Perfect Music: "Isle of Capri" Gracie Fields
For more on the subject of 1930s and tanned complexions as a new standard of beauty, I refer again to the oh-so-fabulous bloggers behind The Painted Woman for a fascinating discussion which they posted this past summer. It is only very recently that I clued into the fact that those backless and shoulder baring gowns from the era that I love so well were designed not just to highlight what I consider some of the most attractive parts of a woman (her back, her shoulders, etc), but also to allow the leisured rich to flaunt their resort tans (great examples of this to come in a later post). These glowy deco gals are such a far cry from the ideal ladies in the Victorian period, when a wealthy woman would try at all costs to keep lily white and even freckles were seen as unsightly.
For more on how to do a 1930s-accurate makeup application, I highly recommend Miss Amanda Lee's articles at AlleyKatsVintage. Miss Lee, I hope it's okay I copied that first ad from your article. If not, drop me a line and I'll delete it!
