article caught my attention and I just had to comment. Every once in a while an article like 'Dressing down a culture for refusing to dress up' appears to remind us how we're all turning into a bunch of unkempt slobs and how in the ye olden days it was so much better.

Very nice, ladies, but a pair of wellingtons would  be more practical.

CBS reports that Professor Linda Przybyszewski from the University of Notre Dame teaches a course on how our cultural relationship with clothes has changed over the years and how clothes have become increasing more casual.

"Up until the 1960s, gloves were considered a requirement." says Przybyszewski. "You were considered slightly undressed if you didn't have a hat on."

Once upon a time, this was considered 'undressed'. 

That is probably true, but why stop at 1950s. If we go further back, a corset  was an essential part of a woman's outfit up until the 20th century. And if you go back far enough, stolas and chitons were a requirement. Why is it that mid-20th century dress has become the paragon of good taste to us modern slobs?  My guess would be nostalgia.

The mid-20 century is a well-documented period. There are films, photographs, fashion magazines in abundance, and there are still some people living today who remember those times. So it is a past not too remote to become irrelevant, but just remote enough to acquire a little extra luster. The nostalgia goggles make everything look better than it really was. The CBS report is illustrated with clips from old Hollywood films, where glamorous movie starts wore sequin dresses and furs while having breakfast. These images have no more in common with real 1930-1950s life than Hollywood movies of our generation have with our lifestyle. For better of for worse, most of us don't look like we've just stepped off the set of Transformers.

"And next, I'll put on some pearls and scrub the floors .."

Clothes exist as part of a wider culture and are often an expression of the social, political and economic norms. The mother from Leave It To Beaver is shown as an example of how well-dressed we all were some 50 years ago. But we mustn't forget that her sparkly appearance was an expression of the idea that a woman's role was largely ornamental. This was not the clothes she wore to work at the office, or the construction site or the police station. Her job was to be a good wife and mother and her clothes were just part of that job.

Mrs Bridge strives to be the perfect housewife. Photograph: George Marks

The clothes of the past were not particularly democratic, either. A clip from Dark Victory, which CBS uses without a hint of ironically, shows Bette Davis surveying herself in a mirror as a maid is helping her dress. And don't get me started on the ladies of Downton Abbey. Most of us today don't have maids. We can't afford custom made clothes. Dinners are no longer formal affairs. We have day jobs to go to or college classes to attend or workout at the gym. Our lifestyles have changed, our society has changed, and, naturally, our attitude to clothes has changed as well.

The maid doesn't look all that glamorous. Dark Victory (1939)

I applaud anyone who puts an effort into their outfit. It's great to see people wearing lovely vintage or handmade pieces. But that doesn't mean that I expect everyone to dress like that. The democratization of fashion has given us the possibility to dress for our own personal comfort and pleasure, and that's not a bad thing. I like that on a hot, sunny day I can go to my local park and lie on the grass wearing nothing more than shorts and a T-shirt and flip through illustrations of Modes De Paris, admiring their style, but not coveting their lives.

H&M Conscious Exclusive, 2013 vs. Horrockses Fashions, 1950

So whether you prefer yoga pants and tank tops or vintage dresses and gloves, the important thing is to wear what you like. And to quote Miss Galindo from Cranford (2007), "a cap that satisfies its wearer need appeal to no one else." She may be talking about caps, but the sentiment stands for all attire. 

Change of Abode and History of the Home

My absence from this blog was occasioned by some unfortunate developments. One of which was the announcement of our landlady that she would like to see us go within the next five months. The unpleasant prospect of becoming homeless has prompted my flatmate and I to look for a new place. We suddenly realized that we have very different priorities when it comes to different rooms in the house.

While we had no extraordinary expectations for our bedrooms, it turned out that she is very particular about the kitchen and I am more interested in the bathroom. She loves cooking, so naturally, she wants a bright spacious kitchen with lots of work spaces. And I, after a long day, like to luxuriate in a bubble bath, so a clean, pretty bathroom with a bathtub is a must.

