Phantom Red: When a Horror Film set the Fashion

 

"It was a man dressed all in scarlet, with a huge hat and feathers on the top of a wonderful death's-head.  From his shoulders hung an immense red-velvet cloak, which trailed along the floor like a king's train; and on this cloak was embroidered, in gold letters, which everyone read and repeated aloud:
'Touch me not!  I am Red Death stalking abroad!'"
-quoted from The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux

  On September 6, 1925, the silent film horror masterpiece The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin, premiered in theaters.  The film, besides being known as the visual adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel of the same name, is one of the first films to include color sequences.  The "color" at the time was called Process 2 Technicolor, or Technicolor II, which was a base of two colors, red and green.  This process was used for the scenes of the party-goers at the masquerade ball, which is famously remembered by the dramatic entrance of the Phantom in a costume representing the Red Death, from Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Masque of the Red Death.  This scene, dazzling audiences with the bright red grandeur of his costume, caused a stir in the fashion scene.  

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  This bright, bold color was coined "phantom red", and Paris declared it the color of the fall/winter 1925-1926 season.  Store windows were essentially painted red as retailers took no time to advertise any and all products that could be produced in this color, from clothing, shoes, cosmetics, and even food.

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  As not only a fan of the film and the novel, but a collector of vintage cosmetics, I've been fascinated by this unique fashion history of a rare and seemingly unknown trend from the 1920's.  When browsing through Photoplay, Screenland, and other popular magazines of the time, there are somewhat subtle, yet copious advertisements featuring Mary Philbin that introduce Phantom Red Cosmetics, a cosmetic line from Carlyle Laboratories, Inc.  The company capitalized on the phantom red fame, selling lipsticks and rouge inspired by the fashionable color, as well as brow and eyelash products. 

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  These advertisements lasted until about 1930, when the Phantom Red line became just another cosmetic brand.  The advertisements, which always emphasized the "phantom-like" quality of the makeup(although wearing makeup was not as stigmatized as it was in years prior, it still liked to advertise itself as being subtle and natural), started to focus only on that, and no longer mentioned the film as its inspiration.  These advertisements also give a first look as to what the packaging actually looks like, since the advertisements from the 1920's don't really show them.

Note that even though the image of the Phantom is still on the compact, there isn't one mention of the film.
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I was never able to find the source of this image, which is a shame because it's the only color advertisement I've seen for Phantom Red.  Any information is greatly appreciated!

  In my research I've found almost no information after the early 1930's about this cosmetic line, and the name "phantom red" seemed to practically disappear as a color choice.  Its swift disappearance is also represented in its current rarity, as I've never once seen a Phantom Red lipstick outside of the later advertisements.  No matter how many years and how many hours I've spent scouring the internet to find a physical antique, the only Phantom Red product I've seen is a cardboard display for the brow product alone(and boy was it pricey!).

  However, after mostly giving up on ever adding a Phantom Red product to my cosmetic collection, my luck changed and I found an eBay seller offering a rouge compact sporting those coveted words "PHANTOM RED" on the lid.  My heart skipped a beat when I saw this, and although the compact was empty(and looks to have been heart-breakingly scrubbed clean), I couldn't resist adding this rare piece of 1920's fashion history to my collection, and promptly purchased it for far more than I would ever spend on an empty compact.

Although I am over the moon to have been able to add this to my collection, I will continue to look for my holy grail Phantom Red item, the lipstick.  How does the lipstick color compare to the Phantom's costume?  The tube from the 1930's is black, but what about the one from the 1920's?  Is it metal like the compact I own?  Since my compact doesn't look like the ones in the 1930's ads, when was mine produced?  What does the rouge powder look like, is it a true red, or just a bright pink, like most other rouge colors I've seen from the era?  With every answered question I have so many unanswered ones, but I'm holding out hope that one day I will know all there is to know about the rare, elusive, and bold color known as Phantom Red!

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Further Research:

Wikipedia: The Phantom of the Opera(film)
Wikipedia: The Phantom of the Opera(novel)
Wikipedia: Process 2 Technicolor
Phantom Colours: Alice Blue and Phantom Red; Changing Meanings of Two Fashionable Colours (1905-1930) - article about the impact of these colors

Vintage Project Spotlight: Harper's Bazar 1925 Inspired Blouse

This vintage project spotlight is on my Harper's Bazar 1925 inspired blouse.

  The inspiration for this blouse is from a fashion plate in Harper's Bazar magazine from January 1925.  The original design is from Nicole Groult, a French fashion designer who is sister to the famous designer Paul Poiret.  What I liked about this design was its fairly simple construction - kimono sleeves, loose and straight shape, with the only details being a V-necked tie collar and hip band.  This is my favorite type of blouse from this era - the drape-y nature and shape are comfortable, and it's one of the more flattering of the 1920s fashions.

