CHRISTIANNE BAKEWELL COSTUME DESIGN
  • Portfolio
    • Design
    • Construction
    • Sketches
  • About
  • Contact

My love of "killer fashion"

8/26/2019

1 Comment

 
I have written about different "killer fashions" on this blog before:
  • killer-clothing.html
  • sample-pack-makeup-history-lipstick.html
  • sample-pack-makeup-history-rougeblush.html
  • sample-pack-makeup-history-eye-makeup.html
​I find the lengths we as humans have gone to be "stylish" insane. Any new little snippet of information about such-and-such a person in such-and-such an era doing such-and-such to be fashionable I gobble up like a cat sneaking into your tuna fish sandwich. It is something Costume Design adjacent that I do as a hobby. If there is ever a deadly fashion section of jeopardy I will gladly be your phone a friend if you promise to pay for another few books on the subject. (Does jeopardy have phone a friend or is that just Millionaire?) 
Recently I finally got my hands on a small book I have been wanting for quite some time:
Killer Fashion by Jennifer Wright. I went down to my local used book store (go green!) and found they had a copy! I have been eyeing this book as it blends together two of my favorite "odd" loves; Edward Gorey style art/poems and deadly fashion facts. This little 55 page book is a joy at every page turn.
It has also given me some more deadly fashion topic ideas to research. For instance, did you know in the 1920s some women would manicure their nails with radium to make their nails glow and sparkle in the low light of the night clubs?! Maybe I need to make an addendum to my nail polish history post.  
1 Comment

Sample Pack Makeup History: Nail Polish

8/27/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
1930 nail polish ad with popular nail polishes from Cutex a popular nail care company from 1911 and still around today!
After working on a period show in which the actresses were costumed with specific nail polish colors, I got thinking about this series and the history of nail polish. When was nail polish first used? Who used it? What were popular colors in different time periods?

The first type of nail polish that Archaeologists have found was for soldiers in Babylon. In 32,000 BCE, soldiers would stain their nails before battle with green or black khol as a type of war paint. It was an elaborate prebattle ritual and each soldier was said to have his own nail kit. 

Others say nail polish was first used in China. The colors came from vegetable dyes. Other ingredients included bees wax and gelatin. In Ancient Egypt nail polish colors were used to signify your class status. High society wore red nails. Some believe the trend has continued through history from the Ancient Egyptians. 

Then a large gap in our nail art happened. What we see as modern nail polish was not used until the 1920's when the Revlon company partnered with Michelle Ménard to create a nail lacquer inspired by car finishes. The "moon manicure" was popular with the nail mostly painted but leaving a crescent unpainted on the tip; like a reverse french manicure. Nail oils and "tints" were popular before 1920's but they were not similar to the lacquers we use today. 
​
1950s acrylic nails were invented by a dentist! Using his dental acrylic after breaking a nail at work, he created a pretty great fake nail. Later in the 1970's the French Manicure was created in Paris. The manicure didn't clash with the various costume changes models need to do during fashion shows. 

1980s Essie nail polish becomes a household name. With fun polish names like "miss fancy pants" it is no wonder why many nail painters use this brand. 

From 100 layer nail polish challenges to pierced nail jewelry there are so many different ways to create a unique expression today. 

References: 
​A Fascinating History of Nail Polish-Mental Floss
Nail Polish Facts-Weird History of Nail Polish-Good Housekeeping
The History of the Flapper Part2-Smithsonian
Vintage Nail Art to Inspire Your Next Mani- Modcloth
1 Comment

Sample Pack Makeup History-Lipstick

8/6/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
As you can see by the title and the lovely image of my inner 80' Madonna child coming out, it is lipstick time on "Sample Pack Makeup History"!
​Many different civilizations wore lip stains or tints. Some believe it was as a protection much like chapstick or lip balm is used in more modern eras. 
As with most "Sample Pack" articles we start with the Egyptians. Although they are most well known for their "kohl" eye makeup, the Egyptians also used lip stain. ​(See the beet juice stain and cheek stain from the previous "Sample Pack Makeup History" article) Cleopatra was thought to use a lipstick made from carmine beetles and fish scales to create a shimmery look.  
Roman men and women also tinted their lips with, you guessed it lead...when will they ever learn? In China lip color was mixed with beeswax to help with application. Lip stain was also added to small sheets of paper, dried, and applied to the lips (see here). The Chinese also added essential oils to their beeswax and lipstick paper. 
Solid lipstick wasn't really around until the Islamic Golden Age when a surgeon and chemist Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi perfected a solid lipstick formula. Thanks to him we have the solid lipsticks found on makeup shops today! (Al-Zaharwi is considered one of the Middle Age's best surgeons.) Cosmetics and makeup was considered a branch of medicine. This makes sense as the Egyptians and Chinese were also thought to use makeup for medicinal reasons. 
​Lip color was banned by many religious groups during the European Middle Ages. It was considered a connection with the devil and reserved for the lowest class, prostitutes. 
In the UK during Elizabethan times, lipstick became popular for a short time. Lipstick was made of red stain and beeswax and only actors and high class women could wear it. After it's short stint in the spotlight during Elizabeth I's reign, lipstick fell out of favor. Only actors and prostitutes wore it until it gained popularity when the French perfumeries began producing it. The lipstick during this time was not in the twist or push up tube we know today. It was usually applied with a brush.  
Lipstick really hit its stride at the turn of the 20th century. New inventions allowed the makeup to be widely used such as the swivel tube which was patented in the 1920's. 
In the 1950's the first long lasting lipstick was created by American chemist Hazel Bishop. Actresses such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor popularized the vivid red lipstick we associate with the 50's. 
After the early 1960's bright red lipstick was replaced by a variety of paler colors. The eyes were more important. Following this in the very late 1970's bright lipstick regained it's spot in makeup bags coming in more colors than just shades of red and pink. In the 1990's lining your lips with a darker shade than your lipstick became a fad and could be seen on celebrities like Madonna.
As we have learned with most makeup we have covered so far, lipstick has been made out of some deadly ingredients. There's lead again, but this time it's not just back in the Roman era. As late as 2009 the FDA found traces of lead in nearly every sample of lipstick that it tested! This is extra alarming as it has been estimated that those of us who wear lipstick regularly accidentally eat about 4 pounds of the stuff in our lifetime! Be a safe shopper and do your own research on your favorite brands. 

References:
  • Lipstickhistory.com
  • Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia by Josef Meri
  • Why'd They Wear That? Fashion as the Mirror of History by Sarah Albee
  • Survey of Historic Costume 5th Edition by Phyllis G Tortora and Keith Eubank
  • Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge
I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Sample Pack Makeup History". If you want to dive deeper check out the resources above, and if you are a more visual learner check out these videos!
  • History of Lipstick-Safiya Nygaard (I have mentioned some of Safiya's videos before. She also does some fun style videos for different decades such as the 70's and 2000's) 
  • 5000 Years of Lipstick-Allure

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Topics

    All
    Collaboration
    Curious Fashion History
    Graduate School
    History's Halloween Costumes
    Planet Friendly Costuming
    Sample Pack Makeup History
    Theatre News/History
    Thoughts
    Wigs

    Archives

    July 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

Picture
Portfolio
About
Contact
  • Portfolio
    • Design
    • Construction
    • Sketches
  • About
  • Contact