1960s – Page 6 – CLASSICALLY CURVY

Lauren Bacall

August 25, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

On August 12th 2014 at age 89 legendary actress of stage and screen Lauren Bacall passed away.

Lauren Bacall started out as a fashion model in the early 1940s and even graced the cover of Vogue at the age of 17. In 1944 she had her big break into the world of film when she was cast opposite Humphrey Bogart in the war/romance adventure To Have and Have Not. During her screen test for the film Bacall became so nervous she pressed her chin to her chest to keep it from quivering and lifted her eyes upward at the camera. This seductive pose became known as “The Look” and was her signature expression. In 1945 the power duo of Bacall and Bogart tied the knot and went on to star in many more movies together. In 1953 Bacall shared the silver screen with legends Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe in the classic golddigger film How to Marry a Millionaire. Bacall’s career spanned several decades and she was actively working in film and television right up until she passed away from a stroke earlier this month.

Femme fatale forever she will be. That look, that smokey voice and the attitude she exuded lives on forever in her photos and film work.

Saucy and Sensual

August 13, 2014August 12, 2014 missdollymonroe2 Comments

I have a little treat to get you over hump day! It’s the second set of photos from my collaboration with Geoff Larkin. Styling by Tamakhi.

Inspiration: Brigitte Bardot

August 11, 2014August 14, 2014 missdollymonroe2 Comments

“I’m a girl from a good family who was very well brought up. One day I turned my back on it all and became a bohemian.”
-Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot is one of my ultimate style icons and inspirations. While Marilyn is undoubtably the queen of the blonde bombshells I would say personally that I am even more inspired by the golden haired goddess that is Brigitte Bardot.

Bardot was a French actress, model, singer and sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s. She starred in 47 films (including And God Created Woman and Viva Maria!), recorded over 60 songs, was featured in hundreds of magazines and wrote 5 books. Bardot is also considered one of the first and most liberated women of post-war France and in Simone de Beauvoir’s 1959 essay The Lolita Syndrome Bardot was referred to as a ‘locomotive of women’s history’. In her later years Bardot become a strong voice for the animal rights movement and in 1986 she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals.

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When I look at images of Brigitte Bardot or watch her films I am always struck by a beautiful sadness in her eyes. There is a darkness behind her light; a smouldering beauty that is at once so complex and yet effortless. Her captivating appeal is so much more than her physical appearance and extends to her movements, her expressions and of course her beautiful french tongue. If you enjoy watching foreign films I recommend you check out a few of my personal favourite BB movies, Two Weeks in September and The Vixen.

Dolly Dressed in Red

August 6, 2014August 5, 2014 missdollymonroe1 Comment

I recently had a wonderful photoshoot with the talented photographer Geoff Larkin. We got a lot of awesome shots in a couple different outfits so I will slowly be releasing photos from that shoot over the next few weeks! The first set features a dress and bandana that I made out of this beautiful red floral fabric I bought when I was at Mood in New York City back in April. I fell in love the with colours and designs in this print and knew I needed to make a pinup dress with it. I kept the design pretty simple to keep the focus on the pattern but added a little pinch at the bust for a bit of sex appeal. Enjoy this photo set and stay tuned for more from Dolly and Geoff!

Laura Desiree at the Toronto Burlesque Festival

August 5, 2014August 2, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

Once again the lovely and talented Laura Desiree dominated the stage in her Rock n Roll Red Fringe outfit created by me! This time it was at the Toronto Burlesque Festival’s opening show where she strutted her stuff before a packed house of burlesque enthusiasts and performers. Since the last time I blogged about this outfit we added another piece which is the flowing red satin skirt with fringe detail from waist to hip. I love what the skirt added to the overall outfit and I think it finishes the look perfectly. Check out these wonderful photos from photographer Ruth Gillson of the gorgeous Laura Desiree at the Toronto Burlesque Festival!