  I used the bodice pattern from Simplicity 8506 to draft a very simple and boxy kimono shape.  For the tie collar, I used the long tie collar pattern piece from my 1923 dress and shortened it.  The hip band is just the bottom of the blouse pattern measurement, doubled, then doubled again, and about 5 inches wide(I wasn't too worried about exact measurement of the width, as long at it would turn out at least 2 inches wide).

The pattern(not to scale).  Front and back are the same except for the neckline, the back shown as a dotted line.  There are no closures, the v-neck is large enough to pull over the head.

  The original design is a multi-colored large floral print on black in rayon crepe.  I liked the look of it in black and white in the plate, so I went for that color scheme and happened upon a print that was somewhat close(large floral, but not as spread apart) and same type of fabric.  I also bought solid black rayon crepe for the tie collar and hip band, omitting the leaf pattern on the band.

The fabric.

  I finished all the seams by hand overcasting, and finished the inside collar and hip band by hand as well.  I'm not really a fan of bows, so I made the tie just long enough to tie in a knot, and made a separate bow on a pin so I would have the most versatility.

And here's the finished blouse!

  I'm very pleased with the outcome of this blouse, since the entire process was basically an experiment.  It isn't exactly like the fashion plate, but I think I captured the feeling and drape - and it's so comfortable!  Worn with a black twill skirt(made by me), the bow pinned on, Mae shoes by American Duchess in black, and Besame lipstick in 1925 Forever Red.

...And a bonus:

  Another reason I like this type of blouse is that it can also be styled 1930s.  The same blouse and skirt, but tucked in and worn with 1930s gloves, Huxley shoes by B.A.I.T Footwear in black/white, a 1930s bar pin instead of the bow, white hat from Target, and Besame lipstick in 1933 Merlot.

Restoring a 1920s Djer-Kiss Rouge Compact

   As someone who is trying to live a vintage style life, I like to incorporate vintage items into my life whenever I can. I love to collect vintage and antique makeup products and compacts, but I know better than to actually use these products. Not only have they been used and are incredibly expired, but who knows what sort of ingredients were considered 'safe' back when these products were first created. That being said, I also hate to remove the old makeup when it's in fairly good condition, not just for value's sake, but also to be able to see the original colors that were used at the time. However, I don't feel so bad about restoring items that are either in pretty rough shape already, have a cheap price tag, or even better, are lacking their original makeup which is what drives up their value. I was lucky enough to come across the most perfect item to start me on this mission - an empty 1920s Djer-Kiss rouge compact.

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  Djer-Kiss(pronounced 'deer-kiss') was a perfume company that delved into cosmetics(as many companies did when makeup became socially acceptable), running from around 1903 until the 1960s. They are famously known for their 'Kissing Fairies' line, including a very Art Nouveau style compact that is quite valuable.

I certainly don't have the deep pockets for such a beautiful piece, and I definitely wouldn't want to ruin its value by restoring it either!

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  The idea for this restoration was sort of an accident. I had bought a talc-free Physician's Formula blush a while ago which had sadly been moved around too many times and the powder inside just crumbled to pieces.

My poor destroyed Physician's Formula blush in 'Natural'.

  It has drifted around my home while I tried to figure out what to do with it, until I thought it's in the perfect state to be put into a different case. I tossed around the idea of just finding a photograph of an old rouge label and putting that on a new container, since most old compacts are too expensive to be messed with. In my research for simply a picture I found this compact. It's like it was meant to be - cheap, antique, without any makeup - just waiting for me to bring it back to life.

Condition of compact upon purchase. Wear scratches on the outside, sticker on bottom still intact, some powder floating around the inside, mirror complete, overall great shape for a makeup item from the 1920s!

The Supplies:

  First I cleaned the compact with q-tips and a little water, being thorough but not too harsh, and making absolutely sure not to get any water in the space behind the mirror. This can loosen the glue and make the mirror shift, which can ultimately lead to breakage.

All cleaned up!

  I then took the powder and mixed it with just enough isopropyl alcohol to make a slightly wetter toothpaste consistency(this is a common method of re-pressing powder cosmetics, and there are endless tutorials online. Note that the texture may change a bit, but seeing as this is blush and not eyeshadow where the texture is everything, I'm not too concerned*).

Before the alcohol.

After adding the alcohol.

  This paste I carefully put into the compact; a spoon was perfect for this job.

I was surprised to find that all the powder fit inside this tiny compact, the difference in size can be seen in the photograph. Just goes to show how much unnecessary packaging is used in cosmetics these days!

  Once the blush-paste was put inside the compact, I simply cleaned up the edges and let it sit out to dry for a few days.

Not the prettiest, but it'll work!

  And here it is! My very own 1920s blush, as if I stepped back in time and bought it from the local department store.

*The texture did change, it's harder than it was previously but not unusable.  I would, and may, do this again.




For more information on Djer-Kiss company and products:
The History of Djer-Kiss