Inspiration: Ziegfeld Girls

Every so often I let myself buy a fashion-related book from Amazon for inspiration. This time I was going to get the new book out on Adrian, but I saw this book about Ziegfeld Follies girls and I had to get it instead. It's called Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston and I remember reading about it in an old issue of Nylon and then quickly forgetting about it. Back then I was more interested in the hard lines and angles of fashions of the '30s, but slowly I'm getting into softer and even more old-fashioned looks.

The photographs are gorgeous in an almost cluttered and messy way--backgrounds are often loud, and the outfits (when they're worn) are never exactly stylish (lots of fringed shawls and long strands of pearls and silly hats). But they have such a romantic quality to them. And there are so many hairstyles that I want to copy.

Dolores Costello (I always thought she was one of the prettiest silent film stars--and I always thought it was strange that she's Drew Barrymore's grandmother)

Billie Dove

Peggy Shannon

Helen Ware

Barbara Stanwyck (this picture doesn't have the same romantic quality as the rest--I just threw it in because I love Barbara so much)