The corsage is probably fashion's first ever accessory: a spray of flowers pinned to clothes has always been the fastest - and most inexpensive - ways to decorate an outfit. But always glamorous...
Olivia de Havilland
Lisa Fonssagrives
Ingrid Bergman
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene with Douglas Fairbanks Jr, 1937
Vogue, 1946
Vogue, 1959
Carole Lombard
Marilyn Monroe
Sunny Harnett
Jacques Fath ball gown, 1953
Vogue, c.1940s
Jean Shrimpton
Manolo Blahnik and Anjelica Huston
Dress by Maggy Rouff, 1932
Model, c.1930s
Fashion editorial shot in Mexico for Vogue, 1968
Ann Sothern. Love the zebra set.
Suzy Parker
Rita Hayworth
Jeanne Crain in furs with a festive corsage
Vogue, 1949
Vogue, 1951
Life Magazine, c.1930s
Dina Merrill. Great manicure.
Life Magazine, 1951
Grace Kelly with real orchids on her neck
Maureen O'Hara
Tallulah Bankhead. Butter wouldn't melt...
Hedy Lamarr
Rita Hayworth and her luscious red hair
French model Capucine, c.1950s
Debutante, c.1930s
Marlene Dietrich: timeless style
Vogue 1951
Corsages continue appear on the runway every season. These blooms couldn't look less 'prom date'...
Giambattista Valli
Marc Jacobs
Dita von Teese in Alexis Mabille
Agyness Dean
Heidi Klum in vintage James Galanos
Fashion Gone Rogue
One of the reasons for a renewed interest in corsages is Carrie Bradshaw. For the first two seasons she was rarely seen without a flower pinned to her dress or coat.
For the final episode Carrie wore a Sonia Rykiel jumper with oversize fabric rosette, as a nod to her love of corsages. Unsurprisingly, it sold out everywhere.
Since Juno Says Hello began in 2009, we've sold several corsage dresses. This was one of my personal favourites - part of a collection that I bought from the estate of one of the original financiers of Disneyland California. A 1960s jade silk crepe dress with a shocking pink rose corsage on the back:
We sold this dress last year - a beautiful 1950s black grosgrain silk wrap-style frock with blue velvet rose detail:
We have an original 1950s prom dress in stock at the moment: pale lemon net with cornflower blue corsages on the skirt and bodice. To view in our online boutique click here.
Basia Zarzycka makes beautiful silk corsages using Victorian tools and flower presses. It's very difficult to leave her shop on Sloane Square empty handed! To view a selection of her corsages online click here. Please add other recommendations in the comments box.
The next blog will be beauty-focused: manicures. From the half-moon tips of the 1940s femme fatale to the red talons of the 1980s, plus beauty editorial pages from vintage Vogues and a competition to win Tom Ford nail polish.
The whirlwind of New York - London - Milan - Paris fashion weeks is now over. Click here to view our selection of the best looks from the designer AW13 collections.
Designers include Carolina Herrera, Tom Ford, Céline, Bottega Veneta, Balmain, Dsquared, L'Wren Scott and many more.
As usual we will be sourcing original vintage dresses that chime with contemporary style. The way we select our stock is by looking at the designer collections, then finding beautiful vintage frocks that correspond with modern trends.
We always have more stock in our central London studio than we could ever put online - if you are looking for something specific please get in touch and we will help you find the perfect dress.
Thursday is Valentine's Day. Love and commitment are all very well but if you want high-octane glamour, the temptress is a much more reliable source of fashion inspiration. Here's a selection of some of the most stylish (and dangerous) women of the 20th century:
Actress and bonne vivante Tallulah was born in the US but spent several years living in London, moving here for the first time in the late 1920s. On arrival she bought a huge Bentley to cruise around Mayfair. Known for her wild parties, Tallulah ran into trouble with the law when MI5 started investigating her for allegedly corrupting pupils at Eton. Official documents indicated that she seduced up to half a dozen boys into taking part in 'indecent and unnatural' acts. But the girl knew how to dress...
'I've had many momentary love affairs. A lot of these impromptu romances have been climaxed in a fashion not generally condoned. I go into them impulsively. I scorn any notion of their permanence. I forget the fever associated with them when a new interest presents itself'
Another Hollywood actress known for being deliberately provocative was Mae West. Her improvised lines could be so controversial that she was often the victim of censorship - something that would eventually persuade West to stick to the stage (performing or writing) instead of the screen. Her plays - including The Wicked Age, The Constant Sinner and Pleasure Man - were always packed out.
In 1933 she played opposite Cary Grant in She Done Him Wrong, one of the most successful movies of her career and source of her most quoted line...
At the age of 61, West became romantically involved with one of the young musclemen in her Las Vegas stage show. Despite the 30-year age difference, they fell in love and he stayed with her until her death in 1980.
German-American Marlene Dietrich was one of the most enigmatic stars to emerge from Hollywood. Her glacial demeanour brought a complexity to her roles as an exotic dancer or temptress.
