Jo Copeland Suit - 1943

After being in a box for the last 6 months, I finally unearthed my scanner and I have all my vintage fashion magazines out of storage.  Yay!

How I wish this image were in color, but Harper's Bazaar and all magazines were judicious with full color pages at this time, especially during the war years.  This fabulous suit is by Jo Copeland for Patullo.  The jacket is a blue, white and yellow check, the skirt is navy blue and the blouse is yellow rayon crepe. I really like that buckle at the waist.

The model?  None other than Lauren Bacall.

Photo by George Hoyningen-Huene for Harper's Bazaar, 1943.

Model Lauren Bacall

Hollywood superstar Lauren Bacall was a model before she became an actress. She worked part time for Bazaar magazine while taking acting lessons. Here are some photos from the February 1943 issue of Harper's Bazaar.

Bacall poses as a woman engaged in wartime evening activities: listening to the radio while darning socks. She wears lounging pajamas in grey wool/rayon by Claire McCardell.

Bacall poses in a white crepe blouse with a ruffle at the neckline, which was available at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Bacall was lucky enough to land the cover of Bazaar the following month in March 1943. Howard Hawks's wife Nancy spotted her and urged her husband to give Bacall a screen test for his new film To Have and Have Not. Bacall's performance in that film is widely acclaimed as one of the strongest debut performances in the history of film.