1940s Starlet Costume | Elegant Looks of the 1940s
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How to Put Together a 1940's Vintage Hollywood Starlet Costume
Do names like Jane Russel, Rita Hayworth, and Lauren Bacall bring up visions of elegance? Do you think Maureen O'Hara and Ingrid Bergman epitomized class? Then why not dress like them this Halloween?
Putting together vintage looks used to be a real challenge. In the days before web, you'd need to scour your local vintage clothing stores and the Salvation Army looking for each piece of your outfit. All of it needed to be just right -- and all of it needed to be in your size. Frankly, this wasn't likely to happen.
Now, thanks online shopping venues like eBay, Amazon, Google, and Etsy, putting together your 1940s Hollywood Starlet look is easy. These sites allow you to search for vintage clothing by size, style, and color. You may find your 1940s evening gown in one place, your vintage gloves in another. Or you may get really lucky and be able to put together your entire ensemble from a single seller's store front.
But how do you get your 1940s look just right? Read on to find out! In the following article, you will learn about dress styles, shoes, hair styles, and make-up from the 1940s. With a little bit of knowledge, it's easy to get your elegant 1940s starlet look just right.
Image: Rita Hayworth in a strapless gown of pink and silver lame.
Putting together vintage looks used to be a real challenge. In the days before web, you'd need to scour your local vintage clothing stores and the Salvation Army looking for each piece of your outfit. All of it needed to be just right -- and all of it needed to be in your size. Frankly, this wasn't likely to happen.
Now, thanks online shopping venues like eBay, Amazon, Google, and Etsy, putting together your 1940s Hollywood Starlet look is easy. These sites allow you to search for vintage clothing by size, style, and color. You may find your 1940s evening gown in one place, your vintage gloves in another. Or you may get really lucky and be able to put together your entire ensemble from a single seller's store front.
But how do you get your 1940s look just right? Read on to find out! In the following article, you will learn about dress styles, shoes, hair styles, and make-up from the 1940s. With a little bit of knowledge, it's easy to get your elegant 1940s starlet look just right.
Image: Rita Hayworth in a strapless gown of pink and silver lame.
Contents at a Glance
Quick Tips for Shopping Vintage
Vintage vs. Modern Clothing: What You Need to Know
Ladies Shoes
Chaloner Woods
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If you've never shopped for vintage clothing before, there are some things you should know before you begin. I cover this in the rest of this article, but it doesn't hurt to have them all on one place:
- Have a friend take your bust, waist, and hip measurements. Knowing your exact measurements will be more helpful than knowing your "size". Women in the 1940's made their own clothes, or had them made to order. Numbered sizes like "8" were not often used.
- When numbered sizes are used, they are usually smaller than modern sizes. A vintage "size 8" will likely be smaller than a modern "size 8".
- Merchants who sell vintage clothing online usually provide measurements for exactly this reason. If that information is not in the listing, write and ask. Any seller worth your time and money will be happy to answer any questions you have.
- Vintage shoe sizes are different than modern shoe sizes. Sometimes a 1940's size 7 will be a modern size 7 ... sometimes it's not. In order to get the correct sizing, you may need to measure your feet so you know its length and width in inches.
- If you're much above a size 9, you may not be able to find vintage shoes at all.Women's feet were smaller back in the day, so those size 10's can be hard to come by. Not to worry if your feet, like mine, are ... somewhat less than dainty, shall we say? There are plenty of modern shoe styles that have a very vintage look.
1940s Evening Wear
American Film Star Joan Bennett Models a Dress She Wears in Her Latest Picture "Girl Trouble" Giclee Print
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Fashion of the 1940s emphasized the shoulder and bust, and minimized the hips. Skirts tended to be straight or A-line rather than gathered and full. Matching gowns and jackets became popular for evening wear, as did coordinated sets of skirts and jackets. Strapless looks also became popular.
In the United States, "costumes for theatrical production" were exempted from wartime rationing. Unlike civilian clothing, the evening gowns seen in Hollywood movies featured lavish embroidery and trim, like the fur trim on the gown above.
1940s Evening Dresses on eBay
eBay is a great place to find vintage evening dresses for your starlet costume. Take your measurements -- for better results, have a friend help you with this -- and make sure to read the listings carefully to make sure you are getting the correct size.
In the 1940s, women made their own clothing or had it made to fit them. Standardized sizes like "12" were not as widely used, and when they were, they often referred to a smaller size than they do today. When in doubt, ask the seller any questions you have.
In the 1940s, women made their own clothing or had it made to fit them. Standardized sizes like "12" were not as widely used, and when they were, they often referred to a smaller size than they do today. When in doubt, ask the seller any questions you have.
Balenciaga Gown
1940s drama: pink crepe with black lace overlay
Dinner Gown in Pale Pink Crepe Trimmed with Rows of Black Lace by Balenciaga of Paris Giclee Print
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Cristobal Balenciaga was a Spanish fashion designer who fled the Spanish civil war and set up shop in Paris in 1937. He stayed there throughout the Nazi occupation during WWII. His designs were so highly regarded that people risked their safety to travel to France to purchase from him.
