Silver Lining

"Some women think if you don't expect too much you won't be let down. I always expect miracles. Sure, I'm let down. But they're near miracles."

-Claudette Colbert

ChrisRandallPhoto

I was so pumped about this post. For starters, as much as I love all vintage style, I  feel the 1920's and 30's were the most glamorous eras. I love the drama, the ornate details, and the slight edginess that came from women embracing some very new, hard-won equalities. I actually had a difficult time finding a photo of Claudette Colbert that was adaptable to modern fashion, because in so many of her films she wore beautiful but insane costumes. I considered posing half-naked in a bath of milk, `a la Signs of the Cross, but that wouldn't leave much for my Product List at the bottom. Kidding, Kidding:)

 When I found this photo, I knew it was perfect- a drapey black evening gown never goes out of style, and I think the metallic stars are surprisingly modern for a photo taken in the 1930's. I love how gracefully sad she looks in this photo, almost like a weeping willow tree. When I started researching Claudette, I found out she was obsessively particular about her appearance on film and screen, and allegedly never allowed the right side of her face to be photographed, due to an insecurity about a bump in her nose. (Perhaps that is the reason her head is down and cocked slightly to her left in this photo). After the Audrey Hepburn incident, hearing that such a beautiful woman struggled with her own insecurity brought me some solace.

I was also excited  about this post because it was the first time I got really dressed up and did an  evening wear look for the blog. I will tell you a little secret...

  Of all the parties and events I've ever been to, I almost always have more fun getting ready to go than I have once I'm actually there. 

Sure, I enjoy being social and getting my party on. But there is something so magical and hopeful about transforming yourself from whoever you are during the day (in my case, a sweaty, gym clothes wearing, mini-van driving Preparer of Snacks) into an elegant, mysterious belle of the ball. Chances are nothing particularly eventful will befall me on whatever night I happen to sit in front of the mirror, transforming myself, but as Claudette Colbert's quote encourages, I like to expect miracles.

That is the beautiful thing about doing this blog... I have a never-ending excuse to get dressed up for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I can't tell you how much fun I had, running around downtown New Haven with my close friend and photographer, Chris Randall, looking for the perfect doorway to achieve the placement of Claudette Colbert's arms in the inspiration photo. I should be ashamed of myself for not introducing Chris sooner... He creates what I can only envision, and this blog wouldn't be possible without him.

  On our mission to find the perfect shot, 

we accidentally crashed an uber-formal Alumi party at Yale University. After ducking out as gracefully as we could, we were swarmed by a mob of foreign tourists on Chapel Street. 

Apparently, the sight of a guy with a camera in jeans and a beat up sweatshirt, accompanied by an ornately made up woman in an evening gown, was so intriguing they started calling out to us and snapping pictures like crazy. I smiled, posed, and basked in the moment of my own, tiny, near-miracle.

Another reason this post was so much fun- I got in a little DIY action. I purchased a simple black maxi-dress, with a sort of drapey bib over the chest, and a can of metallic silver aerosol fabric paint.

Then I printed out this cool star stencil from PrettyHandyGirl.com. I transferred it to a flat piece of cardstock by cutting out the star shapes and tracing them onto the cardstock with an
X-acto knife. I  laid the dress on a flat service, and inserted a garbage bag between the two layers to prevent fabric spray from soaking through to the back. Before beginning,  I smoothed any wrinkles in the fabric. Then I placed my stencil on the fabric like so...

...And carefully filled in the star with my fabric spray paint.

Tip: This project takes patience and precision. Allow just-painted areas to dry before moving on to another area, so you don't smudge the beautiful stars you just made Hold can 10-12 inches away from the fabric, and do not oversaturate. If you end up with an excess of paint on top of the stencil, blot it off with a paper towel so it doesn't drip when you lift it up.

Continue creating stars in whatever pattern or amount you choose. I decided on a diagonal cluster pattern of stars falling from one shoulder of the dress to the opposite bottom hem.

To emulate Claudette's dress, I  gathered the center of the bib and put in a few stitches by hand at the top with black thread, to create two distinct drapes of fabric. I also bought one and a half yards of black chiffon, gathering the fabric and hand-stitching it with black thread where the strap meets the dress, allowing about 8 inches of chiffon to come forward to the front of the dress, leaving the rest draped over the shoulder, trailing behind.

Claudette's look is all about drama. 

The key to the eye makeup is to create a look of depth. I used a dark brown shadow that had a hint of rose shimmer on my lower lids, applying it by pressing the pigment onto the lid, rather than brushing. I then used a black shadow pencil in the crease, blending out and up to create an almost triangular shape. Next, I applied an off-white shadow in the inner corners of the eyes, blending up to extend under my brow. I lined my upper and lower lids with black pencil that also had some shimmer. 

1930's makeup didn't have sparkle, but shiny eyelids were very en vogue- women used petroleum jelly over their eye makeup. A bit of sparkle and shimmer gives the same effect, without the gunky Vaseline. You want to mattify the skin with pressed powder, and you will use a matte lip color as well- this balances the shimmery eye.

An eyelash curler is an absolute must for this look- press your lashes firmly several times for a pronounced upward bend ( I know, it looks like a medieval torture device, but as long as you don't pull it doesn't hurt, I promise). Apply mascara, gently jiggling the brush from the lash line, extending up and out. Finally, use loose powder or cosmetic putty to mask your natural eyebrows, then create a thin, arched line with dark pencil over your natural brow. If you already have dark eyebrows like I do, you can use a brow pigment to simply accent the highest point of your natural brow, starting at the bottom of the inner corners and ending just below the outer corner.

For my lips, I used a wine-colored liner to make an "M" shape in the center of the upper lip, creating a strong beestung look, then I lined the rest. If you have full lips, you may want to line just inside your natural lip line, especially in the corners of your mouth. The result is the tiny, beestung pout that was so popular in Claudette Colbert's time. Fill in your lips with a similar deep red matte lip color- you can use just a touch of black eyeliner to deepen the shade, creating even more drama.

As important as it is to feel beautiful on the inside, every once in a while it's okay to take a "from the outside in" approach. 

After recreating Claudette's look, I truly felt like a movie star  star, if only for the evening. Most women have rituals they use when they want to feel beautiful, sexy, powerful. A simple swipe of lipstick can feel like a near-miracle. Tell me about your ritual… What is your go-to routine when you want to bring out your inner movie star?

 Product List

Makeup: 

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, in "Blackheart" (deep brown) and "Strange" (off-white), UrbanDecay.com 54$ (By the way, this is an absolute staple on my vanity... Worth every penny!)

Pixi Lid & Line in "Smoky Black", Amazon.com, 18$ (This is a dual-sided liner and shadow pen, and comes with a handy built-in smudging tool.)

Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings, Ulta, 32$

Lipstick Queen Lip Liner in "Wine", Ulta, 18$

Lipstick Queen Lipstick in "Medieval", Ulta, 22$

Clothing

Black Maxi-Dress by Rolla Costa, TJ Maxx, 20$

Stencil Spray Opaque Fabric Paint in "Silver Glimmer", Jo-Ann Fabric, 6$

Black Chiffon, Jo-Ann Fabric, 8$/yd