The fashion trends of the flappers were brilliantly portrayed by the Goldscheider artists as can be seen in this Art Deco beauty wearing hot pants. This rare porcelain figure is the latest acquisition to join our Carnival & Cabaret exhibition thanks to the generosity of Caroline D’Antonio.

Extremely short shorts in luxury fabrics were popular for fashionable wear in the 1970s and remain so in the entertainment world. However, they first made their appearance during the 1920s and 30s. Movie icons, such as Louise Brooks, Ruby Keeler and Ginger Rogers elevated shorts from sports and leisure wear to glamorous fashion statements in satin and silk. Cabaret dancers and chorus girls often wore very short shorts teamed with blouses inspired by men’s shirts, sometimes accessorized with floppy bow ties. Other masculine fashion twists included a sailor’s shirt, which became known as a middy.

Stefan Dakon modeled a figure of Louise Brooks for Goldscheider, entitled Bubi #5815, which shows the sensational star in skimpy shorts and high heels. Joseph Lorenzl was the artist responsible for our Goldscheider figure, number #5931 from c.1932.  Although similar in style to Louise Brooks, the hairstyle suggests a different model, perhaps Ruby Keeler. The chair adds to the drama of the composition and suggests the seductive poses of Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel in 1930 which were reprised by Lisa Minelli in the 1972 movie Cabaret.

Our thanks to Caroline D’Antonio for continuing to enhance our Carnival & Cabaret exhibition with her Art Deco acquisitions. We are also grateful to Jeff and Penny Spellens for loaning some stylish Goldscheider Art Deco figures and to Don Kendall for contributing to all the fun of the fair with his Doulton Menagerie clock and Jester figure by George Tinworth.