Oh, to live in a world filled with beauty and glamour. A world where solid gold compacts are given away as party favors, and owning four hundred gowns is normal. But then, if you'd been a Hollywood star of the '30s or '40s, this would have been downright mundane. The Power of Glamour is a glittering trip through the lives of 11 legends of the silver screen. From Gloria Swanson to Marlene Dietrich, the book's series of brief biographies lingers on the periods when the stars were most coveted, the time when every woman in America wanted to be just like them.
Hollywood stars of this time were not just fashion and cosmetics like so many of today's actresses. Women like Joan Crawford and Carole Lombard held people in their thrall, wherever they were. These stars could hold the attention of a crowd upon entering a room, just as they could in any performance they gave on film. They were conscious of glamour, conscious to the point where it became part of their everyday persona. Their roles as icons of the '30s resonate today, as they set the pattern for stardom that actresses have continued to emulate.
The book is scattered with photographs, most of them casual ones from the stars' own collections. These are absorbingly different to the usual studio stills one sees from this period. And we get to see how the stars took their style from the screen into their everyday lives. These were not women who would ever dream of posing Demi Moore-style on the cover of Vanity Fair or wander through an airport without their makeup in place. Theirs was a glamour that never had a crack in the veneer.
As well as glitz and gowns, The Power of Glamour also lets us in on the Hollywood tittle-tattle of the time. Not that Street has the right to talk, but apparently Norma Shearer seduced 16-year-old Mickey Rooney in his dressing room. And the floor of Marlene Dietrich's bedroom was flooded in light so her lover could find his clothes whilst Dietrich remained shrouded in darkness. Theta take note.
The Power of Glamour is totally riveting, and makes you feel as though your average morning beauty routine is probably less than these ladies used for their pet dogs. Still, there can be no denial of their influence over their fans. A copy of Joan Crawford's dress from the film Letty Lynton sold over 500,000 copies in Macy's during 1932. Can't see the gang from American Pie 2 doing that anytime soon.
