Reflections on 30 More Chic Days – Day 2 – “Glamour”

I picked Day 2 from Fiona Ferris’ book, 30 More Chic Days, as my weekend “Chic-Think” this past weekend. The topic is glamour – how to incorporate some touches of glamour into one’s life. The exercise stretched past just the weekend and into the following week. It turns out that glamour takes a bit more reflection than I had anticipated!  (That’s one of the reasons why I enjoy Fiona’s books – her ideas often spark many follow-on questions and thoughts.)

I can definitely write about what is NOT glamorous. I was able to zero in on those things in a heartbeat. On the list of the non-glamorous: the pile of paper recycling that was leaning drunkenly on the small settee near my desk. Ditto the smudges and glass rings on my desktop. Hmmm, and then my sad, worn-out summer sandals from this summer certainly don’t bring the word “glamour” leaping to mind.

So, after a lightning quick tidying spree in my little office area (as well as a quick summer sandal purge), I sat back down to consider the word “glamour” (in terms of personal appearance and surroundings) and what it conjured up in my mind. Certainly, good quality things and tip-top condition are pre-requisites. Elegance is also a requirement. But good quality, condition, and elegance are not enough just by themselves. Glamour requires some quality over and above elegance, condition, and quality.

I googled glamour images and stumbled upon images from the movie, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. Now, THOSE two women had, to my eye, some serious glamour mojo going on in that movie! (Note: I’m not looking at their actual lives off screen as real live human beings – although I did discover that Jane Russell was a successful businesswoman and philanthropist as well as a successful actress. Monroe’s life was more tragic.) I was interested in studying Russell’s and Monroe’s characters in the film – how they dressed and moved – to discover the details that made their overall images scream “Glamour” to me.

I did note that both Russell and Monroe had perfect posture in every image. Even seemingly “slumped” at a cafe table (in Paris, of course!), the two had straight shoulders and backs. Also, every outfit they wore emphasized their waists. Cute belts and fitted waistlines on dresses and skirts were in every scene. I will point out that, except for their “on stage” singing and dancing scenes and evening wear, both women showed almost no skin. That’s right – their daywear looks had necklines all the way up to their necks (or higher) and skirt hems were quite below the knee. And no outfit was stretchy, form-fitting tight (although each outfit was “form conscious” – as in, neither Russell nor Monroe wore anything that fell straight from the shoulder like a shift dress.)

So exactly how did Monroe and Russell give off that aura of old Hollywood glamour? I can’t pinpoint the details yet, myself. But I am now intrigued enough that I want to discover exactly what made it happen (and how a few small details could be applied to my “look” and surroundings!)