This week we have the wonderful Marlene Dietrich as my Wednesday Icon.
One of the most controversial women of the early 20th Century, openly bisexual, famously promiscuous, and known for her masculine style how could this Hollywood siren not make it onto my icon list.
Born in 1901 in Berlin. Interested in music from an early age but as she entered her teens she started to explore acting and appeared in her first film in 1923, Tragedy of Love. Dietrich epitomised the femme fatale and explored notions of feminism in her choice of roles throughout her career. This actress and singer was one of the most stunning and glamorous actresses of the 1930s and 40s. This icon is known for her smouldering looks, sex appeal, distinctive voice and unusual personal style for the times. She was a pioneer of trousers for women in the 30s.
In 1930 she was put on the world map when she stared in Germany's first talking picture Der Blaue Engel. This was later re-filmed in English with the same cast. She played Lola Lola a nightclub dancer who wore tuxedo jackets and shorts, this hit film helped make her a global star. Moving to America shortly after this she stared in another hit film called Morocco in which she received her only Academy Award nomination.
She started her climb on the fashion steps by wearing trousers and more masculine fashions off screen and even on screen. This attracted a lot of attention at the time and she really was a pioneer of more masculine fashions being reworked for women to wear.
One of the most controversial women of the early 20th Century, openly bisexual, famously promiscuous, and known for her masculine style how could this Hollywood siren not make it onto my icon list.
In 1930 she was put on the world map when she stared in Germany's first talking picture Der Blaue Engel. This was later re-filmed in English with the same cast. She played Lola Lola a nightclub dancer who wore tuxedo jackets and shorts, this hit film helped make her a global star. Moving to America shortly after this she stared in another hit film called Morocco in which she received her only Academy Award nomination.
She started her climb on the fashion steps by wearing trousers and more masculine fashions off screen and even on screen. This attracted a lot of attention at the time and she really was a pioneer of more masculine fashions being reworked for women to wear.
Dietrich was a strong opponent of the Nazi government and when asked to return to make more films in Germany she declined, the result her films being banned in Germany. She had the last word though when she then became a US citizen in 1939. She also used to travel and entertain allied troops during the second world war.
In the mid-1950s she returned to singing and performed in concerts all around the world and even finally returned to Germany. She gave up performing in the 1970s and moved to Paris where she became a recluse. Her last performance was an audio commentary piece for a documentary about her life called Marlene. She died in 1992, in her Paris apartment. Her grandson said when speaking about her reclusion in her apartment that ‘She hadn't spent 60 years creating an image for it to be destroyed by photos of her ageing.’
She was and still remains a style icon, with her intoxicating looks and a sex appeal that has endured through the ages. Interestingly today there is an auction of some of her belongings including her infamous tuxedo jacket bidding opens today at www.auctionmystuff.com
Do you love this Icon? Or have any ideas for people I should look at?
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