This week’s High-Five Friday are a mixed lot of glamorous vintage fashion and film history and collectibles — and news.

1. At The Vintage Powder Room, researching The Lady Conceta face powder box — including a discussion of shawls & Lupe Velez.

2. At Kitsch Slapped, the unfairness of showing an obsessive collector playing cards with silent film star photos.

3. Cliff Aliperti gives his blog a cool name: Immortal Ephemera! (Here’s the story of the name.)

4. Shopping Alert! Violetville Vintage, an eBay seller that I’ve mentioned a few times at this blog (at least in terms of posting about individual vintage fashion finds), has a new store site: Violetvillevintage.com.

5. And, because I have a lot of old photos and vintage magazines, I’m thinking of attending the Organizing a Bookmark Collection and How To Store And Display Your Bookmark Collection sessions at the Bookmark Collectors Virtual Conference — if you mention Inherited Values when you register, you might get a free, limited edition, commemorative bookmark too.

Tags: collectibles, Makeup, Shopping, vintage, vintage glamour

At the Silent Film Archive, I found this scan of an article in the June 1926 issue of The Home Movie Journal, by Raymond Griffith, titled What People Laugh at and What They Don’t.

Page From June 1926 issue of The Home Movie Journal

In this article you’ll find not only the golden keys to comedy, but proof that silent film comedies weren’t made merely of cheap simple sight gags like slipping on banana peels — in fact, the reason why I’ve never found slipping on bananas is actually mentioned in this article:

we even laugh when a man slips on a banana peel although that is not a healthy laugh for the next moment we realize he may have suffered real injury.

In my humble opinion, when you read this old article, you’ll see where many of today’s comedies, comedians, sitcoms, and cartoons have gone wrong; rather than focusing on discomfort and shared embarrassments, much of today’s comedic productions are just simply mean.

Comedies must be clean and wholesome. That is very important. We may laugh at the joke of a comedy situation that is off-color, but we don’t mean it. The laugh is no more sincere when the cause is the man slipping and falling on a banana peel.

You can see and read the rest of the article here — I hope you do, and that you’ll let me know your thoughts.

Tags: classic film, film history, silent film, vintage, vintage magazines

How about a Lucite purse from the 50’s in a root beer color? This vintage tortoise shell box purse has brass fixtures and rhinestones — like little glittering ice cubes in the root beer! lol

Vintage Root Beer Colored Lucite Purse With Rhinestones

Tags: handbags, Shopping, vintage fashion, vintage glamour, vintage Lucite fashion accessories

The second Luise Rainer film I watched was such a fabulous film that I’m now devoted to collecting everything I can from or about it.

Luise Rainer in The Toy Wife, 1938

Since this film is a period piece, I posted my review of The Toy Wife (1938) elsewhere — but I did discover something fashion related to discuss…

On the back of the old MGM promotional film still photo by Clarence Bull, the following is typed:

Grey Faille with blue velvet ribbon detail and corded bow fastenings is charming in this costume designed by Adrian for Luise Rainer, in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production, “The Toy Wife.” Bonnet of grey straw with blue and grey feather frou-frou and blue velvet tie.

This reminds me that once upon a time, movie stars, especially the actresses, were noted for the fashions they wore in films — not just the red carpets. Seeing such information that was distributed by the studios proves that fashions and designers themselves were part of the film promotion.

Today, if such photos and captions are provided and/or used, the caption probably has more to do with who the actress slept with, some arrest information or other bit of notoriety to gossip about. I much prefer to gossip about the glamour of film and the fashion in film, don’t you?

Back Of Photo Still

Tags: collectibles, designers, film history, vintage glamour

Via this funny post at Kitschy Kitschy Coo, I found a link to this vintage photo of a singing diva that certainly looks an awful lot like Madonna — like vintage Madonna, anyway. (And don’t you just love that gown she’s wearing?!)

1929 Singing Diva

Do you know who she is?

It’s Olga Baclanova (pronounced bahk-LAH-no-vah), known best for the cult classic Freaks (1932).

