From Marilyn Monroe
to Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner to Sophia Loren, the Hollywood actresses of
the golden 1950s era have always been a huge inspiration for me. Back then, you didn't have the so called 'Z list' stars we have today from the likes of TOWIE, Keeping up with the Kardashians and Geordie Shore. During the Golden Era of Hollywood, there was only space for the big movie stars, and they were worshiped by the general public and film studios alike.
The love affairs of Elizabeth Taylor eclipsed the top news stories worldwide; the elegance of Audrey Hepburn was admired by every woman remotely interested in fashion while the dancing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers was seen as a pure thing of beauty. Yet one lady who sometimes goes unnoticed when it comes to movie icons is the legendary Rita Hayworth. She was one of the first major pin up stars, famous for her fiery red hair and athletic body, as well as her talented singing, dancing and of course acting roles.
But she wasn't always Rita Hayworth. Margarita Carmen Cansino was born in October 1918 in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up into a family of dancers, with her father natively from Spain, moving them all to Hollywood in 1927 to teach the movie stars to dance (one of his pupils was a young Jean Harlow.) Eventually she was signed to Fox Studios where she started off playing small roles in low budget films but later moved to Columbia Pictures after they dropped her for in favour of Loretta Young. But Rita came back fighting. 'Only Angels have Wings' proved to be her big break, starring opposite Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in the smash hit film. Meanwhile she had adopted her mother’s surname Hayworth after the studious felt that Rita was too exotic for Hollywood, and the new image created for Rita would propel her into super stardom.
Rita is most famously known for her dance routine in 'Gilda' where she sweeps across the stage, telling the audience to 'Put the blame on Mame' in a black satin dress. Her impeccable wardrobe in 'Lady From Shanghai' was magnificent as she starred alongside her then husband Orsen Welles, while her other blockbuster movies, included 'You'll Never Get Rich,’ ‘Cover Girl’ and 'The Loves of Carmen.' In all of these movies, her fantastic dancing abilities are clear, with Fred Astaire once saying that Rita was in fact his favourite dance partner - move aside Ginger! She married 5 times, once to the Prince Aly Khan and had 2 children, as well as establishing herself as the original ‘love goddess’ - one of the most famous pin up girls during World War 2. She died aged 68 from Alzheimer’s disease in 1987 in New York. The legendary actress made a total of 61 films over 37 years at the peak of her career.
I love Rita, especially her style and sophistication. She always looked amazing in her satin and silk gowns used for her famous dance scenes as well as her more casual attire, consisting of fur coats, black gloves and ladylike shift dresses. Back then, fashion was not available to the masses, and millions of women looked to the movies for inspiration. Always the most glamourous woman in the room, there’s not one bad photograph of Rita, whether she be on the beach in a bikini or walking the red carpet in Cannes. Rita Hayworth was one of those icons and she will go down in history as being one of the most successful actresses of the Hollywood golden era, and one of the most stylish.
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