The Swing Book (28 page)

The Collegiate Guy

Tie Clips:
Nothing looks better than a tie held down with a great clip—witness Vince Vaughn in the Vegas scenes in
Swingers.
They range from simple (a basic bar) to expensive (with diamonds) to trompe l’oeil swords (designed to appear that they have
been stuck through the tie).

Underwear:
Boxers, of course, in silk or rayon. “But it’s also kind of fun to wear a pair of nylon underwear with a matching pair of
nylon socks,” says Siegel’s Gardner.

Starter Kit:
Step into a floral rayon forties dress with a straight skirt, a pair of open-toe chunky heels, and some seamed stockings.
Tuck a gardenia behind your ear. Add a pair of Bakelite button earrings. Apply bright red lipstick. You’re ready for your
pinup.

Dresses and Skirts:
It don’t mean a thing if your skirt ain’t got that swing. Whether you go for straight knee-length skirts of the forties (like
the pleated styles brought back by designer Marc Jacobs) or the fuller fifties circle skirts (the New York label Tuleh is
successfully reviving the look), you’ll want an item that moves as well as you do. “Some dresses look great but don’t move,”
says Graciela Ronconi, owner of San Francisco’s Guys and Dolls vintage store. “Like a Marilyn Monroe dress with long sleeves
that’s off the shoulder and tight with a narrow skirt. That’s good for wallflowers only.”

Classic styles—dresses usually have fitted waists and often belts—include floral prints, ginghams, checks, and polka dots
and, in a nod to Carmen Miranda, anything with fruit, especially cherries. “Cherries go fast,” says Leann Wright of Guys and
Dolls. But what really defines a forties dress is the fabric. The cheapest and easiest to find are dresses in rayon, either
in crepes or gabardines. “They are easy to move in and shouldn’t be that expensive—maybe forty to sixty dollars,” adds Wright.
Considerably more expensive are such rare finds as originals by Christian Dior, Adrian (the famous movie costume designer
opened his own shop in Beverly Hills in 1942), and Elsa Schiaparelli. Don’t count on finding one anytime soon. Most are in
museums.

Because vintage dresses can often be quite fragile, buying a reproduction or making your own dress is often a good alternative.
“Our line is designed specifically for the well-dressed dancer,” says Revamp’s Firley, “so that you can go out and not have
to worry about your clothing falling apart on the dance floor.”

Hair:
Getting your locks to look like Betty Grable, Veronica Lake, or the Andrews Sisters isn’t easy. Back in the day, setting
hair into intricate forties styles took lots of time and even more know-how. The era’s hairdos were like living sculptures,
usually including pin-curled bangs piled high in the front, hair pulled back on the side, and cascading waves flowing down
the back of the head. Setting the hair required using wet sets and painstakingly creating each invidual curl.

But don’t be scared off. The W.A.K. Shack’s Kim Long advises tracking down photos in vintage magazines and watching old movies
to see examples of the many varied styles. “I know plenty of girls who just find pictures and learn by doing,” she says, adding
that “you should find the place in town where the old ladies get their hair done.” Also, many swingzines regularly run features
on setting hair in an authentic period style. And don’t forget that one of the nice benefits of styling hair this way is that
the do should last for a couple days. (Once the hair is set, it’s best to do a movement test. Hop around a bit, and if a curl
falls out of place, spray it back down.)

Should you not want to submit to the full monty—an authentic forties hairstyle can take more than forty-five minutes to complete—celebrity
hairstylist Kevin Mancuso, author of the book
The Mane Thing,
recommends a simpler approach. “As long as the hair is a little bit polished and turned under and has a little bit of a wave
to it and it’s pulled back on the sides, it automatically becomes that forties thing. You could achieve a similar silhouette
with a curling iron or hot rollers and lots of product. Sculpt the hair with your hands, pin it or roll it, and create the
shape you want. It should look soft and full, done but a little bit undone.” Either way, making the effort goes a long way.
“Nothing looks worse than wearing a nice vintage dress and having a plain straight hairdo,” says Kim Long. “Nothing completes
an outfit better than having your hair done and nothing makes it as polished.”

