Vintage Do's: The Bob

Louise Brooks

Lily Elsie, Edwardian Actress

 No other fashion trend in history has caused more controversy than the defining hairstyle of the 1920s. The original bob was an ear-length level blunt cut, worn with short bangs or clipped off to the side. It was a simple style but drastically different from popular longer hairstyles of the era, such as the Gibson.

Irene Castle, c.1915

It all started in 1915 with the debut of the "Castle Bob", named for the first woman credited  with doing the do'. The first "official" bob was more about  convenience than anything else. Irene Castle, a famous ballroom dancer in the early 1900s, first cut her hair short as a young school girl to hide the fact that she was sneaking off to go swimming during classes. Friends and classmates copied her look but outraged parents and school officials forced them to be decent young ladies and grow their hair back. Irene would again cut her hair short a few years later as professional dancer. This time her trendsetting cut would trigger a whole fashion revolution.

The bob cut was rebellious, scandalous, and liberating, perfect for the more open-minded youth of the day who were so willing to step away from the strict social rules of the Victorian and Edwardian era.

Colleen Moore

In the beginning of the 1920s, the bob was a style that only the most daring young women would wear. It was still completely unacceptable for young ladies to wear such an unladylike, boyish hairstyle.  It wasn’t until Hollywood stepped in that the trend really took off. In the 1923 silent film "Flaming Youth", actress Colleen Moore played a flapper who bobbed her hair. After this, many actresses and well known flappers, such as Louise Brooks and Clara Bow, bobbed their hair, officially making the bob a symbol of the flapper.

Barbershop c.1920s

Barber cutting a bob

Women’s hairstylists were not happy with the new trend. They only had experience with styling long hair and weren’t able to cut the new short do's. Women who wanted bobs had no choice but to go to men’s barbers. Barbershops were filled with long lines of women waiting to be bobbed and unhappy men. At one point there were reports of up to 2,000 bobs per day. Hairstylists soon realized that if they wanted to keep business going they would have to learn how to cut short hair. As their skills improved, more sophisticated cuts and styles emerged.

Styling bobs

The Shingle Bob

The shingle or the "boyish bob" was introduced in the mid 1920's. Hair was cut really short, then tapered into a V-shape at the nape of the neck with either waves or spit curls at the sides. The older generation hated this cut even more than the regular bob.

By the late 1920s,  the shingle bob or any bob for that matter, would no longer be considered scandalous. Women had clearly made their point – they had every right to look as they pleased.  Severe bobs would stay in the 1920s as the 1930s would usher in softer, more feminine styles.

Bob variations

P.S.
Irene Castle's haircut was not the only major fashion trend she helped start up. Her famously designed dresses(by Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon) began the transition from the more formal Edwardian dresses to the  flapper styles of the 1920's.

Irene Castle

When Life Hands You More Lemons...

Yes even your bath, teeth, figure & family need lemons...more tips from "Lemons for Loveliness", the California Fruit Growers recipe book and guide, c.1935

 For your bath & teeth

 For your figure

 Tips for the whole family

And finally, maintain that loveliness with a week long beauty routine

Enjoy!

When life hands you lemons, it's spa time...

Holiday season already working your last nerve? De-stress and be gorgeous with some vintage beauty tips & tricks from "Lemons for Loveliness", the California Fruit Growers recipe book and guide, c.1935

Lemon rinses for healthy hair

Dry Hair Issues

Oily Hair & Dandruff

Lemon Treatments for your skin

Normal skin & Beauty Tips

Pores, Blackheads, & Acne...oh my

Lemons to Banish Wrinkles

Freckles and Dealing with Oily & Dry Skin 

Retro Recipes...Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing

Old fashioned cornbread dressing? Yes please!

