Sweet Victory

It was the mid-1940s: War had finally come to an end, and in the midst of the ensuing celebration (and there was plenty of it!), hair conscious women suddenly felt a strong urge to design a new hairstyle to further push the parties. And what's more fitting than a victory roll?

"We're going to miss all the celebrations if we have to pose much longer!" Zimbio.com.

The term "victory roll" originated from a fighter plane maneuver, but clever women felt it better represented their new 'do, which consisted of delicate "rolls" throughout the hair.

Making a victory roll today is as simple as using curling irons and a blow dryer, but since the forties didn't have any of those fancy options, sleeping in tight pin curls was generally required to create the hairstyle.

By putting their hair into pin curls before calling it a night, women ensured they'd be greeted in the morning with beautiful, bouncy curls. But who wants bouncy curls when everyone else has those neat victory things? No one, that's who, so those perfect curls were then styled into equally-perfect rolls placed and pinned on top of the head.

Gwen Stefani often wears modified victory rolls. 14Gwen.com.

As the excitement from the end of World War II slowly decreased, so did the popularity of victory rolls. Come the 1950s, women had already traded their rolls for relaxed, soft curls, and by doing so made the hairstyle an image of the 1940s only.

Women today can be spotted wearing the look for parties and other retro affairs, but if the victory rolls and all they stand for will ever be needed again in the future is unknown. For now, wear them for your own personal victories! Read more...

Keep On The Sunny Side

What would summer be without a dark, rich sun tan? For many cultures, few things come close to the popularity of tanning on the beach, and once warm weather hits, beachgoers everywhere hit the sandy slopes to work on their own tan.

"Maybe it's just this highly saturated photo, but your tan looks great!" Corbis.com.

With "build-a-tan" lotions of every shade and tanning booths open in the dead of winter, it seems impossible to imagine a time when sunbathing wasn't the norm. But would you believe that it was only a little over 60 years ago?

The story of Coco Chanel's accidental burn while on vacation that caused a sudden sensation in the 1920s is a famously told tale, and, while very true, this crispy trend didn't make its full appearance until the mid 1940s.

Combining 1946's controversial bikini with the look of bronzed skin, fashion magazines and Hollywood stars promoted the trend to its fullest extent, and fashionistas quickly took notice. With the help of the recently introduced tanning oil and their new skimpy bathing suits, a creamy tan was suddenly very easy to achieve.

In this Gucci advertisement, the intense tan takes center stage. HerFamedGoodLooks.com.

By the 1960s, when groups like The Beach Boys performed in their perfect California tans and crooned of sunny weather, tanning had surpassed being a mere fad and had become a way of life for many.

And even now, despite frequent warnings of the effects from too much sun exposure, flaunting an even tan is still just as chic as it was in the 1940s. Just don't forget your cat eye sunglasses! Read more...