An ensemble you have to see to believe...

[skyvue]

I attended a screening last night of an entertaining British film from 1936, The High Command, and I saw actress Lucie Mannheim wearing an outfit that I thought you gals might get a kick out of.

Here are a couple of pictures snapped with my iPhone. They're not of great quality, alas, but I think you'll get the idea.

What really astonished me as the highly constructed sleeves and shoulders. I don't even dabble in sewing or dressmaking, so I've no idea how they're achieved. I'm a big old-movie buff, so I've seen all kind of great and weird -- and weirdly great -- clothes in vintage pictures, but these sleeves just about took the cake for me.

So I thought I'd share them with you.

 

[Naama]

Pretty fancy......






Naama

 

[Caledonia]

Not an expert at all but would suggest that it's all in the shoulder pads! Shoulders are extended using really pretty big and stiff shoulder pads. After that the mutton sleeves are easy taking it down to a slender elbow. Difficult to tell if the lines on the upper sleeves are piping or slashes. Piping is easier being a decoration, but slashes mean a under layer which is a little more work. Lapels are magnificent! Probably stiffened backing at the least to retain the shape, and possibly lightly wire edged. Love the hat!

 

[Lucky Strike]

It's very Schiaparelli.

 

[zaika]

reminds me of some of the costumes from the wizard of oz movie.

still...it's grand!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Based on the close up of her shoulder in the second pic.....its pleats....gigantic -wild- out of control pleats!

 

[Lauren]

Good eye, Lucky Strike. Schiaparelli introduced shoulder pads around 1936 in their collection. If the film's from '36 there's a good bet that they're based on that!

Around this time designers like Schiaparelli in the fashion world and Adrian in the costume design world were highly influenced by Salvador Dali and the Surrealist movement. In fact, if you look at covers of fashion magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar from the mid-late 30's you'll see how strongly fashion imitated art- in fact Dali did several covers for the magazines!

Would someone wear it on the street? Probably not. But looks pretty cool on the movie screen or on a fancy debutante...

 

[Vix]

Horsehair! There may be some padding as well, but you can't get the crisp lines with that. They would have used horsehair (a woven interfacing), just like you find in a good men's suit collar. Maybe even buckram, like in vintage hats if that wasn't stiff enough! Hmm...I smell a draping challenge!

 

[Miss 1929]

Like some crazed bellhop!

I love the flyaway bi-color lapels, too.

 

[katiemakeup]

HA HA HA!

I'M PUTTING YOUR LUGGAGE IN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!