Remembering Joan Fontaine - a true vintage beauty and her own lovely 1930s wedding dress

Dear Reader

Today on my vintage wedding blog I'd like to take a moment to remember wonderful actress Joan Fontaine - one of the true Hollywood greats and a classic vintage beauty - who died this week aged 96.

Her most famous role: the second Mrs De Winter, in Hitchcock's Rebecca

Fontaine found fame as one of Alfred Hitchcock's 'cool blondes' when she starred in his first Hollywood movie, Rebecca - an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's gothic novel.

With Rebecca co-star Laurence Olivier - husband Max De Winter

And with Rebecca co-star Judith Anderson - wicked housekeeper Mrs Danvers

She gained an Oscar nomination for her role in Rebecca, but didn't win. And the following year Joan was nominated again for Best Actress - this time in competition with her actress sister Olivia de Havilland. Joan beat her sister and won the award with her second Hitchcock film, Suspicion. 

Congratulated on her wedding day by sister Olivia de Havilland 

The two sisters had always been rivals, and it's said that their relationship never fully recovered. Joan went on to work for many great Hollywood directors and starred in some of my very favourite films, including Rebecca and Jane Eyre. If you've never seen the film, there's a wonderful original 1944 trailer for Jane Eyre here.

To me, Joan is one of the most beautiful of all the classic Hollywood actresses, with her luminous complexion and elegant vintage glamour. I'll sign off with a picture of Joan at her happiest, at her own 1939 wedding to actor Brian Aherne.

Happy and beautiful at her own 1939 wedding to Brian Aherne

Thanks for stopping by today.

Love 
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

1930's Vintage Wedding Dresses

Please read my piece on 

1930's Vintage Wedding Dresses

at Lovemydress.net


Thanks again to Annabel!

Click here
(or click on the image above.)

It's your perfect vintage wedding dress. Why cover it up... right?

Dear Reader,
From lace bolero to marabou stole, the right cover-up is a fabulous addition to your vintage wedding dress - adding an extra layer of glamour or sophistication. Let's look at a few delicious examples…

Ostrich and Marabou Stole, priced £150

First, this super-glamourous ostrich and marabou stole, turning a demure and simple satin dress into a fabulous 1940s showstopper…!

Ostrich and Marabou Stole, priced £150

Ostrich and Marabou Stole, priced £150

Now the same lovely simple dress - this time with an original 1940s lace jacket. Elegant and sophisticated with its long lace sleeves and full-length lace train, you may remember this combination featuring recently as my Vintage Wedding Dress of the Week...

Original 1940s satin dress with lace coat, and satin slip, £1350

Original 1940s satin dress with lace coat, and satin slip, £1350

Original 1940s satin dress with lace coat, and satin slip, £1350

Next, these beautiful capelets adding such pretty and individual style to a full-length lace 1930s wedding dress. The first and second images show an original Victorian lace capelet - these are now very rare, so I'm delighted to have found it!

Original Victorian lace capelet

Original Victorian lace capelet

And the image below is real vintage bride Leah, who chose this stunning 1930s capelet with her 1930s lace dress. You can see a full feature on Leah's wedding here.

Finally, I've worked hard to create the ultimate solution: a cover-up to complement almost any vintage wedding dress. From my own Heavenly Collection, here is the Colette bolero in delicate lace, created to prettily cover any exposed skin...

Colette is shown here in French lace with a guipure lace trim. It can be ordered in a range of different laces, to ensure it's the perfect complement to any vintage dress.

So whether you're adding a layer to create very different looks for day and night, or simply looking for a little more coverage, do consider what a cover-up has to offer. Just contact me if you'd like to know more or to see any of these gorgeous pieces.

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, try…
Original vintage 1940s dress and jacket

A word about slips… The perfect support for your vintage wedding dress.

Dear Reader,
Let's talk underwear! In this case, underwear pretty enough to wear on its own…

Believe it or not, this is actually a satin slip, not a vintage wedding dress! So many girls have commented on how pretty it is, so I thought I'd show it off today...

I've worked so hard on creating a great fit and really flattering shape for the slip. It's the perfect foundation layer for my 1930s style wedding dresses, Angel and Butterfly from my Heavenly Collection. 

Shown here in Blush pink, I also offer this slip dress in Lavender, Latte and Champagne. Other colours such as silver also look beautiful and are possible on request. 

And if you like the gorgeous lace jackets in the pictures, do check back later this week for my feature on choosing a cover-up for your vintage wedding dress.
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, please try…
How to Accessorise a Vintage Wedding Dress

Ebba in 1930s satin wedding dress: our Vintage Bride of the Week.

Dear Reader,
Our Bride of the Week is Ebba, who married Karl-Johan in a divine original 1930s satin wedding dress…

The wedding took place in Stockholm in November - so cool! - with a ceremony in Maria Magdalena Church, and reception at the beautiful Villa Ludvigsberg. The whole event was inspired by the 1930s styling of the dress and was filled with delightful vintage touches…

A beautiful couple and a beautiful day... Congratulations Ebba and Karl Johan!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Photos with thanks to Annevi Weddings