Once upon a time (and still to this day), my ideal of movie glamour included something shiny and sparkly. Over time, my taste has become slightly more refined, but I confess my eyes are always drawn to the glitter and sparkle and way-too-much that spells glamour to me.
One such dress that screams all of the above is worn by Kay Francis in 1934's "Mandalay." Sleek as a thoroughbred, Kay is poured into liquid simmer and adorned with feathers, Vaseline, bangles and attitude.
If you were a female star at Warner Brothers in the 1930s, chances are you were gowned by the great Orry-Kelly. In "Mandalay," Kelly created a wardrobe for Kay that reflected the slightly scarlet, slightly sympathetic and very steamy world inhabited by the fabulously named Spot White.
Because Orry-Kelly was on an orgy of glamour with Kay, I have included a few other goodies from "Mandalay." Kay managed to look gorgeous whether adorned with jewels, flowers, feathers, a fan or sequins, either one at a time or all at once.
For Kay in "Mandaly" too much is just right.
