The Golden Era's *ugliest* clothes

[Lauren]

dhermann1, sorry to disappoint, but it looks like what I would wear, especially the striped tunic! lol
NEAT. Now I have an excuse to wear my stripey socks with saddle shoes

 

[23SkidooWithYou]

I adore ribbons and bows, even big ones, and round collars, but for some reason this doesn't appeal to me... or does it?

Natalie Wood 1956

Ha! Now that's what I call carefully executed Studio planning! If Nat was going to be seen with the King, there would be absolutely NOTHING for the gyromaniac to look up, down, or through. She's wrapped up as tightly as her image was back then.

 

[Lady Day]

I *really* like that belted blouse. A lot.

LD

 

[Barbigirl]

1983

This is the wrong era, (it's 1983), but it is soooo bad maybe it can be an honorable member of this thread. Could it be a joke? I know I didn't wear anything like that in 1983!

This reminds me of a variation of a dress that Princess Diana wore once. At least I hope after she saw the paprazzi photo she only wore it once.

 

[Miss Sis]

Mmmm, a striped belted blouse! Far from ugly. Awesome - I like!

 

[DandyRags]

Tried to salvage a maternity dress gone bad!

This reminds me of a variation of a dress that Princess Diana wore once. At least I hope after she saw the paprazzi photo she only wore it once.

This will hide a multitude of figure issues lol

 

[Lenore]

This will hide a multitude of figure issues lol

Yes, but is hiding those issues worth it? [huh]

 

[dhermann1]

The Sack Dress

The sack dress came in for some massive flack when it first came out around 1958. Well deserved, I must say.

 

[Christy]

In That's Entertainment III, Debbie Reynolds tells how the original version of Two Faced Woman was performed by Cyd Charisse in The Band Wagon, a musical of the same year, but was cut for time. Comparing the two would make you cry (if seeing Joan in blackface didn't already!)

Eeek! I haven't seen this movie, but this photo from it is not attractive at all! I've never been fond of Joan Crawford's appearance though so I might be judging it quite harshly.

 

[Foofoogal]

Mmmm, a striped belted blouse! Far from ugly. Awesome - I like!

me too. I love the blouse.

 

[Miss 1929]

Eeek! I haven't seen this movie, but this photo from it is not attractive at all! I've never been fond of Joan Crawford's appearance though so I might be judging it quite harshly.

She was gorgeous in the early 30s, but became a caricature of herself as time went on. But that Blackface thing is wrong on so many levels.

 

[Christy]

She was gorgeous in the early 30s, but became a caricature of herself as time went on. But that Blackface thing is wrong on so many levels.

I haven't actually seen her in the 1930's, just in her later years. I've only seen one of her movies, 'Autumn Leaves' and I thought it was just ok. I'll have to find some of her earlier work.

 

[swingkitten85]

She was gorgeous in the early 30s, but became a caricature of herself as time went on. But that Blackface thing is wrong on so many levels.

I agree. I do like some of her older, campy movies (I love campy!), but my favorite Joan movies are the ones from the early 40s and before. She was really glamorous in the 30s! Just seeing that Blackface capture gives me the creeps...

 

[C-dot]

She was gorgeous in the early 30s, but became a caricature of herself as time went on. But that Blackface thing is wrong on so many levels.

I agree! Personally, I never found her stunningly beautiful, but when she was young, especially in the 20's and 30's, she was an attractive lady:

 

[Christy]

Wow, she is pretty, thanks for the photo c-dot. Why did she change her eyebrows? I think that's what bothers me about her look.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Oh my gosh, I HATED that movie! But I'm not a big Joan Crawford fan, anyways. Seeing her in this just made me writhe.

Even more painful to watch is seeing Joan Crawford attempting to sing and dance in the movie Hollywood Review of 1929.

 

[C-dot]

Wow, she is pretty, thanks for the photo c-dot. Why did she change her eyebrows? I think that's what bothers me about her look.

I know! Like Betty Draper said: "I don't understand her eyebrows. They're like huge caterpillars."

Did she think it would make her more youthful? Whatever it was, she thought wrong, if she went from this:

To this:

Her "Crawford smear" got larger, too!

 

[Christy]

lol I forgot about Betty Draper saying that! She doesn't even look like the same person when you look at the two photos.

 

[Lindabelle]

I think Joan still looked pretty in the 1940's. I just watched "A woman's face" (1941) and thought she was luminous. She had such emotion in her eyes. There was a sadness in those eyes. I agree the blackface picture is atrocious and extremely wrong. I think what happened to Joan has happened to many great actresses as they get older, their acting opportunities get very limited and they are forced to take what they can get to stay in the job they love. I prefer to remember the Joan from Mildred Pierce at her acting best.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I love Joan no matter what. She ain't bad in the Hollywood Revue -- but then again I have a tenderness for clunky early musicals.