All posts tagged: 1957

Rate the Dress: Elizabeth Taylor does Civil War in Raintree County

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week the usually popular 1910’s wasn’t quite so popular.  The collar was compared to an ectoplasm, and the whole thing was deemed disjointed.  Despite this, it rated a not-totally-abysmal 5.2 out of 10, mostly because a few of you redesigned the dress in your mind and then rated the redesign!  That’s cheating!  At least give me a rating before the redesign to work from! This week I wanted to show you something that would knock your socks off: something of utter gorgeousness that you would all be compelled to rate 10 out of 10.  Unfortunately, despite the fact that I come across completely covet-worthy frocks all the time, finding one on demand is difficult. So I’m showing you something I have had in my ‘rate the dress’ folder for months. This is Elizabeth Taylor as a spoiled southern belle in 1957’s  Raintree County.  Turns out Vivien Leigh didn’t have a total monopoly on playing those.  In the film she gets to wear a completely over-the-top, pink-and-white, 1950s-does-late-1850s frock, complete with matching parasol and massive …

Elizabeth Taylor Paper Dolls

Published by The Dreamstress

The bulk of this post was actually written a few weeks ago, but I kept pushing it back to accommodate other posts.  Now, suddenly, it’s very topical, so enjoy with a bit of mixed emotions. A few weeks ago I wrote about Ayyam-i-ha.  One of the things I didn’t mention is that Ayyam-i-ha often includes the giving of gifts.  My Mum sent a package with the loveliest presents: a cloisonne thimble, and these Elisabeth Taylor paper dolls: The book was published in 1957, and includes two dolls, one on the front cover and one on the back, and seven pages of ensembles. And it is in pristine, uncut condition.  Go Mom! The present isn’t as random as it sounds.  I’ve collected paper dolls since I was a little girl, mostly modern ones by Tom Tierney, but vintage ones too when I can get my hands on them. The pages of ensembles in the book are just fabulous, even if I really doubt they have any relationship to what Taylor actually wore in real life! First, …