Glamour (presentation)

"Glamour" originally referred to a magic spell, an illusion said to be cast by witches. In the late 19th century terminology, a non-magical item used to help create a more attractive appearance gradually became known as 'a glamour'.[3]

Late in the 19th century the common meaning shifted to being applied to ordinary objects and jewellery without connotations of supernatural, merely upon the effect that it has on appearance. This is a sense used in this article and to some extent is the way that it was used by the early Hollywood system.

In modern usage glamour is often confused with style or beauty; but they may be considered to be distinct, although glamour may give the appearance of beauty or present as a personal style.

An Aston Martin DB5 as seen in Goldfinger. Expensive items are often part of a glamorous lifestyle.

Many forms of architecture employ glamorous motifs to enhance the appearance of what may be otherwise mundane buildings. The Art Deco style is generally considered to be a glamorous one.[2]

The "Golden Age" of the glamour in Hollywood was the 1930s and 1940s, following the depression and its aftermath.[5]

"Glamour is the result of chiaroscuro, the play of light on the landscape of the face, the use of the surroundings through the composition, through the shaft of the hair and creating mysterious shadows in the eyes. In Hollywood, stars as far apart as Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard, Rita Hayworth and Dolores del Río, own and acquire glamor, technology and willingness to refine the beauty of its own... Are indecipherable magic of the cinema, substance of the dreams of a generation and the admiration of the following meeting."

— filmmaker Josef von Sternberg[6]

Hollywood studios presented their female stars in designer gowns and exquisite jewelry,[7] both on screen and in carefully orchestrated occasions for publicity. Joan Crawford is quoted to have said, "I never go outside unless I look like Joan Crawford, the movie star."[8]

Photography was shot in rooms that had been specially painted to flatter the skin tone of the actors and actresses, and attention was paid to hair and clothes.[3] Notably this was successfully done with:

• Greta Garbo[5]
• Betty Grable[5]
• Grace Kelly[3]
• Hedy Lamarr[3] is quoted to have said "Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid."
• Sean Connery[3]
• Marilyn Monroe[3]

Glamour icons are people that are thought to epitomise glamour, that have an individual style that makes them more attractive.

For example:

Glamour photography is the photographing of a model with the emphasis on the model and the model's sexuality and allure; with any clothing, fashion, products or environment contained in the image being of minor consideration. Photographers use a combination of cosmetics, lighting and airbrushing techniques to produce the most physically appealing image of the model possible.

Look up glamour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Beauty, attractiveness
• Celebutante, seeking and using fame for fame sake
• Dandy, a low-class person wearing typical high-class clothing
• Diva, theatre, cinema and music stardom
• Elegance, simple grace and dignified propriety
• Glam rock, a type of music where the musicians used outrageous glamours such as platform shoes and outrageous hairstyles
• Glamour photography, photography which shows a model, often nude or seminude
• Sprezzatura, to appear as without effort
• Style, dressing according to a school of thought

• Photographe de portrait glamour en Bretagne

• Joseph Rosa, Phil Patton, Virginia Postrel, and Valerie Steele (2004). Glamour: Fashion, Industrial Design, Architecture. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. ISBN 9780300106404.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Stephen Gundle (2002). "Hollywood Glamour and Mass Consumption in Postwar Italy". In Rudy Koshar (ed.). Histories of Leisure. Berg Publishers. pp. 337–360. ISBN 9781859735251.
• Réka C. V. Buckley and Stephen Gundle (2000). "Fashion and Glamour". In Nicola White; Nicola Joanne White; Ian Griffiths (eds.). The Fashion Business. Berg Publishers. pp. 37–54. ISBN 9781859733592.
• Jeffrey Richards (1984). "Stars". The Age of the Dream Palace. Routledge & Kegan Paul PLC. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-7100-9764-6.