When I asked last week what people wanted to know more about, a lot of folks here and on the Patreon page said inspirations and sources. So, let’s start with Beatrix, her Hollywood inspired hair and 1940s underwear. I own several books on historical hair, but none of them discuss black hair styles. In fact, I don’t know of one that does (does anyone know of one?)
So, I went to look for the hairstyles of Hollywood black actresses of the time, as Hollywood was a leader in fashion during this era. I settled on this image of Theresa Harris. The still is from the 1948 thriller, “The Velvet Touch.” I don’t know much about Harris, except what I read on her Wikipedia page. She sounds like a strong interesting woman.
The paper doll’s 1940s underwear is based on a set sold from Sears in 1947. I used the Dover book, Everyday Fashions of the Forties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs. I chose this underwear to draw because I could draw the paper doll pants, someday. Most girdles I saw would not have made pants very viable and pants were finally coming into their own in the 1940s.
The paper doll’s shoes are all from various museums. She is wearing this pair from Gucci at The Met. And from top to bottom, she has a pair from 1942 from the V&A, a pair from the 1940s also from the V&A and a pair from 1942 from The Met. I tried to chose shoes that were interesting, but also typical from the period. You can see a bunch more shoes from my 1940s Fashion on Pinterest.
Any further questions? Let me know in a comment. I always like hearing from you guys.
Need a clothing for today’s paper doll? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing.
I like these theme weeks! The shoes are all fantastic and I can’t wait to see the wardrobe that goes along with this.