She sure reminds me of Madonna.

Olga Baclanova

Olga doesn’t always bear such a striking photographic resemblance to Madonna though…

Olga Baclanova Wearing Hostess Pajamas, 1929

Here’s what’s printed on the back of that vintage promotional photo:

HOSTESS PAJAMAS are introduced to Hollywood by Baclanova, Paramount’s Russian artist, who selects green and silver metal cloth, bound with shimmering silver braid for an unusual costume. Exotic modernistic earrings complete this effective ensemble.

Tags: pajamas, vintage glamour

I’m giving High-Fives this Friday to:

1. A Tad Too Much Tan For Taupe finds a fab vintage circle skirt.

2 & 3 Inherited Values has more news on finding silent film footage presumed lost, and shows us some pretty baubles from a film classic.

4. Millie Deel shows us lovely custom shoes by Zoe Rios — with loads of vintage style.

5. Millie also tips us off to Diary of a Vintage Girl’s contest for vintage-inspired Kiss Me Deadly lingerie.

Tags: Contests, Jewelry, Lingerie, Shoes, silent film, vintage, vintage fashion

This vintage black wool circle skirt by Madalyn Miller features a working purse applique!

Vintage Madalyn Miller Circle Skirt With Purse

The cream wool felt purse with silver and black detail work has a working gold clasp that opens up, making it a functional vintage purse!

Working Felt Purse Applique On Vintage Black Felt Skirt

Available for sale at, and photos from, Wear It Again Sam Vintage Clothing.

Madalyn Miller Original Label

Tags: circle skirts, handbags, purses, vintage fashion, vintage glamour

I stayed up late Tuesday night, celebrating Luise Rainer’s 100th birthday with TCM. This was my introduction to Rainer — and even though the three films I watched are neither her best known films nor those she won her two (back-to-back) Oscars for, I was smitten.

Luise Rainer

The first movie I watched was The Emperor’s Candlesticks (1937), which, frankly, is often dismissed as more eye-candy than substantive film. It’s easy to do, what with such opulent settings for two wealthy spies each on opposite ends of political intrigues who manage to fall for each other. But if you listen as well as watch, there’s a sophistication and elegance to the acting too. Especially the banter between Rainer and William Powell.

William Powell & Luise Rainer in Emperor's Candlesticks

Enjoy the lush settings, but don’t forget to focus on the faces and the dialog — if you do pay attention, it’s rather like the delight of employing the secret compartments in the antique candlesticks.

Vintage Magazine Article On The Emperor's Candlesticks

It’s not my favorite of the three Rainer films I watched, but it was good enough for me to want to watch another…

Tags: Films, reviews, vintage, vintage glamour

The elegant and elaborate lace shawl is a glamorous accessory many think of only for holiday dressing — which is probably why Valentino’s Sequin Lace Shawl is on sale at Neiman Marcus (sale found via Shop It To Me Sale Mail).

Sequin Lace Shawl By Valentino

But the shawl really knows no season, nor is it limited only to black-tie events. It’s just a bit of glamour you throw on with any old thing, right Myrna Loy?

Myrna Loy & Lace Shawl

(Myrna Loy autographed photo via MovieTreasures.com.)

Vivien Leigh agrees.

Vivien Leigh Lace Shawl

Tags: Accessories, scarves, shawl, vintage glamour, vintage style

This vintage dress by Ida Mea of Chicago is a lot like the legendary eyes of Elizabeth Taylor: absolutely stunning in both shape and color. Created by layers of periwinkle chiffon over a pinked lavender shade of what I believe looks like a taffeta, note the incredible way the chiffon not only drapes, but is ruched and folded to create lines as well as depth. But the beauty doesn’t stop there — there’s ivory lace at the bodice, a shelf bust, and boning too.

Elegant Vintage Dress With Chiffon Overlay

Ida Mae Tag Inside Vintage Dress

Tags: dresses, vintage fashion, vintage glamour