This has got to be my favorite recipe for Thanksgiving dressing ever. I remember my first attempt at cooking a whole Thanksgiving dinner. It was pretty much a disaster save for this dish. I really wanted to make a dressing that was like my grandmother's. I tore through every cookbook I had with no luck. Every recipe was more gourmet than "down home". By some lucky chance, I happened to find this recipe reprinted in our local newspaper's Thanksgiving section. It's been a part of my much improved Thanksgiving menu ever since. It's simple, adaptable, and "omfg I ate it all" good. Enjoy :)

Grandmother's Favorite Dressing 

by Ann Criswell, former Houston Chronicle Food Editor

   1  quart day-old bread crumbs
   1  quart crumbled corn bread
   1  quart crumbled biscuits
   1  cup chopped onion (including about  1/4 cup chopped green
      onions with tops)
   1  cup chopped celery
   1/4  cup finely chopped fresh parsley
   1 1/2  teaspoons sage
   1  teaspoon salt
   1/4  teaspoon pepper
   2  to 4 cups (or more if needed) defatted turkey or chicken broth
   1/2  cup melted butter or margarine
   2  eggs, slightly beaten

      Combine all ingredients except broth, butter and eggs. Toss
well. Add broth, butter and eggs. Mix well, but lightly. Mixture
should be extra moist. Loosely stuff neck and body cavities of turkey, or for ease in
preparation and serving, cook separately in a well-greased baking
dish or casserole during the last 45 minutes of turkey roasting time.
   Blend stuffing from turkey with that baked separately before
serving. Makes 11 to 12 cups.
  Cook separately in a well-greased baking dish or casserole during the last 45 minutes of turkey roasting time.

Quick tips:
For my dressing, I use chicken broth and butter, not margarine. I also add a bit more celery. Aaand, I don't stuff my turkey, I bake it in a seperate dish. Remember, this is a delicious dressing on it's own, but it's a perfect base. You can add sliced mushroom,  browned sausage, giblets, boiled eggs, oysters, etc.

Retro Style Inspiration: Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn style was elegantly simple and sophisticated. There are three important things you must remember when emulating Audrey Hepburn's look: bold brows, defined lashes, and a neutral palette.

Audrey without make up

You must of course begin with a good foundation. Make sure to use a light touch and don't cover your face in a heavy, cakey foundation. This will only highlight imperfections. Choose a light foundation that will provide even coverage. You want to use a moisturizer to achieve a healthy glow rather than just a matte finish.  Use a sheer blush to add a natural tint to your cheeks, making sure that it doesn't over power your face. Using a large brush, begin at the apples of the cheek and brush upwards using light, circular strokes and blend well.

The focal point of Audrey's look were her eyes. Her personal make-up artist Wally Westmore was known to separate each one of Audrey’s eyelashes with a sewing pin to perfect her wide, doe-eyed look for the camera. You don't have to go those extremes to achieve the same look. Start by applying a soft beige eyeshadow to your entire eyelids as a base. Next blend a light brown eyeshadow into your eyelid crease, then blend a darker brown to the outer edge of your eye using a circular motion. You can also dab a shimmery white shadow to the inner corner of your eyelid to "open" the eye. Line the top lash line with a dark brown liner and wing the line out. The goal is to create an understated cat eye. Define the lower lash line by lightly tracing it. Use individual false lashes on the outer corners of your lash lines, to open and elongate the eye, extending the cat eye effect.  Then apply a mascara that lengthens and separates the lashes.


Another key part to the look are defined eyebrows. Audrey had naturally thick eyebrows that were impeccably groomed. Do not attempt to recreate her eyebrows by applying a heavy amount of eyebrow pencil or by darkening naturally light brows. It will look completely fail and unnatural. Instead groom and define what you have, following the natural shape. Use a taupe liner to then lightly pencil in any sparse areas of your eyebrows.

For lips, use a classic creamy red lipstick in a shade that compliments your complexion.

And remember...“Make-up can only make you look pretty on the outside but it doesn’t help if your ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the make-up.” -Audrey Hepburn

Adventures in Retro Wunderland...because one blog just isn't enough.

1927 White City Amusement Park