Amongst the odd assortment, I stumbled upon two dresses from Mommie Dearest that were being sold as one lot. Mommie Dearest Film Costumes in My Private CollectionĪ few years ago, by sheer coincidence, I went to an auction at Bonhams, that consisted of clothing from some of the films that Angels has been involved in the production of. This post is my tribute to Joan Crawford, the style icon, and my excitement about owning a couple of garments designed by the great costume designer, Irene Sharaff. Let’s not forget that she was not the first or the last movie star portrayed by her child in a harsh, almost unbearable to read about, manner. Why am I sharing this with you? I want you to know that I love Crawford and take the Mommie Dearest book and its film adaptation with a grain of salt. Now, instead of trying to make them look smaller, I emphasize their size with the help of 1940s jackets. I used to hate my broad shoulders until I realised that they were almost identical in size to Crawford’s shoulders. How fortuitous that my body is so similar, shape-wise, to my biggest style inspiration, not counting my mom, Joan Crawford. I learned from watching my favourite movie stars, with a similar look and body type to mine, what styles of clothes worked and which ones didn’t. I so wanted to become THAT woman.īy the time I was a teenager, I’d seen almost every film with Crawford Davis, Hepburn and Hayworth. The hair, the make-up, and those magnificent gowns created by the most talented costume designers in Hollywood: Adrian, Edith Head, Orry-Kelly, and Irene Sharaff, helped transform every bland-looking actress into the most beautiful woman in the world. And from that moment on, I was hooked on the Hollywood glamour that became the inspiration for my look. I was about six years old when I first watched The Women (1939) and The Philadelphia Story (1940). I find their acting talent, beauty and immaculate sense of style simply intoxicating.

Suffice to say that I’m a huge fan of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn. Joan Crawford photographed by George Hurrell in 1936

Mummy dearest joan crawford