Dolls Starter Kit

Makeup:
“Basically the makeup is like a very subtle drag queen’s,” jokes Angella Mendillo, a makeup artist who’s researched forties
looks. “It’s very extreme, even though it’s not a lot of makeup. You want to do a very clean face, a sheer foundation with
a good powder. You need high arched eyebrows—no bushy eighties brows. Curl the lashes and put on lots of mascara, though keep
the eyelids pretty clean. And, of course, you want outlined lips with a very bold red lipstick.” Mendillo recommends reds
from M.A.C. Cosmetics, plus Revlon’s Cherries in the Snow. “It was made in the fifties and you can still get it,” she says.
Finish off the face by making a black beauty mark—or buy some of Temptu’s great temporary tattoo beauty marks. Says Mendillo:
“One little black mole really brings it all together.”

Tops:
What’s a sure-shot way of looking like Rita Hayworth? Tie a shirt at the midriff like the famous pinup girl did in
You Were Never Lovelier.
“I love tying a shirt because it’s easier to dance when you’re not worried about keeping your shirt tucked in,” says Leann
Wright. Other can’t-lose styles include tiny cardigans, beaded tops, and simple horizontal-striped sailor T-shirts.

Shoes:
Comfort comes first (so think about wearing insoles too). But taking care of your feet doesn’t mean you need to sacrifce
stylishness. Spectator shoes are the sharpest and most popular style, in either flats, open-toe pumps, or wedgies. Other possibilities
include strappy heels, fifties-style saddle shoes, or Mary Janes with buckles (the shoe is named after the girl in the Buster
Brown cartoons). A greater challenge for dancing is platforms, which, believe it or not, weren’t invented in the seventies.
Ferragamo made unbelievable pairs—some with rainbow stripes—way back in the thirties. What makes a forties shoe distinct?
The blunt toe and a slightly chunky heel that isn’t too high. Those pointy five-inch stilettos didn’t become popular until
the fifties. “I personally recommend dancing in either very low heels or flats. It’s a whole lot easier on your legs,” says
Annamarie Firley of Revamp. “Also, if you end up stepping on somebody it’s nicer not to have a stiletto heel plunge through
the center of their foot.”

Eyeglasses:
Who cares about the forties when fifties specs are so much more fun? Grab a pair of cat’s-eyes glasses—with faux jewels on
the rims—and prowl for the perfect partner. (Forties glasses tend to be more square.) The range of styles is limitless. “The
coolest glasses I ever saw,” says Leann Wright, “were these white shades with red Bakelite cherries hanging from them.”

Gloves:
Nobody wears gloves today, goes the common lament. So help bring these stylish accessories back. The most popular are black,
though gloves were often dyed to match a dress, so they can be found in scads of colors. And try them in all sizes, from short
to evening length (the most difficult to find in vintage).

Hair Accessories:
Once you’ve got your bangs and pincurls set just right, nothing adds to the forties feel more than a scarf, a bow, or some
flowers, especially gardenias. And don’t buy the buds yourself—send your gent to the florist to get ’em. But if you want to
try a truly remarkable look, slip your hair into a snood, the classic thick hair nets from the period (generally available
in black, white, and natural). How did a hair net become a trendy accessory? Snoods became popular after famed costume designer
Adrian put Hedy Lamarr in one in the 1940 film
I Take This Woman.
During the war they became a quick, easy way for busy women to wear their hair. “It very distinctly says the war years,”
says Al Ribaya, owner of San Francisco’s Martini Mercantile vintage chain. “In factories, women had to keep their hair from
being caught in machines or tools.”

Handbags:
The choices are legion, but among the coolest handbags to watch out for are forties pieces that have wooden clasps (metal
was scarce during the war) and those unbeatable hard plastic Lucite bags from the fifties. How about a clear pink one with
rhinestones?

Hats:
Don’t follow any rules here. Just find a hat you love. Women’s hat styles are as varied as flowers in the garden. But keep
an eye out for those quintessentially forties hats worn by Wacs (in the Women’s Army Corps) and women in the Red Cross.

Jewelry:
In the mid-thirties, more than two thirds of the costume jewelry sold in the United States was made from Bakelite, a plastic
created by chemist Leo Bakeland early in the century.