Peter Thompson
In the scene where Olive is riding along with the older gentleman she states something along the lines of "Can you imagine, a woman my age having to wear a Peter Thompson?" what is a Peter Thompson?
shareFrom "The Betsy-Tacy Homepage" at http://www.geocities.com/navaho59/index.html (for those who aren't familiar with the Betsy-Tacy books, they're a series of books by Minnesota author Maud Hart Lovelace, set in the early years of the 20th century):
"...A detailed description of a Peter Thompson suit: "...a sort of voluntary school uniform on the lines of the sailor suit of childish years but lengthened, refined and eleganted for these grown-up years. They were made to order by an English tailor in New York, Mr. Peter Thompson, whose representative came all the way out to Duluth to take the measurements of his firm's customers... The style was classically standard but materials varied; the dark blue serge for every day, the cobalt blue linen for intermediate, the fine white linen for best. The top part slipped over the head and tucked into a rather full gored skirt, maybe four inches off the ground. White soutache braid bordered the sailor collar as well as the cuffs buttoned at the wrist. A starched stiff white dickey, with almost clerical stand-up collar, was tied with tapes at the back and was embroidered with anchor and chevrons as was one sleeve. A red or black triangular silk scarf tied in a sailor's knot completed the costume."
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I love the internets - it let's me know that I'm not the only geek out here that would wonder about these sort of things.
What a delightful movie!
I love the 'Betsy and Tacy' books. Not to forget - Tib! Betsy, Tacy, and Tib were three best girl friends. Betsy had a romantic interest named Joe and an older sister named Julia. Betsy's father made onion sandwiches as a treat for himself and his girls, at night in the kitchen. Sigh! Loved the sweet stories of growing up and wearing hair 'in a pompadour.' According to Wikipedia, Gibson Girls wore pompadours. I wanted to wear a pompadour, too!
If you read the Betsy and Tacy books, you begin with 'Betsy and Tacy' and end with 'Betsy's Wedding.' Life in Minnesota, sleigh rides, etc. Lovely!
Pompadours were pre WWI and this is post WWI. But still the Peter Thompsons were in vogue for school girls. :)
One thing I've noticed in women's and girls' hair of that period was how frizzy they were. When the movie lights hit them, there was a positive halo of hair sticking out all around. They didn't have the shampoos and conditioners that made actresses in cinema satin look so sleek.
I kept waiting for the heroine to cut off her Mary Pickford ringlets and bob her hair, in keeping with the title. We did see her, though, with forehead band, a sleeveless, spangled dress, wrap coat with no buttons or sash, cigarette in a holder, and make up, in the flapper mode. But then we see her in a "vampire outfit" a hobble skirt of mixed vintage with metal staff, worthy of the Addams Family household, not the "vamp" of Theda Bara in skimpy outfits. Then back into Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
It's interesting to see the fashions in mid change. Some bobbed heads and turbans with feathers and some not, various hemlines, necklines, and some bare limbs along with long woolen socks.
Clearly, the title was ironic. It was a really good portrayal of what it was like to be a teenager then, or even now.