This made me think of a wonderful BBC series by Dr. Lucy Worsley - History of the Home. In it she tells about the different rooms in our modern house and how they came to be. It's a really great series with all sorts of interesting titbits and trivia. And it's very enjoyable watching her try out old-timey appliances, sleeping arrangements and labor-saving devices. Many things we take for granted are very recent additions and what we consider a necessity today was in the past viewed as a needless extravagance and vice versa.

Here's the story of The Bathroom:



And here is the history of The Kitchen


You can find the entire series here.
More about the series on the BBC website 

Video from the Edwardian Ball

This Mark Day's short video of the Edwardian Ball in San Francisco.



Though it seems more like a mash-up of styles, with steam punk being the most prominent, rather than straight up Edwardian, it still looks absolutely amazing. If there is a place that I'd like to be right now, that is it!

Snow White and the Huntsman Costume Featurettes

Most films don't spoil us with costume related featurettes. But Snow White and the Huntsman has at least FOUR!

This video is really great. Colleen Atwood describes all the characters she had to work with and tells about her creative process for each of them.



And here are three more featurettes where she shows the costumes and tells a bit more about each of them.







I can't wait to see this movie!  

Snow White and the Huntsman Costumes

What is it about Snow White? Why do we keep making films, TV shows, and music videos about a heroine whose only claim to fame is her incredibly pale skin and proclivity for harmful fruit? I will certainly think about answers to this question as I watch Snow White and the Huntsman when I go see it.

The costumes for this, what feels like the umpteenth version of Snow White this year, were created by the brilliant Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland, Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha). And they are dark, moody and atmospheric, just like the film (or at least the film's trailer).



I'm not a huge fan of faux-medieval chic, but a lot of it looks pretty cool.

 

Snow White's costume is very practical, if a little dull. I like how it illustrates the character's journey from an imprisoned princess to a strong and self-sufficient warrior. It starts out as your ordinary long dress, but as the story progresses, it gets torn and tattered and turns into a tunic that she improves with some leather boots, leggins and arm-guards. Really love those puffy sleeves.

The huntsman's costume is very basic. Everything looks like it was made by a guy who lives in a forest. Most of the elements were sewn by hand to give it that DIY look. It's leather on leather with more leather.

But it's the Evil Queen's costumes that are really worth a look. They are absolutely gorgeous and very creative.

  
Ravenna's feather cloak was the first costume that Colleen designed. There are over a thousand feathers hand-trimmed and sewn together.And it looks stunning. It reminds me of Prospera's magic cloak from the recent Tempest film. The dress underneath has this weird embroidery that almost looks like scars tissue.

Ravenna's wedding gown is incredible. It's beautiful and menacing at the same time. Some elements are delicate, like the soft fabric and the intricate embroidery along the bodice, but then there are the strips of leather attached to the skirt to create the contrasting pleats and the exoskeleton sleeves (which I absolutely adore!)

This is the Queen's "battle dress". It's essentially a chainmail with every metal plate attached by hand. It must have taken ages to construct. It does give the dress a very reptilian look, especially when she is walking with every single element moving. The collar is made of burnt and twisted leather. It does not look comfortable at all.

This dress is my absolute favorite. It reminds me of the legendary Lady Macbeth costume worn by Ellen Terry. If you're wondering, yes, those green 'spikes' are actually jewel beetle wings. The skirt and the sleeves look like they're made of cobwebs. there is a general sense of decaying greatness in this costume.

While the plot may be flimsy and the script cheesy, I will definitely go see this film, if only for the costumes.        

Lucy Worsley Talks Regency Politics

The third and last part of Elegance and Decadence presented by Lucy Worsley is about the highs and the lows of the political and social environment of the Regency. It was a time of great technological breakthroughs (the steam engine) and, at the same time, an age of great social injustice (land enclosure).



