Onscreen and in real life Robin had a mixture of confidence and vulnerability that made her slightly frightening and highly loveable at the same time. Best of all she was genuine. She was real.
pretty in the past
pretty in the past
Photos don’t always capture what a film camera sees. And the film camera saw a quality in Davis that made her the equal - if not the better - of all those legendary beauties.
pretty in the past
More than any other performer of her era, she made Hollywood glamour feel attainable. We could imagine ourselves being Natalie Wood, but we could also imagine why we might not want to.
pretty in the past
Jennie Jerome was the first of the American heiresses who married into the English aristocracy (like Lady Grantham in Downton) and one of the most celebrated beauties of the Victorian/Edwardian era.
Phoebe in
Beauty,
pretty in the past,
Jennie Jerome,
Lady Randolph Churchill,
Winston Churchill,
Edwardian beauties
Jan 16, 2013 at 2:00pm | 2 comments
pretty in the past
Dolly Parton is the patron saint of those who choose to defy nature and pursue beauty on their own special terms. She is a glorious self-construction.
pretty in the past
Mae West is a perfect example of how becoming a legend often means doing something before anyone else. Her utter lack of shame and willingness to shock in an age where such acts could result in jail time made her an icon.
pretty in the past
There’s something uniquely Phoebe Catesian about Phoebe Cates that allowed her to shine - however briefly - exactly when we needed her to
pretty in the past
Brains, beauty, an intriguing family and a tragic ending. Prepare to fall a little bit in love with Oscar Wilde's niece...
pretty in the past
Throughout her series, Lois was depicted as both incredibly smart, highly capable, enormously kind and generous. She was also depicted as mind-bogglingly stupid, incompetent, mean-spirited and petty and seemingly unable to read.
pretty in the past
Some people look better than others in front of a camera, but that’s not enough to explain the effect Audrey still has on people today - most of whom weren’t even alive to see any of her films when they first came out.
pretty in the past
She looked totally, utterly happy and confident in her own skin and this gave me such a boost, because I had hair like hers! All of a sudden I didn’t feel awkward because I had a gorgeous role model to inspire me.
pretty in the past
For the first (but definitely not the last) time in my life, I felt compelled to watch an ineptly made movie simply because its leading lady was so breathtakingly gorgeous, the thought of looking away for even a second never once entered my mind.
pretty in the past
Zoë possessed the kind of sad, ethereal beauty we associate with the likes of Isabelle Adjani and Gene Tierney - burnished by sharp cheekbones and impossibly full lips.
pretty in the past
Over the years Elvira has come to symbolize a charming form of unapologetic sexuality that remains both daring and endearingly old-fashioned at the same time.
pretty in the past
Unlike other similar actresses blessed/cursed with the “sex symbol” label, Welch managed to cling to the edges of show business, popping her head up every now and then in order to remind everyone that there are apparently some people out there who simply do not age like the rest of us.
pretty in the past
Today’s Pretty in the Past post marks a kind of two for one deal, since before I can talk about the woman it’s actually about, I have to first mention one who is equally deserving of an entry of her own.
pretty in the past
For at least a decade, she was the funniest woman on any movie screen. So funny, she made you forget that she was also a gorgeous sight to behold.
pretty in the past
Jane Fonda has done more than just capture the attention of the world in one specific moment of time. She has been there for the past five decades, helping us define what they are and where we stand in them. It’s a role that transcends mere iconography.
pretty in the past
Pam went to the audition the way she dressed in everyday life, without any makeup. Roger and director Jack Hill hired her on the spot. They needed an actress who could be gorgeous without any artifice and Pam was as natural a beauty as they had seen.
anjelica huston
Anjelica Huston belongs to a generation of women who came of age at a time when their striking looks were celebrated. Just like Jerry Hall, Meryl Streep and Kathleen Turner, she has strong, almost masculine features and a statuesque frame that she fearlessly flaunts.
hedy lamarr
If there was anything Hedy hated to do, it was standing still and looking stupid. Onscreen Hollywood cast her as a series of foreign spies and alluring femme fatales, but in real life she was the world’s most beautiful nerd.
eyebrows
The gaudy, colourful flowers she wore in her tightly braided hair contrasted with her strong, expressive features, each heightening the other. This was a woman who understood the power that is inherent in fashion and beauty and who knew how to use visual symbols to maximum effect.
