MacPherson’s income—equivalent to over $750,000 a year today—afforded her access to the rarest luxuries during the 1920s, when excess was commonplace.
Unsurprisingly, she dressed accordingly.
(Image courtesy of Altadena Filming.)
MacPherson’s income—equivalent to over $750,000 a year today—afforded her access to the rarest luxuries during the 1920s, when excess was commonplace. The screenwriter was also an accomplished pilot and was frequently photographed in full flight regalia, as seen in this 1920 photo. (Image courtesy of Altadena Filming.) Last month I shared the astounding discovery of several items belonging to Jeanie MacPherson, Cecil B. DeMille’s long time scenarist and screenwriter, in a plastic garbage bag headed for the dump. Given the objects’ age and provenance, I would have been flattened to find a single garment intact. Instead, I found the clothing equivalent of Tutankhamen’s tomb in shockingly good condition.
2 Comments
Cecil B. DeMille and Jeanie MacPherson in 1926 along with their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Image courtesy of Cecil B. DeMille Foundation.) For over 20 years I have had the pleasure of working with priceless fashion artifacts from the archives of movie stars, historical figures and illustrious designers. You might be tempted to think that no clothing acquisition, restoration or discovery could phase me after so long, but you would be wrong. There are still garments that unglue me, either with their provenance, their artistry or their origin. Recently I found a piece with all three of these virtues … in a garbage bag headed for the landfill. Fishing in 1960: the best looking woman on a pond since Tippi Hedren in "The Birds." (Photo courtesy of Gale Maly Photo Archives.) With her impeccable manners, keen sense of fashion and appetite for adventure, my mother Gale has been my style icon ever since I can remember. Of course she had an unfair advantage having been born and raised in Chicago, where the Midwestern propriety, legendary shopping and non-stop excitement cultivated her spirit.
Luisa Casati in 1912. (Image courtesy of courtesy of Ryersson & Yaccarino / The Casati Archives) It may be 120 degrees in Phoenix, but in the world of fashion, Summer 2016 has already begun to give way to Fall. Disparate though the specifics of Fall’s fashions may be, the take-away from each collection remains the same: high drama. Upon even closer inspection the seemingly incongruous designs appear to share a common muse: the Marchesa Luisa Casati. |
The Little Black Book thoughts about life, luxury and the pursuit of vintage fashion.
|