1940s Evening Gowns on eBay
The 1940s Suit: Pattern, Color, Cut, and ... Drama!
Inspirations III Art Print
Berman, Susan W.
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This haute-couture drawing demonstrates the dramatic use of color and contrasting patterns in a coordinated emsemble. Notice that everything matches, from the hat, to the fur muff, to the shoes. A 1940s starlet might wear an evening suit in favor of a gown -- if it was the right evening suit!
Vintage Suits on eBay
Ingrid Bergman
1940s Vintage Shoes
Slingback, D'Orsay, and Peep Toe
Styl-eez Masterprint
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Buying a pair of shoes from the 1940s is the perfect way to complete your starlet costume.
When buying vintage shoes on eBay, pay careful attention to the listing, and ask the seller any questions you may have before you buy. People's feet were smaller in the 1940s than they were today. Additionally, numbered sizes were not necessarily standardized - a size 7 in a 1940s shoe might not be the same as a size 7 in today's shoe.
Modern Shoes, Vintage Look
Lauren Bacall Photo
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1940s evening shoes are echoed in a number of contemporary styles. 1940s starlets favored styles like the slingback, the d'Orsay (closed heel and toe; open sides), and the peep toe. Shoes of this period were not meant to fade into the background! They were often made in contrasting colors, and featured scalloping and decorations on the toe for added drama.
Here are some some modern shoes that will work with your 1940s Hollywood costume. Some of the shoes, though featured in black, are available in other, more dramatic color schemes, so be sure to click through.
1940s Back Seam Stockings
For that Hollywood Starlet Glamor!
Back in the day, all nylons featured a long seam up the back of each leg. No 1940s starlet should be without them!
Elegant 1940s Gloves
No lady would have been seen without them.
Gilda, Rita Hayworth, 1946 Photographic Print
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Gloves were de rigeur for ladies of the 1940s. A Hollywood starlet was never seen without the right pair of gloves for her gown.
The length of the glove depends on the sleeve-length of your gown. Longer, opera-length gloves are worn with a sleeveless gown. Elbow-length gloves are worn with a short sleeve gown. Wrist length gloves would be worn with a long sleeve gown.
1940s Glamor Tutorials
Vintage films from the 1940s
Are you hoping to be as glamorous as a 1940s Hollywood starlet? Miss Ratherly Stern knows that glamor begins with good health!
curated content from YouTube
1940s Hollywood Eye Make-Up
How to have lashes like a starlet
Ava Gardner Photographic Print
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To get your look right, you'll want to buy a black liquid eyeliner and either black or black-brown mascara. The mascara is applied on both your top and bottom lashes, and the eyeliner just to your top lid. If you want to go all out, you can curl your lashes before applying mascara, and then apply false eyelashes. Then, apply the eyeliner where the false lashes meets your lash line.
Mascara in Black or Black-Brown
Long, lush lashes!
The eyelashes were an important emphasis in 1940s make up. Choose a black or black-brown mascara that thickens and lengthens your lashes.
Red Lipstick
You can't complete your 1940s Hollywood costume without red lipstick. And in the 1940s, red lipstick was red. Choose a matte shade for the most authentic look.
1940s Lip Liner (Red, of course!)
Use red lip liner to soften the cupids bow on your upper lip for that perfect starlet look. You can also make your lips appear more full by extending the liner slightly beyond your lip line.
1940s Hair Styling Tools
What you'll need for your starlet hairstyle!
Portrait of Veronica Lake Photographic Print
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The women of 1940s Hollywood always had their hair meticulously styled. Whether it was worn down in a soft wave, pulled back at the sides, or swept up, hair was first curled to give it the necessary volume. To get your 1940s starlet hair style just right, you'll need curlers, holding product, a round styling brush, and -- if you're doing an updo -- lots and LOTS of bobby pins!
Are you dressing as a Hollywood Starlet this Halloween?
Judy Garland, 1943 Photographic Print
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More 1940s Costume Lenses!
And some other creative ideas!
OK, so being a 1940s Hollywood starlet is too boring for you. What if you dressed up as ... a Hollywood starlet vampire zombie!!! These lenses will tell you how.
Who's your favorite star of the 1940s?
Are you dressing like them for Halloween?
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ashtonc12
Apr 18, 2012 @ 8:14 am | delete
- Liked it , I love those shoes styles.
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SecondHandJoe
Jan 21, 2012 @ 12:40 pm | delete
- What a great how-to lens, and a glimpse into another decade of refined elegance. Would definitely make a great costume! Nice lens! I "liked" it a lot!
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jimmyworldstar
Dec 7, 2011 @ 1:56 am | delete
- Ava Gardner for me! Her role in The Killers was great and even if it was a bit before my time, she looked gorgeous.
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MaxReily
Aug 11, 2011 @ 4:21 pm | delete
- Rita Hayworth--she was so beautiful. I love the glamour of all of those fantastic stars of the 40s. Fabulous lens--I appreciated all the tutoring videos!
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outsource123
Jan 28, 2011 @ 5:06 am | delete
- Very decent dress with great look.
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