The Two Piece Playsuit

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 missdollymonroe2 Comments

One of my favourite vintage trends for summer is the two piece playsuit! The term ‘playsuit’ is usually used to refer to a garment that combines a top and shorts all in one (also known as a ‘romper’) or a top and pants (also know as a ‘jumpsuit’). You could also use the term ‘playsuit’ to refer to a combination top and bottom that are made from the same fabric, or combination of fabrics, also known as a two piece playsuit. The bottoms on a two piece playsuit could be pants, shorts, a skort or a skirt.

The two piece playsuit speaks to a time when quality and custom clothing was more common in fashion. Nowadays most of the clothing we buy is mass produced in factories overseas and is cheaply made and not meant to last. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s when you were likely to see this kind of playsuit set they were often made by tailors, local designers, and from home-sew patterns and included fun matching details that made the separates a completely co-ordinated outfit. To me the two piece playsuit is not only very convenient and practical (who doesn’t love co-ordinating separates?) but it also looks elegant and super sweet!

Love, Poetry Corsets

July 7, 2014July 4, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

As an avid wearer of corsets I was thrilled to have the opportunity to model for the company Love, Poetry Corsets. Their unique designs come in a beautiful array of fabrics and their shapes hug the body and flatter the figure. I got to model this steampunk inspired, overbust corset with a sweetheart neckline and back lacing.

Sam’s Style: Part 2

June 25, 2014June 25, 2014 missdollymonroe2 Comments

Today I bring you part 2 of Sam’s Style, featuring dresses custom made for my beautiful friend Sam by her personal designer; me! Part 1

Phineas and Ferb
While out fabric shopping together Sam spotted this amazing cartoon printed fabric with characters from the show Phineas and Ferb and instantly fell in love with it. We decided it would be the perfect print for a new summer dress! The colours in this fabric are fantastic and the comic book window style with graphic text and action posed characters bring so much life to it. Because of the loud fabric we kept the design simple on this one. Just a plain black sash with bow at the back and a short t-shirt sleeve. Sam looks stunning in this creation!

Romantic Red
This red dress was the first one I created for Sam. We began with the trim fabric, which is a delectable blackberry print, and then matched the red highlight in the print with a red fabric for the main body of the dress. I love the way the rich red and the purple blackberries balance each other. The cuffs on the sleeves have a little wing with a button that matches the buttons on the bust area. This dress also has some sweet pockets to keep your cell phone and your lipstick in! At the hem of the dress I added a couple of blackberry hearts and matched them on the fascinator that I also made to add to this look.

Sam’s Style: Part 1

June 19, 2014June 25, 2014 missdollymonroe5 Comments

My super cute, super stylish friend Sam commissioned me to make her a series of dresses over the past year or so that encapsulate her fun, colourful style! Each of these whimsical creations is created from the same base pattern, with slight alterations to each, and the choice of colour, pattern and print in the fabric is what really gives each dress it’s own unique feel. Recently Sam and I adventured to a local park to snap some pinup shots of Sam in her very own line of dresses. Today I will share 2 of the styles I created!

Banana-Rama
The Banana dress might be my favourite of the set. The contrasting banana and blueberry fabrics are so fun, fruity and look good enough to eat! This dress has a peter pan collar and long bow in the back. We did a bit of a longer sleeve on this dress with the lovely blueberry fabric again as a cuff. Sam is a knockout pinup queen in the dress!

Button-Up
The Button dress was commissioned by our friend Rena for Sam’s birthday. She found this amazing button fabric and let me run wild with it. For the design of this dress I kept it a little more simple, no collar or tie, but the fun detail is the real buttons I sewed to the front of the dress. They blend in so well that they are a fun little surprise when you see them up close!

Meryle Trouble’s Psychedelic Floral Dress

June 9, 2014June 9, 2014 missdollymonroeLeave a comment

I love making outfits for Meryle Trouble because she always has such wonderfully creative ideas! About a year ago Meryle came to me with the psychedelic 60s floral fabric and let me run wild with it. The result was this fabulous, fun dress! I love the way this look turned out and Meryle is totally rocking it!

Photo by Who Do You Love Photography

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