Fashion Flashback: 1950

Hello There, Glamour Dolls!

I was in the mood for bringing you some Vintage Fashion so here are some wonderful photos from two 1950 editions of LIFE magazine which capture the essence of American fashion in that year. 

As you'll probably notice, with the daytime fashions some of the utilitarianism that was so prominent in 1940s fashion is still evident although the flamboyant glamour that would later trademark the decade is starting to shine through in the evening wear. 

Enjoy!

P.S. Can you spot a young Janet Leigh (later of Psycho fame)?

And underneath it all...

Original Photographs are property of LIFE magazine. This is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

St. Louis LIFE March 8, 1948

A  bit of a follow up from the last post, and rewinding further into the past we find St. Louis in the spotlight in 1948 as the first plans for the Gateway Arch were unveiled.

A croquet wicket? I've never heard it described as that but I suppose it reflects the sentiment of the time. 

For those of you familiar with it, the Arch once completed on May 25, 1968 (20 years after the original proposal) stood 630 feet- making it the tallest monument in the United States, a title it retains to this day.

Below is the proposed 'Mussolini Memorial' for the Esposizione Universal di Roma in 1942. However, the 1942 World's Fair in Rome never came to fruition and the Arch's possible inspiration was never constructed.

I have always thought the St. Louis Arch beautiful- it's miraculous to think that it was designed while still in the shadow of the aftermath of World War II as it's so mid century mod. It sets the St. Louis skyline apart from other cities throughout the Midwest and the United States. 

It's stunning no matter the time of day or time of year.

Stay Glamorous!

St. Louis LIFE Nov 14, 1960

As you may know, I have an obsession with vintage Life magazines. I thought I'd share some treats from the Nov 14, 1960 issue featuring a spread on my beloved St. Louis.

We open with a stunning picture of St. Louis Union Station juxtaposed behind the Carl Milles Meeting of the Waters fountain. I worked at the hotel portion of St. Louis Union Station when I first moved to St. Louis from Australia. 

This below photo is bittersweet. In one respect, it goes to show how the once prosperous St. Louis was keeping up with the times and moving ahead to become a city of the future in the optimistic mid 20th century. However, it is also a reminder that St. Louis has lost more architectural treasures to the bulldozers and wrecking balls than most cities have to begin with!

It's no understatement that St. Louis was once considered the driving force in making 10 Pin Bowling one of America's favorite retro pastimes. Although the Bowling Hall of Fame shut it's doors and headed south in 2008, Saratoga Lanes in the St. Louis suburb of Maplewood is still operating after almost 100 years with few major changes.

I love the optimistic sentiment of Union Electric's spiel below. Union Electric is still St. Louis major provider of electricity, although is now marketed under the name AmerenUE. 

Whether you're a St. Louisan or not- I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past :)

Stay Glamorous!

I love LIFE

That's right folks... I love LIFE... magazine that is! I live vicariously through 1940s and 1950s LIFE magazines. I started collecting them last December during my trip to Florida to visit the inlaws. I bought the June 20, 1949 edition at a Flea Market / Antique Mall in Mt. Dora and you know I was hooked!

LIFE magazine premiered in 1883 as a general interest magazine and was reintroduced on 23 Nov, 1936 as a weekly news magazine. The archive from 1936 until 1972 is available online here. As great as it is to be able to read LIFE online, nothing can beat the feeling of turning the pages and having something tactile. This is part of the reason I refuse to have a Kindle or a Nook. There's no fun in reading a book that you can't touch. I love the smell of paper- the older the better. Digital book technology just doesn't interest me (says the girl writing a blog in a digital realm. Tsk tsk!.) 

Sadly, LIFE magazine as it was, ceased publication in the 2000s and now only appears on news stands as 'specials' from time to time. 

Right now, my LIFE collection is small- it grows only when I find a LIFE magazine from the 1940s or 1950s (got to limit it somewhere!) under $10, and in it's complete condition (no torn out pages or clipped out photos). 

The issues I currently have are:

July 15, 1946

November 1, 1948

June 20, 1949

January 2, 1950

October 22, 1956

August 26, 1957

December 28, 1959

I also have The Very Best of Life- 75 Years but haven't included it here as it's a modern 'special edition'. 

Anyway, I've been good about storing all of my LIFE magazines in plastic slips and keep all of them flat on my 1957 Drexel Counterpoint side table- except when I'm reading and re-reading them of course! (Excuse the glare from the plastic slips)

I haven't bought any 'new' magazines this year- with the exception of the LIFE 75 years special. I've been proud of myself! I figure if I focus solely on vintage magazines and nix the modern Good Housekeeping,  Better Homes & Gardens, Marie Claire and Glamour that I used to so desire, I'm not only going to save money but I'm going to get more enjoyment out of it. So far so good! 

I even enjoy the ads in old LIFE magazines- even though they are just 'dead' pages I skip over in modern magazines. Everything seemed better more than half a century ago! Vous ne pensez pas?

Stay Glamorous!