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

Historic Homes of America: Hackley & Hume Houses

 The Hackley and Hume Houses, located in Muskegon, Michigan, were the residences of Charles H. Hackley and his business partner Thomas Hume.  Hackley was the owner of the J.H. Hackley & Co. lumbering firm which he started with his father in 1859, and was joined by Hume in 1881 to create the Hackley and Hume lumbering firm.   The success of their lumbering company allowed Hackley to purchase land for his family's new home and sold part of it to his partner, who also built his family home there.  Both homes were designed by David S. Hopkins in the Queen Anne style, Hume's completed in 1888, and Hackley's in 1889.  The homes share the 'City Barn', a carriage house built between the houses.  Both homes stayed in the family until around the 1950's, and joined the list of National Register of Historic Places by 1972.  Both were fully restored and open for tours by 2017.

Hackley House

Hume House

Further Research:
Hackley & Hume Historic Site
Wikipedia: Charles H. Hackley House
Wikipedia: Thomas Hume House

Vintage Project Spotlight: 1935 Crochet Jacket, Reefer Jacket

This vintage project spotlight is on my 1935 crochet jacket, 'Reefer Jacket'*.

   I found this pattern here, and it seemed like a good first attempt at making a crochet garment since the stitch pattern is very simple, and a jacket is much more forgiving in shape than a fitted dress, for example.

   I decided to use a larger yarn than is required for the pattern, mostly since I was still fairly new to crochet and wanted this project to be challenging, but not frustrating(I started this project over a year ago!).  Using a larger yarn meant having to adjust the amount of stitches and rows, but I would have already had to do that to size up the pattern, so it almost evened out in the end.

I used size 4/medium acrylic yarn in a color that almost exactly matches my green Bakelite belt buckle, and a vintage Susan Bates size 8 aluminum crochet hook.

  I took a lot of notes while making this, and used sewing pattern pieces to give me an idea if the pieces would be the right size for me, which helped tremendously(I would highly recommend doing this if having to size up or size down a pattern).  My only major issue was my lack of knowledge - I didn't leave very long tails at knots and joins, and had a few panicked moments when the knots started to come undone.  I managed to use sewing thread to strengthen them, but the inside is atrocious because of this(luckily only I will see it!)

  And here's the finished jacket!  It's very warm, and very heavy from the double thread and the 15(!) skeins of yarn, so even though the original image makes it appear to be a spring jacket, mine is more of a winter one.  It's also not perfect.  First, if I made this again, I would forget about that back pleat - I think it would be much sleeker without it.  Also, I'm only now noticing something weird about where the sleeve is, like it looks too far forward compared to the original photo.  Still, it's very cozy, I learned a lot, and I can't wait to make another crochet garment!

*Note: 'Reefer' is not referring to what you think it is.  Reefer is an old sailor term for the peacoat-style coats they wore, presumably meaning 'reef' as in a coral reef. 

Reefer Jacket #159
Free Vintage Crochet: Patterns

The Wondrous World of Hair Waving Devices - A Collection

  My favorite vintage hairstyle has to be the beautifully sculpted waves of the 1920's-early 1930's.  Finger waves, water waves, Marcel waves - no matter if the hair was short or long, it was always in some sort of wave.  By the mid-1930's, waving one's hair was going out of style in favor of fluffier, less sculpted looks, and is a bit of a lost art.  In my vintage journey I've tried many times to achieve that iconic waved hair look, and what helped the most was using not only the same techniques, but as close to the original products as possible.  There are similar modern waving products out there, but as an avid antique collector I've been lucky in finding a variety of unique waving devices that are just what I need to learn how to create more authentic hairstyles.

Would you believe most of this I bought as one 'lot'?  My small collection grew to a large one in a single purchase!

The oldest pieces in this collection are from the 1920's.

Here is an image from an eBay sale showing the box.

Cut off scanned page from Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog from Spring 1922.
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Page from Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog from Fall 1923.
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Here are two sets of celluloid waving combs - no markings, but my research shows they are: a full set of Sears, Roebuck & Co. Water Waving Combs, circa 1922; and a partial set of Sears, Roebuck & Co. Water Wavers, circa 1923. 

 

 

Here is a NOS(New Old Stock) set of Sanitary Kid Leather Curlers.  I don't yet have the courage to open this pristine package, so I doubt I'll ever try them(link on how to make reproduction kid curlers below).

The rest of this collection hails from the entirety of the 1930's.

Here is a full set and partial set of wave setters.  I found a few of these sets on cards for sale online, so I know what they are, but since the setters aren't marked I haven't a clue about the brand or exact year.  I assume 1930's by the imagery, but they could be later 1920's as well.

 

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Here is a full set and possibly two partial sets of Goody Water Wavers, patented on September 30, 1930.  These wavers say 'patent pending', but Goody has so many patents that it wasn't too hard to find this particular invention.

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Here is a large amount(two sets and one extra) of Mervin Wave Clips, patented on November 29, 1932.  This type of clip can still be bought today, but the advantage of the older ones is their size - they're smaller, which is good for waving around the head.

 

Here is a full set with card of Vassar Wavers, presumably early 1930's based on the artwork.  It's hard to tell if these were ever used, but the foam of the curlers has started to degrade and they are unusable now.  The card, however, is beautifully illustrated and would be worth purchasing on its own. 

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Here is a full set of Goody Wave Clips, patented on May 12, 1936.  

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Here is the main piece from a set called Hold-Bob, this being the Hold-Bob Hair Curler, patented on November 30, 1937.  This product is the first sign of the death of the structured wave - it is used to make pin curls, and originally would have come with a set of bobby pins.  

 

And last but not least, is a 1920's-1930's curling iron with painted wooden handles, made in U.S.A.  The metal barrel is held over a flame to heat up and then used to curl the hair, similarly to using a modern electric curling iron.  This was the first hair device I ever collected, though I doubt I'll ever use it for safety reasons(meaning the safety of my hair!).

Further Research:
A great 1920's-1930's(and a bit earlier) resource: TheLongHairedFlapper on Youtube - here are her videos on Kid Curlers and 30's Curlers(like the Vassar Wavers)