The fashions and aesthetics of the 1930s are particularly appealing. The intense decadence of the outfits in the films, transported you to a different place outside of your own life. The majority of people were hard up from the end of the first World War, and the market crash caused many families to starve. It was undeniably a harsh contrast to the glamorous locations, glamorous clothing and OTT interiors that movie portrayed. One of my favourite heroines that personifies the Thirties glamour is Claudette Colbert. Relatively unknown now, in comparison to a lot of her contemporaries, like Marlene Dietrich and Garbo, many people did not realise her credentials at the time. Her career was almost unknown in Hollywood, although virtually all the Forty movies that she made were smash hits. David O. Selznick the legendary producer, who was famously hard to get on with, confessed that all her movies had grossed more than 1 million dollars and he would tend to her every whim.
She landed her first movie role while studying fashion design. She made her first talkies in 1927, and thereafter she worked on screen for Twenty years. Her acting range was varied. She played a mysterious, exotic vixen in ‘The Sign of the Cross ‘, a spoilt society heiress in ‘It Occurred One Night ‘ and an ambitious, single mum in ‘The Imitation of Life’. All these, she played with extreme professionalism and unforgettable performances. The timing of her line deliveries was so famous that her co-star Gary Cooper was intimidated by her.
I adore her exceptional beauty, with her arched eyebrows, sphinx-like features and delicate bone structure, she really had a face one can’t forget.
There was a famous story that her role in ‘All About Eve’ was meant to be designed for her. She had damaged her back in another movie and unwillingly she had to pass the movie to Bette Davis. The director spoke of his regret at not being able to capture her feline features in the movie. I think her cat-like aura, with her fluid, gold physique would certainly have caused riots in that masterpiece.
She was also famous for demanding to be filmed from the right side of her face. Regardless of technical problems, she would insist with this diva-like demand to make sure that she was only filmed from this angle. I guess that explains why film stars had such a mystery and mastery in their personality. The image that they projected to the fans was pure perfection. The stars were faultless, and portrayed a consistent image all the time.
Claudette Colbert was always impeccably dressed, on and off screen. In ‘Tomorrow is Forever’ (1946), Jean Louis was hired to create eighteen changes of wardrobe for her, according to Wikipedia. Colbert’s style is best described with a quote from Jeanie Basinger in The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers: “[Her] glamour is the sort that women attain for themselves by using their intelligence to create a timeless personal style.”
Claudette Colbert starred as Empress Poppaea in Cecille B. DeMille’s ‘The Sign of the Cross ‘, 1932. The get ups were designed by Mitchell Liesen, who was also the Art Director for the film. As you can see, this film was released before the Motion Picture Production Code, or censorship was imposed, beginning in 1934. Colbert’s costume had a low decolletage, bare midriff, and cut outs at the hips. In this scene from the film, you will see her frolicking in a milk bath with another suggestive costume being worn by Vivian Tobin as Dacia.
The liquid satin, bias-cut evening dresses that she often wore in her flicks re not necessarily dresses that we would wear today, but we could aim for a shorter version. With a bit of luck, you may be a screen siren too, sipping martinis and revelling in your own diva atmosphere.
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