As I watched this last part of the series about an era that is so often associated with elegance, cottages and Jane Austen, I thought how little things have change. Here we have a world trying to come to terms with mindboggling technological advancement; the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer; some people inciting violence, others trying to bring about peaceful reform. It's not all that different from our own age, really.

Lucy Worsley Talks Regency Brand

Elegance and Decadence series continues with Dr Lucy Worsley's take on Developing the Regency Brand. Regency was a time of great change, both politically and aesthetically. And I just love her way of narrating. She seems so psyched about all of this.

Lucy Worsley Talks Regency Era

BBC never stops wowing us with wonderfully informative and beautifully done productions. Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency is a three part series presented by Dr Lucy Worsley. The first episode is dedicated to the man himself - Prince Regent, warts and all.

Dr Worsley is also the author of If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, a book I'm dying to get my hands on.

Pixar's 'Brave' - New Trailer

Are you excited? I'm excited! There is a new trailer for Pixar's Brave; a story about a feisty red-headed princess who goes out into the world to change her destiny.  



I can't wait to see this film when it comes out in the cinemas in June.  

Women's Suffrage - A Pop Tribute

Happy belated Women's Day! As it is Woman's History Month, here is a tribute to some great ladies who worked hard, endured taunts, imprisonment and all sorts of general nastiness to get the vote!  

Though, I do wonder about how willingly they went back to baking, cleaning, washing and caring for children after they got the vote. I mean, you ladies are on a roll, isn't this a good time to ask for equal pay, education and better work opportunities? 

Brave - Pixar's New Heroine

It seems that every fairy tale or fairy tale-inspired movie of 2012 is releasing its trailer this week. Hot on the heels of Mirror, Mirror comes Pixar's new trailer for Brave.

And Fairy Inspirations on Tumblr has spotted something wonderful among the animated costumes: 

Source: Fairy Inspirations 

Look, it's the famous Lady Macbeth costume worn by Ellen Terry! And now it's on Pixar's Scottish queen in the Brave trailer!

Mirror, Mirror - The Other Snow White Movie

Mirror, Mirror is the other Snow White film coming out in 2012. Apparently, Snow White and the Huntsman was not enough for Hollywood and they decided to have another film with a very similar plot.

Snow White (Lily Collins) and the Seven Dwarfs

Synopsis:
A dark twist on the classic fairy tale, in which Snow White and the seven dwarfs look to reclaim their destroyed kingdom.  - from IMDB

This film I am definitely going to see. Apart form the beauty of technicolor madness, it's got a great cast, hilariously outlandish costumes and the campiest performances I have seen in a while.

Julia Roberts is brilliant as the evil queen. She is doing it with so much ham and cheese that she turns a rather banal evil witch into comedic gold.

Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen with a passion for fashion

Lily Collins makes a cute and believable Snow White. She certainly looks the part, though it's hard to tell from the trailer if she is a particularly interesting character.

Skin as white as snow, hair as black as night

The dashing Prince Charming is played by Armie Hammer, which is weird, because to me he is one of the classic 'meh' actors - conventionally good looking and with as much charisma and stage presence as a cotton sock.

Armie Hammer aka Prince Andrew Alcott as the model of mediocrity 

Played by Martin Klebba, Jordan Prentice, Danny Woodburn, Ronald Lee Clark, Sebastian Saraceno, Joe Gnoffo and Mark Povinelli, the dwarfs seem a fun and diverse lot.

Snow White befriending seven tough fellas

Tarsem Singh, who has directed Mirror, Mirror, is well known for his stunning visual style. And this film doesn't disappoint. In addition to beautiful cinematography, it's got great costumes. Everything from Snow White's dorky 'swan' costume to pretty much everything worn by the 'evil' queen is absolutely magnificent.

The media is already turning this into The Great Battle of the Whites, anticipating a showdown between these film in spring/summer 2012. While I may skip Snow White and the Huntsman on account of me not caring much for a protagonist who looks either sickly or bored, I will definitely go and see Mirror, Mirror in the cinema. It may be style over substance, but at least it's got plenty of style.             

