Film Fashion Friday: That Night in Rio (1941)

Welcome to week four of Musical Month here at Film Fashion Friday. This week's selection, That Night in Rio, comes from 1941 and has an all star cast, including Alice Faye, Don Ameche, and Carmen Miranda.

This film was pretty cute, plot-wise and very extravagant costume-wise. Don Ameche plays an actor who impersonated a baron, whom Ameche also plays. The actor is in love with Carmen Miranda, but also tends to have a wondering eye. Coincidentally, so does the baron. The baron is married to Alice Faye and you find out early in the film that the baron is having some money trouble, which this carries the plot. The story is cute, but nothing super special. There is, however some great early special effects where it appears that the baron and the actor are both on the screen at once, both embodied by Ameche. There are also some great musical numbers by Miranda. If you haven't seen any of her films, this is a great one to start with.

The costumes were designed by Travis Banton, who I have featured here before. Banton really has a keen eye for elaborate styles and that is apparent in this film. Since the film was released in 1941, I am assuming the great attention to detail on the over-the-top costumes was done in an effort to boost homefront morale. Regardless, I am really loving the zany skirts and hats worn by Miranda. While it may not be fully appropriate to dress like this on any day other than Halloween, you can still channel this look by wearing several bangles or several necklaces at one time, to add a little zest to your vintage dress. I am also loving Faye's hair-do that she dons while wearing the gold dress. I might just have to send a request into LisaFreemontStreet!! And gals, do take note of the second musical sequence; it is full of women dressed in their 1941 best.

This week's recommendation also comes from 1941, Moon Over Miami, starring Betty Grable and Don Ameche. While I have placed this film in the recommendation spot, I really should have featured both of these films as the "main" film for this week. It's just that good!! :)

Grable stars as a girl who impersonates a heiress in an effort to attract a rich man to support her aunt and sister, who are also in on the act, posing as Grable's maid and secretary. She ends up falling for two men, one who is actually rich and one who is putting on front like her. Can you guess who is lying??

As with That Night in Rio, Moon Over Miami's costumes were designed by Travis Banton and you can really see the similarities throughout. Every outfit is well put together and there are a lot of little details. Plus, how could a Grable film not be fashionable? :)

Next Friday is the last week for Musical Month. Please keep sending in your requests. :)

Emily

Film Fashion Friday: A Yank In The R.A.F. (1941)

It seems that I am still in a Betty Grable mood! The films for this week both star the starlet and are great fashion inspirations, each in their own way. The main film I chose is A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941). I saw this for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love with Tyrone Power all over again. :) I also loved that Grable was shown as an "everyday" girl in the film, wearing dresses that can be found today by us vintage gals. The film presents a lot of practical, obtainable looks, thus making it my main film.

Travis Banton did the costumes for this film and while it says he designed them himself, I am thinking that a lot of the street clothing for Grable might have been things off the rack. Her two showgirl costumes are brilliant, sparkly, and great looks for your inner pin-up. It seems that Banton worked a quite a few Grable films, which is probably why she looked so good, he knew her shape and what looked best on her. Banton also designed the gowns for Claduette Colbert in Cleopatra (1934), which if you haven't seen you should, it's ever so scandalous with Claduette taking a milk bath. I think I might actually do a whole post on this film!

I am sure many of you have seen Pin-Up Girl (1944), but I just had to mention it since I feel it is one of Grable's most stylish films. Rene Hubert designed the iconic costumes for this film and worked with the likes of Vivien Leigh and Merle Oberon. One of my favorite costumes in this film is the pajamas Grable wears on the train. Yellow is my favorite color, so maybe I am a little bias, but I think they are just divine. I also like the green suit she trades with her friend at the Navy office, that is such a cute outfit, complete with matching handbag!

Both films are available on DVD and Pin-Up Girl is a streaming video on Netflix. I wanted to let you guys know that Film Fashion Friday will be on a short break until after my graduation. Posts will resume on April 30th and I am going to do musicals the whole month of May, starting off on the April 30th post. I got some requests for some musicals, so I will do my best to include some favorites and some you may not be familiar with. Until then, keep sending the requests and FFF will be back in two weeks!

Emily

Playing Dress-Up

Yesterday after church, while changing out of my fancier clothes, I decided to play a bit of dress-up if you will. It was all spurred by the impromptu hair do that I did. I wanted to get my hair out of my face so it wouldn't be in the way, and I thought that that was as good as time as any to try to achieve the Betty Grable hair do that she was most famous for in her pin-up shot. It was really simple. I just took bobbie pins and pinned all the hair at the top of my head. I really love this style and now that I know I can achieve it with semi-perfection, I will be doing it a lot more.

So, taking my inspiration from my hair and the numerous early Betty Grable films I have been watching for a class this semester, I sorta tried to channel Betty Grable with this look. Definitely more of an inspiration than a direct look. Anyways, I'm loving how it all came out...especially since I got to wear one of my favorite pairs of vintage summer shoes! They are for sure pin-up style shoes with a 3.5 inch heel and mock snake skin. One of my many eBay finds!

Hope you're having a marvelous Monday!

Emily

OUTFIT DETAILS

Dress: Estate Sale

Shoes: eBay

Pin: Was my Grandma's -- I should have posted a closer picture, it's a heart with an arrow through it with different colored rhinestones. It's my favorite pin.

Film Fashion Friday: How To Marry a Millionaire (1953)

Hello lovely readers!! To introduce my new series, this week I am featuring a classic favorite that often gets talked about for its fabulous costumes. How to Marry a Millionaire features numerous ensembles created by Travilla. Travilla got his start in the film industry in the early 40's and continued to work into the 80's. He often worked with Marilyn Monroe and even did some of the costumes on the hit 80's tv show Dallas.

The film stars three wonderful leading ladies; Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable who were all known for their keen style sense. They all have about 4 or 5+ costume changes each throughout the film, each showing off some of the most fashionable clothing options for the 1950's. Each girl is always accessorized well and always beautifully put together. If you haven't seen this film before, it's a cute romantic comedy about three gold digging girls who are on the hunt for some millionaire men. Their journey in luring in the men provides much of the comedy. Besides the marvelous costumes, this film can stand well on its own for great witty dialog and some beautiful cinematography.

One of my favorite parts in the film is the fashion show sequence. The models are wearing some of the more couture items for 1953 (the year the film was made and released). It's fun to see what was considered high fashion and it really gives us vintage girls some great ideas!!

There is also a great scene in the powder room where the girls are primping themselves before joining the men at dinner. The set for this scene is really decadent and glamorous. I also really love the mirror shots. Pictured above is Marilyn, but there is also a similar one of Betty Grable that is just as fabulous!

So that's my pick for this week. I wanted to start out with something readily available both on dvd and Netflix and easy to find at your local video rental place. I have also decided to feature at least one or more films each week as honorable mentions. These films will also be available on dvd or Netflix as well, but might be a little more difficult to find.

This week since the main film was from the 50's, I wanted to feature a film from both the 30's and the 40's. Both honorable mentions this week come from Alfred Hitchcock, "the Master of Suspense." The Young and Innocent is from 1937 and is a really great film. The main character on has about two or three costume changes, but they are some really outfits featuring classic 30's designs. The extras in the film are also well dressed. The Paradine Case is from 1947 and showcases some really great new look fashions. There are a few fancy dinner scenes that show off some really great formal gowns and for this reason, I feel it's worth watching..also if you enjoy a good courtroom drama.

I hope you enjoyed the first week of these series and if you have any requests for a certain decade or star, let me know!!

Emily