~ chicka chicka boom boom ~

If you're one of the poor souls who didn't grow up on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers movies and think that music from the 40s is boring and outdated, then let me catch you up on a bit of history and introduce you to the coolest lady who ever walked this earth in platform shoes and a headdress made out of fruit.

Meet Carmen Miranda.  Now go to google images and drool over all of her amazing costumes.

Carmen Miranda (Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha) was born in 1909 in Portugal and moved to Rio de Jeneiro when she was only a baby.  Her father was abusive towards her mother and highly disapproved of Carmen's love for performing, but her mother supported her passionately.  When her sister got sick and was sent away, Carmen started working in a hat shop to help pay for her medical bills - she later opened her own hat shop, which continued until she was discovered in 1929 and by the next year she was the most popular singer in Brazil.  She is widely considered to be the first Brazilian pop star and recorded nearly 300 songs in her career.

If you know her at all, you probably recognize her for her iconic style (fruit headdress, platform shoes, colorful beads, etc.) but she did not adopt this style until 1939.  If you haven't seen her first American film, Down Argentina Way, go watch it now.  Seriously.

She was in 14 American films in total, but also stared in many Brazilian films, however towards the end of her career, many Brazilians felt she was becoming too "Americanized."  But being the strong woman she was, she responded by recording a song called "Disseram que Voltei Americanizada" (or "They Say I've Come Back Americanized").  After WWII, her career began to dim, as the American peoples' tastes slowly changed.

Her personal life was wrought was sadness - from an abusive marriage, to a miscarriage, to years of depression and drug use.  When she died after suffering from a heart attack, the Brazilian government declared a national period of mourning. 

My deep love for Carmen Miranda has been festering since I was 8.  I have a clear memory of cleaning my room (which from the years 2000-2006 was a lost cause) and singing to her music at the top of my lungs.  That was the same year I discovered high heels and Revlon lipstick, and all three (as you can clearly see) had a huge impact on my life.

Though I may be quite a bit older and several inches taller (but every bit obsessed with platforms as I was then), I still occasionally pull out my handmade headdress (which took a lot of hot glue and a lot of fake fruit), slap on her greatest hits, and shimmy around my room with a vacuum cleaner in tow.

Oh Carmen, how I love you.  Thank you for being such a big part of my life.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ turban tuesday ~

Turbans: the perfect accessory for when you're A) too lazy to fix your hair, B) too lazy to wash your hair, or C) just want to look fabulous.  The fourth reason is that you're too sick to leave the house or do anything but sit by the pool and take several hot showers per day and you want to distract people from the red-nosed, dark-circled look you've got going - which, incidentally, describes me to a T.

So let's take a look back at the practical, easy-to-create, glamorous turban...

• The 1920s - Ahhh the 20s.  Shorter hems, shorter hair, fabulous turbans.  If you have a bumper crop of satin, feathers, and costume jewelry, the 1920s turban is made for you!

                                                                                       

• The 1930s - the turban style continued to grow in popularity and started to evolve into a more casual, everyday look, as opposed to the glamorous turbans of the 1920s.  The 1930s began what is thought of as the heydays of turbans!

     

• The 1940s - In the 40s, with the start of WWII, many women had double roles: housewife and factory worker.  Because of this split lifestyle, and a lack of shampoo and conditioner during the war, turbans became an easy way to hide dirty hair, keep hair out of your face (and out of machines), and add a bit of glamour to a difficult time.  

For the sake of uncomplicating a complicated time, let's split the 1940s up into two parts: wartime, and post-war.

Wartime: During the war, turbans were an essential part of the working girl's wardrobe.  Because of their practicality, factories required women to wear some type of headscarf in order to insure workplace safety.  When you're doing welding work on airplanes, you don't want to worry about singeing your hair.

Housewives also used turbans to keep their hair out of their work, and many times, to hide curlers or oily hair.

Veronica Lake demonstrates the dangers of working with uncovered hair.

     

Post-War - with the end of the war and the slow decline of rationing, fashion took on a new meaning.  It became lighter, brighter, and took on a celebratory energy.  That is, of course, for some people.  Most were still dealing with the repercussions of war and did not have the time nor the funds to spend on the latest fashions.  But for the sake of continuing on the subject of this post, I'll show you some of the most popular, thought not necessarily the most used fashions.

And of course, the queen of turbans....

The 1950s - The 50s brought about a change in the turban style.  Bigger, brighter, and more fabulous than ever!

{The queen sporting an adorable polka dotted turban}

The 1960s - the 60s brought a change in all aspects of fashion, including head wear.  Turbans went back to their satin and gem days and even Elizabeth Taylor got in on the action!

Several years ago I went through a turban phase of my own...(keep in mind that this was before I learned how to properly pluck eyebrows or apply mascara)

(and before I learned how to adjust the white balance on my camera...)

If you're wanting to add some vintage to your wardrobe but want to take it in small steps, I highly recommend trying out a turban.  They're easy to find, easy to DIY, and incredibly easy to style.  So remember, the next time you have a horrible hair day or a bout of laziness or just want to spice up your look, don't overlook a turban.

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

Eliza