Film Fashion Friday: Love Before Breakfast (1936)

After a long debate, I have decided to bring back Film Fashion Friday. I needed to reminded myself why I decided to begin this feature in the first place: to aid my Masters work and to share lesser known classic films with my readers. Since this type of feature is now not unique to my blog alone, I am refocusing my goals with these biweekly posts. Instead of just looking at lesser known films, I want to keep my attention on films made during the 20s-60s that represent the fashion of that period; I am weeding out period dramas made post 1960. I feel that most of my readers have heard of or seen these films and I would much rather feature films that have primary verses secondary examples of vintage fashion inspiration. I have also decided to restructure these posts with regards to how they are formatted. Now that I have all the logistics out of the way, let's move onto this week's feature: Love Before Breakfast (1936).

The Players

Carole Lombard.....Kay Colby

Preston Foster.....Scott Miller

Cesar Romero.....Bill Wadsworth

Janet Beecher.....Mrs. Colby

Betty Lawford.....Countess Jane Campanella

Directed by Walter Lang

Miss Lombard's gowns by Travis Banton

Other gowns by Brymer

Synopsis

Carole Lombard is caught between two men in this classic 30s comedy of remarriage. Kay Colby is engaged to Will but has captivated the heart of Scott. When Scott buys the company Will works for and sends him to Japan in an effort to gain some alone time to win the heart of Kay, a love triangle beings to form. Who will win Kay's heart and exchange wedding vows at the conclusion of the film? Will it be the button-pusher Scott or the blue collar Will?

Fashion Review

Not being widely familiar with Carole Lombard, I didn't really know quite what to expect on the fashion level when I purchased the Glamour Collection box set featuring six of Lombard's films from the mid-1930s. I must say, I was impressed with this film's use of both gowns and daily/sport attire. Lombard's gowns were designed by Travis Banton, who worked with the actress on a number of films, most notably My Man Godfrey (1936). I feel that Banton has a true talent for designing the figure hugging liquid satin gowns that are synonymous with the 1930s. I would highly recommend checking out his library if you are a 30s gal at heart and are looking for inspiration. I really like his take on the 30s gown; simple yet never plain.

Brymer did the rest of the supporting cast's gowns, primarily Betty Lawford and Janet Beecher, both whom sport some pretty fabulous looks throughout the course of the film. I feel Brymer did particularly well to dress the supporting female characters in a way that would enhance Lombard, but also allow the supporting actress to have a look distinctly all her own. Both Mrs. Colby and the Countess each have their own "look" that is unique to them, but also allows for Lombard to stand out as the lead female of the film.

One of the things I really loved about the fashion in this film is the keen eye for detail not only with the film's leads but also with all the extras in the film (you can see some smartly dressed extras in the scenes that take place in the nightclubs). This is one of the main fashion strongpoints of the film.

Fashion Grade: 8/10 (for good use of both formal and informal attire).

Love Before Breakfast is available on DVD in the Carole Lombard: The Glamour Collection and is available to rent though Classicflix.com.

Film Fashion Friday: Netflix Instants

It seems that I have a theme going for March, featuring a few films from selected specific areas. This week I am focusing on some of the films you can stream instantly through Netflix. I love Netflix and have been very happy with their service. It's also really nice that they have a lot of great classics to stream live from your computer or PS3. If you haven't tried Netflix before, I highly recommend taking advantage of their free trial. If anything, you will have access to a plethora of instant films, including the ones featured in this post.

I absolutely adore this first film, Father's Little Dividend (1951). It's a really cute film with some classic '50s looks designed by one of my favorites -- Helen Rose (please pardon my miss-spelled name in the photo). I love the cast in this film too, which includes Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer Tracy, and Billie Burke.

The next film, My Man Godfrey (1936), is often considered among the best of the screwball comedies and I fully agree. I love the premise of the story: a rich man decides to take a job as a butler and then falls into a love triangle of sorts. Plus the on-screen chemistry between William Powell and Carole Lombard is hard to miss. If you are into '30s glamour and haven't seen this film yet, you definitely need to check it out! The gowns by Brymer are simply divine!!

The last film for this week is Cleopatra (1963). I decided to add this one in becuase it was recently just added to the instant section and I feel the wonderful make-up by Alberto De Rossi makes it worth watching. The costumes were designed by two different people; Novarese took care of the men and Renie designed for the women. This film made me really get into the egyptian look because I felt the costumes were more egyptian inspired than authentic, plus Liz has like a million costume changes!!

Since I sorta have a self imposed mini series going on, next week will conclude the weekly themes for Film Fashion Friday and the following week I will return to more normal posts. Keep sending in your requests!

Emily