Carbon Costume

In Chicago, Roxie Hart is the main character who ends up at Cook County Jail for murdering her lover. Portrayed by Renee Zellweger in the film adaptation, Roxie is an aspiring singer and showgirl who finds fame and stardom during her jail time. To distinguish her from her villainous rival, Velma, she is blonde and frequently seen in white costumes, which contrast will Velma’s dark hair and black costumes.

In The Aviator, Howard Hughes has a brief flirtation with Thelma (Josie Maran), the cigarette girl in a supper club. Cigarette girls worked in speakeasies and clubs during the 1920’s, offering cigarettes, cigars, or other novelties from a tray they carried around their neck. Similar to a cocktail waitress, this tipped position was given to young, attractive women who were typically dressed similar to saloon girls, flappers, or burlesque dancers. Due to their portrayal in film, cigarette girls became a staple and grew in popularity until the end of Prohibition, when they moved to public nightclubs. Thelma’s outfit is similar to a belly dancer and can be achieved with similar clothing, though the belly dance skirt will need to be cut to the appropriate length. Cigarette trays are an expensive vintage item now, but they can be easily made with a shallow box and some ribbon.

Velma Kelly, portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the hit film, Chicago, is a nightclub singer and vaudevillian who is sent to Cook County Jail for murdering her husband and sister. She finds a rival for stardom when Roxie Hart arrives at the same prison and steals her spotlight.

Adriana (Marion Cotillard) is a socialite and Pablo Picasso’s love interest in Midnight in Paris. Set in 1920’s Paris, Adriana is clothed in the ornate dresses and Art Deco jewelry that was popular at the time.

Zelda Fitzgerald (Alison Pill) is a character in “Midnight in Paris.” Based on the real-life wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda is a fun-loving party girl who’s always decked out in lavish clothing and opulent jewelry.

Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) is the love interest of Jay Gatsby in the film “The Great Gatsby.” She is portrayed as a vapid socialite. The film takes place in the 1920’s, so she is clothed in glamorous dresses, furs, and pearls.

Amelia Earhart, as the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic, was a pioneer in both senses of the word. Tragically, she disappeared during her 1937 attempt to circle the globe, and mysteries about what happened linger to this day.

Betty Boop made her debut in the 1930’s and is considered to be one of the first sex symbols on the animated screen. She is representative of the Jazz Age flappers and a symbol of the Depression era. She even made a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.