In 1930 she made Morocco, a movie about a cabaret singer and Legionnaire who fall in love. In one scene (around the one minute mark in the clip below) Dietrich dresses in a man's tuxedo and kisses a female member of the audience - scandalous at the time, and still riveting to watch.
Dietrich was very protective over her private life, where she was openly bisexual. During the 1920s she frequented the legendary drag balls in Berlin and surrounded herself with avant-garde personalities from the cabaret scene.
Later in her career Dietrich took up residency in Vegas as a highly-paid cabaret artist. Her costume designer was Jean Louis, who created a wardrobe of daringly transparent dresses, covered only by a swansdown cape.
Her frosty allure drove American audiences wild.
But of course, they had vamps of their own...
For many vintage fashion aficionados, Rita Hayworth is the epitome of Hollywood glamour. Her erotic appeal is at its peak in 1946 movie Gilda, a stylish film noir where Hayworth plays an irresistible femme fatale. Halfway through the film she performs an energetic dance in a skin-tight black satin dress, peeling off one glove before tossing it into the audience. This scene continues to inspire burlesque acts all over the world, but the real moment where she seduces us happens much earlier. Skip to 01m00s to watch her tantalising hair-flick... a move she could have trademarked.
Costume designer Jean Louis was responsible for Hayworth's luscious gowns. The actress married five times and her third husband was Prince Aly Khan, son of the Aga Khan. Christian Dior gave Hayworth a selection of dresses from his seminal 1947 'New Look' collection for her bridal trousseau.
Her sultry beauty and long red hair provided the inspiration for Jessica Rabbit - as well as this more recent magazine cover featuring Rosie Huntington-Whiteley:
Another film noir femme fatale was Lana Turner. Famous for her platinum blonde hair and pin-up looks, she appeared in 1946 movie The Postman Always Rings Twice sporting a chic white turban. Here she seduces co-star John Garfield using that ol' lipstick trick...
In an era before 18 certificate movies, actresses needed to be able communicate through nothing more than a knowing look.
Lauren Bacall had a distinctive husky voice and penetrating gaze. Here she makes mincemeat of real-life husband-to-be Humphrey Bogart in 1946 movie To Have And Have Not:
Her legacy continues into the 21st century: Dior styled Karlie Kloss to resemble Bacall - complete with film noir set - in their Spring 2010 campaign.
The cryptic charms of the film noir vixen stood in stark contrast to another femme fatale of the time: the European bombshell. Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale (seen here duelling against one another in 1971 French 'western' Les Pétroleuses), Gina Lollobrigida and Anita Ekberg (of Trevi Fountain fame) all set fire to the screen in 1950s and 1960s. But Queen Sophia reigned supreme:
In 1963 she starred opposite Marcello Mastroianni in Oscar-winning movie Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. In this scene she performs a striptease as he sits on the bed, howling with pleasure:
That's not to say that hourglass figures couldn't be found outside of Europe. Measuring a mind-boggling 35-24-35, Marilyn Monroe sashayed onto the screen in 1950 movie All About Eve playing a dizzy ingénue. Just three years later she would be cast in the most seductive role of her career: cunning adulteress Rose Loomis in Niagara.
This particular red dress - designed by Dorothy Jeakins - was copied in department stores all over the US after the movie's release. Here Marilyn poses in a wardrobe test for the film:
Followers of Juno Says Hello on Twitter know by now that I post this clip as often as I can... something about the California garden set, the bourbon and the bossa nova soundtrack just make me wish I was a fly on the wall in this exchange:
But really, it's all about the dress. It's only down to Mrs Robinson's amazing cocktail wardrobe that she is able to pull off this kind of passive-aggressive seduction with such aplomb. In fact I tracked down a similar dress to the one she wears in the that clip - click here to view in the online boutique. All of her outfits feature some kind of animal print - hailing her predatory nature.
As a tongue-in-cheek nod to Valentine's Day we've uploaded a selection of dresses that speak to the sweetheart (or vamp) in all of us - to view in our online boutique click here. For our gentlemen readers, we sell gift vouchers in any amount made from beautiful 1940s erotic playing cards. Get in touch and let us know how we can help you find the perfect vintage dress for your girl.
Valentine's Day is next week - here's our selection of the the most beautiful lingerie. Give him the kind of heart attack he'll enjoy.
Silk chiffon gown by Lucile
Lucile is a luxury lingerie label and all garments are handmade in England. The designs are inspired by Lady Duff Gordon - read the full story here.
Midnight blue set by Rigby & Peller
Rigby and Peller holds a Royal Warrant of Appointment and has recently revamped their designs. See their latest collection here.
Monochrome set from Fox & Rose
London-based Fox & Rose sell fashion-led designer lingerie. All items are gift-wrapped and they are currently offering 20% off at the checkout. To view their online store click here.
Polka dot set from Yes Master
Yes Master is one of the most progressive and stylish lingerie brands in the UK. A selection is sold at Topshop and If You Please.
Mesh set from Mis-en-Cage
Paris-based label Mis-en-Cage create high-concept lingerie with an edge. To browse their online boutique click here.
Sheer body by Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney's lingerie range is very understated but always looks good. Coco de Mer carry a selection of stock and offer free delivery.
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