Fashions of 1934

I've been asked before what inspires my vintage style; while I love to pore over 30s magazines the way many modern women devour Cosmo, I will admit I particularly love to go back over 1930s fashion moments in the movies.  One of my perennial favourite fashion-centred films is the aptly named movie, Fashions of 1934.  While it's rather frothy in style and content, I do love that this is a movie that deals (albeit in a rather screwball manner) with a problem still prevalent in the modern age: idea plagiarism....in this case, design theft in the form of fast fashion makers producing cheap unauthorized knockoffs of designer originals.  Without giving too much away, one of my favourite scenes in the film involves William Powell's con artist character employing a hidden camera inside a cane to snap pics of Parisian original fashion designs with the aim of using them to produce cheaper knockoffs.  Anyway, some of the fashion is simply SWOONSVILLE! Emily of Livin' Vintage screencapped some of the other Orry-Kiely designs appearing in this movie :).  On the subject of plagiarism, I think Vintage Vixen's recent blog post about citing online sources of images, ideas, and texts is an important little discussion (not only because I've come across images of myself or from my blog/flickr/shop used without my permission or without attribution).  At the same time, I'll admit to sometimes not being as meticulous about source citation as I should be, so, one of my resolutions is to be more vigilant about clearly and properly crediting and linking to sources appearing on my blog that are not my own (Bette Davis stills are from here, btw!).

Traces of The Thin Man

Love the look of the fashions in the Thin Man movies?  I sure do.  Some last-minute holiday gift ideas for the Loy and Powell lovers in one's life:

The "Powell" Fedora in tusk, Deckard Headwear

1930s Dressing Gown (which I think combines the charm of Nora's striped gown in the first movie with the ease of her lovely lounge and boudoir looks in more than one of the films in the series): Raleigh Vintage

The Power of Mr. Powell

What IS it about William Powell that I continue to absolutely and perpetually smitten with?  EVERYTHING, I think.  Although I read a hilarious quote by Carole Lombard, one of Powell's ex-wives, in which she said something like, "The son-of-a-b*** never quits acting. Even in the bedroom," I think he just embodies cool, witty, dashing charm, not to mention impeccable style.  His voice, his carriage, his mesmeristic eyes, his sense of dramatic and comedic timing...just brilliant.  I adore the bottom pic--the body language in the image, the way he is looking at Jean Harlow, with whom he was romantically involved before her untimely death = just wonderful.