The Fabulous Bette Davis

I had never known much about Bette Davis (1908-1989) until I began researching 1940's starlets for the costumes in my show. I stumbled upon so many fantastic pictures of her that I finally realized what all of the commotion was about. She was an unconventional beauty, one who took risks in all aspects of her life, especially when it came to fashion. That is what I like most about her of course - that she was ahead of her time, a trendsetter, but mainly was such an individual and so diverse. She was the first actress to win an Oscar for Warner Brothers, and by 1942 was the highest paid woman in America. In 1977 Davis was also the first woman to ever win the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. Another aspect of her person that I find admirable is that she also suffered from breast cancer, an illness that so many women fight with daily. (http://www.bettedavis.com/about/bio.htm) She is a role model not only for actors but for women everywhere, so I would like to dedicate this post to her memory and to spread a little bit of her fabulous-ness around!
*all photos from this post were found on Google images

I love how informal this photo is, and yet she is still so glamorous.

The fur sleeves... who else could pull those off! 

And the enormous standing collar, love!

I've already posted this picture before, but it says so much.

After winning her 1939 Academy Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" 

for the film Jezebel. Now those feathers... incredible. See what I'm talking about!

A screen shot of the 1941 film The Bride Came C.O.D. with co-star James Cagney.

Some of her best known films to add to your Netflix list are:

Dangerous (1935) directed by Alfred E. Green - this film brought Davis her first Academy Award

Jezebel (1938) directed by William Wyler, also starring Henry Fonda and George Brent - second Academy Award!

The Little Foxes (1941) directed by William Wyler - Academy Award nomination

All About Eve (1950) directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz - Academy Award nomination

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) directed by Robert Aldrich, also starring Joan Crawford and Victor Buono - Academy Award nomination