Photo: Marc Stamas/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Few things are more iconic when it comes to Old Hollywood than fashion and beauty. Think Marilyn Monroe’s body-hugging dresses and cheek mole, Audrey Hepburn’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” dark sunglasses and “pineapple” updo, Veronica Lake’s peekaboo hairstyle and Grace Kelly’s flawless complexion.
It never seems out of fashion to covet and emulate these looks -- especially now that films getting award season buzz include “The Artist,” which is set in Hollywood’s formative years, “My Week With Marilyn,” featuring Michelle Williams's spot-on impression of Marilyn Monroe and Woody Allen’s ode to a bygone era, “Midnight in Paris.”
Still, while it’s one thing to desire these looks, it’s certainly another to make them your own without looking like a caricature. Some fashion and beauty experts offer their takes on how to put a modern spin on Old Hollywood glamour.
“You don’t have to go full tilt. It’s all about the styling of the look -- the hair and the makeup and the shoes."
- Richard Parsakian, owner of Eons Fashion Antique in Pittsburgh.
Fashion Plate
The basic rule of thumb for wearing vintage designs is to think about how to bring that style into today’s wardrobe.
“You don’t have to go full tilt,” said Richard Parsakian, owner of Eons Fashion Antique in Pittsburgh, PA. “It’s all about the styling of the look -- the hair and the makeup and the shoes. The shoes can be updated. The length of the dress can be changed to update it -- although I’d hate to see that happen. Some of the full-length dresses could be made into cocktail dresses.”
Parsakian says that he gets a lot of requests for outfits to wear to parties themed around “Mad Men,” the TV show that features early 1960s advertising executives, their wives and secretaries, and, perhaps most addicting, their buttoned up -- yet seductive -- styles. But while the "Mad Men" look is fine for parties, he says that all that formality just wouldn’t work in today’s world. In the ‘50s and early ‘60s women always wore gloves and earrings. The way to update it is to just pick up on the earrings -- so you don’t become too proper.
Another option is to take a vintage pencil skirt that was once no doubt worn with stockings and high heels -- and swap out the hose and heels with tights and knee high or even western wear boots for a contemporary twist.
Classic Curls
Classic looks like pin curls and finger waves look amazing on stars like Charlize Theron and Emma Roberts, but they’re actually quite hard to achieve on your own, says hair stylist Alli Webb, who owns Drybar, a chain of blowout salons in California, New York, Arizona, Georgia and Texas.
Like everything else, results will differ based on the length of your own hair. For example, it’s much easier to pull off a look like Marilyn Monroe’s with shorter, chin-length hair.
To achieve Marilyn's look, Webb says you need to get some volume at your roots and around your face. Then use an iron meant for big curls to curl 1-inch sections around your hairline. After you’re done, use clips to keep the curls intact and to give each one a chance to set. Instead of brushing hair in waves out from the face like you would for a beachy Farrah Fawcett look, keep the curls forward and close to your face.
If you have longer hair, however, Webb suggests channeling Vivien Leigh in “Gone with the Wind.” She says you can still use a curling iron to put some ringlets in your hair, but “you want to brush through that curl to get that soft boost formation at the bottom. You want the hair to be grouped together so that you see the actual curl.”
Picture Perfect
Just like the starlets who wore it, classic Hollywood makeup had a flair for the dramatic. But getting the look at home doesn’t have to involve temper tantrums.
To create that dewy, sexy eye, there's nothing better than the traditional, black winged eyeliner,” says Emma Willis, Director of Artistry & Relations for the West Hollywood-area makeup salon Blushington.
“Keep the lids natural with beige and cream shades of eye shadow,” said Willis. “Then, use an angled brush to carefully glide black liquid eye liner from the inner corner to the outer corner of your eye, gradually building up near the outer end so to create that slight winged-out effect.” Finish this up with a good amount of mascara.
For lips, it’s all about a vibrant red. Willis says to start off by putting concealer all over your lips to create a base and ensure the color lasts longer -- then lightly dust them with a little powder. Outline your lips and fill them in with a sharp lip pencil that’s the same color as your lipstick, then use a lip brush apply your lipstick. This will make sure everything is more exact and even.
This all sound too heavy for an everyday look? If so, you can take things down a notch with a thinner winged eye or by using a more natural colored lipstick, adds Willis.
