Vogues of 1938: Technicolor chaos and too many outfits

Should you watch Vogues of 1938? Honestly, probably not unless you are a die-hard fan of vintage technicolor palettes or you have a weird obsession with how people in the thirties thought 'the future' of fashion would look. If you like snappy banter and tight pacing, you will probably hate this. But if you want to see a movie lose its mind in the third act with a parade of feathers and sparkles, pull up a chair. 👗

The whole thing is basically a fever dream of costumes. There is this one sequence—I swear it goes on for fifteen minutes—where the camera just tracks models walking around in increasingly impossible hats. It feels like the movie forgot it was supposed to have a plot about a failing business. It’s just hats. So many hats.

Warner Baxter tries his best to act like a stressed-out designer, but he mostly just looks like he’s trying to remember if he left the stove on at home. The chemistry between him and Joan Bennett is… well, it exists. It’s definitely there, sitting in the room, waiting for something interesting to happen.

The real highlight is how casually everyone handles financial ruin. They are all broke, the business is collapsing, and yet there is always enough money for another elaborate dance number. The Sons of Satan probably had more tension, even if this is supposedly a light comedy.

• The Wiere Brothers are honestly the only reason to stay awake during the second half.
• The Technicolor is so bright it almost hurts your eyes. Seriously, take a break.
• The ex-fiancé is so cartoonishly evil I kept waiting for him to twirl a mustache.

The ending is a bit of a scramble. It feels like the writers got tired of their own story and just decided to end the show with a giant party. You can almost feel the relief in the script when the final musical number starts. It’s not exactly Fanny Hawthorne when it comes to emotional depth, but it is certainly loud.

Sometimes, the movie feels like a fancy storefront window that’s completely empty inside. You look at it, you think it’s shiny, but you can’t actually walk through the door. It’s weirdly hollow, but strangely hard to look away from. 📽️

I found myself wondering if anyone in 1938 actually dressed like this. I doubt it. But the movie doesn't care. It’s too busy trying to blind you with silk and sequins to worry about reality.