"It" - For the Gals.

[CanadaDoll]

For me, Mata Hari, Queen Elizabeth I (I think that's the one I'm thinking of) and Cleopatra were the queens of "it" srtong and seductive on their own terms, my vintage heroines.... Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

Marilyn was just plain hot, and handled her life's trials so gracefully, while Audrey was so calm and classy (which isn't to say Marilyn wasn't, just a different sort of class between the two)

 

[melankomas]

For me, Mata Hari, Queen Elizabeth I (I think that's the one I'm thinking of) and Cleopatra were the queens of "it" srtong and seductive on their own terms, my vintage heroines.... Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

Marilyn was just plain hot, and handled her life's trials so gracefully, while Audrey was so calm and classy (which isn't to say Marilyn wasn't, just a different sort of class between the two)

Hatshepsut would have Cleopatra for a mid-afternoon snack but i do see your point.

 

[Grantgirl]

I love this thread. The photos are GREAT. I haven't quite figured out the posting of them but I don't think anyone has mentioned Constance Bennett in Topper- She was adorable and pixie-like in the movie, very smart and funny. I loved the hair and clothes. That is the first time I had seen her in a movie and after that I wanted to look for her in other things.

I third, fourth, the votes for Myrna Loy. My favorite with her was the character of Nora in The Thin Man (first one). Her clothes were to DIE for and her sense of humor made the role.

oh and re: the Marilyn discussion- try watching gentlemen prefer blondes and see if you can take your eyes off of her in any scene. She dominates almost any scene just strictly based on the face, the body and the clothes. The haircolor doesn't hurt either. It almost glows around her face and makes her outshine any brunette she stands next to- male or female. She actually stands up very well next to Cary Grant in Monkey Business. Poor Ginger!

 

[Mojito]

Hatshepsut would have Cleopatra for a mid-afternoon snack but i do see your point.

Oooo...now there's an idea for a historic celebrity death match!

I'm not sure we know enough about Hatshepsut to know if she was the stronger/more ruthless character, however. Remarkable as she was, much of her story (as traditionally reconstructed) is highly conjectural, based as it is on fragmentary archaelogical evidence. The whole drama of the feuding Thutmosides - a historical narrative developed since the 19th century - now has quite a few question marks over it based on re-evaluation of the extant material. That she was strong we can safely state. That she was was ready to defy convention is a given. But Cleo VII was no slouch when it came to ruthlessness...if she had to destroy siblings like an inconvenient sister and a brother/co-pharaoh/husband, she did.

Two very formidable women, so any encounter between them at the height of their powers would be splendid to behold. And why not make it a three-cornered match and add Nefertiti into the mix as well? Evidently far more than just the beautiful bust that launched a million reproductions, the verdict is still out on whether her power was primarily in the spiritual spheres of Atenism or whether it extended to the political as well (or even if she ruled as co-Pharaoh and, just possibly, Pharaoh in her own right).

Apologies for this being a somewhat off-topic ramble...but I'm sure Nefertiti and Cleopatra had "It" (and perhaps Hatshepsut as well).

Anne Boleyn will always be my favourite historical "It" girl, though.