Snow White and the Huntsman

I heard about this film a few months back. Right around the time I heard about another Snow White film coming out at the same time. What is it about Snow White that fascinates us so much that we need to rehash the story over and over and over again? Sometimes even two or three times in one year.    

To be fair, no pun intended, I'm intrigued. The trailer looks very cool and it could be a wonderful film that is bad, but also utterly enjoyable. On the other hand, it could end up like Red Ridding Hood - a confused sexy-time fairy tale that really makes no sense and is going nowhere with its convoluted plot.

Charlize Theron looks absolutely bad-ass as the evil queen and I love her costume. She just oozes sexiness and evilness.

Chris Hemsworth is reprising his role as Thor. Just look at him, slightly arrogant and gruff attitude, an axe (not hammers, but close), a stubble and old-timey clothes.

Sam Claflin plays Prince Charmant. I feel like this guy is in it just to make the Huntsman look good. He was in Pirates of the Carabean: On Stranger Tides, which makes him the poor man's Orlando Bloom.

And now for White herself. I don't hate Kristen Stewart. She's not a brilliant actress, but she's not terrible either. She seems to be very good at doing angst. But when I look at her, I just don't see Snow White.

   
 And why does she have the White Tree of Gondor on her shield?

I am somewhat intrigued by this film and I will probably see it when it comes out, but what bothers me is an apparent lack of imagination of the Hollywood movie factory. Snow White has been done to death and, for all its boasting of a new 'twist,' this is not as revolutionary as they want us to think.

I love retellings of fairy tales. As old as these stories are, they are part of our (at least in the western world) common experience. In fact, I love Gail Carson Levine's retelling of the Snow White story called Fairest. It is interesting precisely because it deviates from the 'original' in so many ways - the evil queen is not all that evil and she is not old, Snow White is not a beauty and the Prince is fun and down-to-earth.

I don't mind seeing more fairy tale-inspired films in the future, but I want them to be more than hot and steamy Twilight ripoffs (looking at you, Red Riding Hood) or rehashing of old themes with a bit of 'empowerment' on the side. What if the evil queen has a good reason to kill Snow White? What if she is trying to save her people  from strife and war that the girl will inadvertently cause? What if Snow White is not at all the chosen one? What if she becomes the queen's nemesis by accident? And what of the dwarves? What are their stories? Where did they come from? What are they doing in that forest? So many tales left untold....

Umbrella Fashions of the 1950s

The weather is getting colder and wetter. The unpleasant November drizzle makes me think that I should acquire an umbrella. But where, oh, where, can I find something as lovely as these impractical models from the 1950s?

I would like the one with the huge plush spider! 

  

Miss Havisham Halloween Costume: The Makeup

The secret to a great Miss Havisham costume is, of course, the make up. Though she is often portrayed as an old hag, Dickens's notes suggest that she is only in her mid-fifties. However, living without active pursuits, sunlight or happiness can leave one looking much older than one's years.

There are many great 'aged' makeup tutorials online, so here are just a few of my favorite ones.

This is really great and easy to do.

ROCOCO - an animated short by Marylène Pourcelot

Oh, what delight, what pleasure it is to stumble upon something so pretty and cute in the vast galaxy that is the Internet. 

But, be advised, do not watch if you are easily offended - SPOILER by nudity.

You can see more of Marylène Pourcelot's adorable artwork on her deviantART page.

Dance Through Time

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth…a lot more. 

Though it is rather odd that no one but white people seem to have danced or wore clothes in the last 100 years. 

A Lady's Hairstyles Through the Ages

Such a beautiful video and such a clever artistic project. While the "looks" do not seem to be always historically authentic, that hardly matters. It feels that the project is more about our perception of the past rather than true historical facts. Not to mention that at any given time there are a variety of hairstyles and to show them all would require a lot more than 4 minutes.

What strikes me as interesting is that what this video excludes tells more about our society than what it shows. Many a worthy maid is conspicuous by her absence.