Dominique de Merteuil as Marlene Dietrich, photographed by Gregory Michael King. You will never – I repeat – never see a woman wearing trousers on Park Avenue!” Offering a sophisticated new attitude, le smoking, with its sharply tailored, minimalist lines, was the precursor to the power suit.

But no one, not least MGM, ever thought of making publicity out of it. I love, wear & write about fashion from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. For her arrival in Paris, after docking at Cherbourg, she she chose to wear a suit, men's coat, beret and sunglasses. Harper's BAZAAR participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. It was part of my liberation to be able to wear trouser suits because it makes life so easy.” Parting the sea of ubiquitous mermaid frocks, modern-day ambassadors, meanwhile, include Anne Hathaway, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Page, Emma Watson, and Kim Kardashian. Diane Keaton, Liza Minnelli, Charlotte Rampling, Lauren Bacall and Faye Dunaway figured among the constellation of strong women contributing to its myth. The Italian actress was hard at work on the set of A Countess from Hong Kong in this photo. Jennifer Algoo is the Visuals Director at Harper's BAZAAR.

“A smoking is a smoking; if it suits you, your problem is solved.

“This was a radical change for professional women, who could wear a practical suit which also looked elegant,” recalled Bianca Jagger in an homage to Saint Laurent that ran in The Guardian in late 2008, a few months after the designer’s passing. Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. A Brief History of the Bra – 1910 to the 1990’s, Conclusion – Impact of war on 1940s style, [4k 60 fps] 20’s Fashion brought to Life | 1927 Film, Jacqueline & John F Kennedy’s Last 2 Days | AI Restored, Cupid Bow Lips | 1920’s Makeup Tutorial Video, Gibson Girls in 1904 | Edwardian Fashion at 60 fps, Favorite Wig Hairstyles of a 1960’s Actress, Four Popular 1920’s Bobbed Hairstyles of 1924, Vintage Makeup Brushes – Beauty Tutorial 1961, 1980’s Fashion Show – Fall Dresses of 1986, Beach Pants and Vintage Swimsuits of the 1930’s. The following day – every newspaper in America carried a picture of Marlene in trousers. ] But it took that premiere to spread the word beyond Hollywood and what a stir it has caused. A case in point is Angelina Jolie, who hit the red carpet at this year’s Baftas in a slim-cut Saint Laurent smoking.

“To see his influence you just have to look at the women who now wear trouser suits, influenced by his classic designs – everyone from Hillary Clinton to [former] French justice minister Rachida Dati.

“If they can get some sort of chic relief from a smoking suit, then why not? Marlene Dietrich. Our technology may have advanced, but the desire for images and proximity to celebrities has changed little since the early days of cinema. Worn with black patent leather heels and an unbuttoned white shirt, an untied dicky bow draped seductively at the collar, the actress looked archly feminine next to her partner Brad Pitt, who wore a traditional Valentino tux.


I intend to keep on looking like one.

The margin of profit is controlled at every stage.

Still decades away from trousers becoming accepted as a fashion item for women, it was a bold move deemed as scandalous by some. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Avid fans of Marlene might remember her 1929 Berlin film Ship of Lost Men, where she was almost exclusively in male attire. “People screamed and hollered. A case in point is Angelina Jolie, who hit the red carpet at this year’s Baftas in a slim-cut Saint Laurent smoking. The 1940s dream-dress bearing the CC41 tag was a birthday gift from my husband @gregorymichaelking ❤️ The Utility Clothing Scheme has been an obsession of mine for a long time, and I'll be posting its brief (not so brief) history in the next couple of weeks. #cc41 #cc41dress #cc41clothing #vintageclothing #1940sfashion #vintageblogger #vintageblog #retrogirl #sustainablefashion #vintagehair #wilanow #wilanowpalace #dominiquedemerteuil #itsbeyondmycontrol ... Do you wear a corset under your vintage clothes? [scroll picture! "The thing about a tuxedo is that it is virile and feminine at the same time," purred Catherine Deneuve. Marlene Dietrich sunbathes on a lawn in a chaise lounge.

Those stockings really do show off your legs at their very best! Buoyed by the release of two competing Saint Laurent biopics this year, le smoking is enjoying a comeback in the hands of the house’s current creative director, Hedi Slimane, as the androgynous formalwear alternative of a niche crop of women with the confidence – and figures – to pull it off. Karen x.

Ginger Rogers protects her fair complexion by applying suntan lotion to her legs during a trip to the beach in 1936—the same year the actress's movie, Swing Time, came out. “I was obsessed with cinema at the time, and was a fan of Marlene Dietrich’s wardrobe. “If they can get some sort of chic relief from a smoking suit, then why not?

While Saint Laurent recalled the time he took French pop star Françoise Hardy to the Paris Opera dressed in one of his suits. Vanessa Redgrave poses in a patterned shift dress by the water in 1967. The British actress starred in Camelot that same year.

She was nominated for an Oscar for that … 1930s Fashion Report for Glamourdaze.com.
The French film star frequented St. Tropez and in 1958 purchased an estate in the French beach town.

“People screamed and hollered. The film was one of two released by the actress that year, and the last one until she returned to the screen in 1976. During World War II, she was indefatigable in her efforts to sell war bonds, recorded. The French actress, who rose to fame in the 1950s, was best known for her work in the 1958 film French Cancan. When a man dresses as a woman, the audience laughs. Marlene Dietrich (Morocco / Paramount Pictures), “What’s amazing [is that] I don’t think they’ve done anything as delicious, sexually, as that since,” commented the American playwright, stage director and screenwriter Arthur Laurents in the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet. Opting for a white halter-top swimsuit with cutout sides, the actress never failed to look fashionable—even poolside! Bringing drag to glamorous new heights, the German-born actress famously donned a top hat, tux and white bow tie for her role as cabaret singer Mademoiselle Amy Jolly in Josef von Sternberg's Morocco (1930).

Attendants at the Filmarte Theatre often saw Garbo strolling in, wearing white flannel trousers and a mannish coat. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. And stand by it she did, even later in life. The brunette beauty made a name for herself on the screen after she signed with MGM studios in 1941. Oh, and she's surrounded by miniature plastic versions of herself. Oh, how I wish I were there! Audrey Hepburn, surrounded by a film crew, sits in the sand as she films a scene for Two for the Road in France in 1967. For example, Nan Kempner – a New York City socialite – was famously turned away from Le Côte Basque for wearing her YSL tuxedo suit, which few restaurants and hotels didn’t accept as appropriate attire for a woman. Photo Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images . The actress dons a fashionable bathing suit circa 1933 in California.

When a man dresses as a woman, the audience laughs. You don’t need a gazillion dresses to choose from. Worn with black patent leather heels and an unbuttoned white shirt, an untied dicky bow draped seductively at the collar, the actress looked archly feminine next to her partner Brad Pitt, who wore a traditional Valentino tux. Bergen spent the day at the beach with her adorable dog, who's easy to miss in the sand. There is a lot you can do with a smoking.”.

Marlene started it all – and plenty of girls are following suit. They don’t know what to show any more, or what colours to wear, and they end up looking quite terrible most of the time,” said Sanchez. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Oh, how I wish I were there!

“If Kate Moss and Angelina Jolie are wearing it, the new generation is going to be totally convinced,” commented Sanchez, whose evergreen penchant for smokings runs in the family.

the press release for the 2005 exhibition Yves Saint Laurent Smoking Forever.

And also, you’re not selling meat; you’re selling personality, charisma.