It seems somewhat of a crime that Mae West has lost the recognition she deserves as an important figure in Hollywood and for the ways she pushed boundaries in the way women were presented in film. She was a woman of independent means, who worked in vaudeville and on the New York stage before making her screen debut at the late age of forty. She had enough clout to receive total artistic control of her career which was unheard of at the time. She wrote the screenplays for thirteen of her films, she often had a say as to her co-stars and directors, she ultimately became the highest paid star in Hollywood and was also largely responsible for saving Paramount Studios from bankruptcy in the 1930’s. In 1940, her name was entered in the American English dictionary.
Her character was based on the perpetuation of her sexual image and her ability to write comedic lines with double entendres that drove the censors crazy but were clever enough to get around The Hayes Code. She was often attacked by religious organizations and politicians as being a threat to the youth with her “obscene, indecent, immoral, and impure drama.” But, for the most part, the public loved her. After temporarily leaving films, she continued to tour in plays, night club acts, including Las Vegas, and made multiple record albums.
When it came to her fashion, Mae West was specific and very controlling. She knew exactly what her image was and what worked for her. She often paid for and kept most of her wardrobe and because of that fact, she took particularly good care of it. She often stated that her clothes should be tight enough to show she was a woman and yet loose enough to show she was a lady. Her clothes, extremely tall headdresses and her 9.5 inch custom shoes were creatively constructed to compensate for her full-figured 5 foot frame. Very seldom were photographs taken of her that showed her legs and shoes and no photographs were ever released without the approval of Mae West (usually heavily edited to streamline her figure).
She never stopped working or making appearances, which may have contributed to the downfall of her image. Her inability to modify her sexual outrageous character- even at an age when she probably should have- caused some of the younger generation to look upon her as a joke. She was an extraordinarily complex, mysterious woman who was nothing like her stage persona in real life. Much has been written about the complexities of this woman who was way ahead of her time and refused to assimilate with the current day’s norms.
My not-so-near missed opportunity to meet Ms. West was in 1977, right after I moved to Los Angeles. An acquaintance, who worked for Ms. West, presented my headshot to her because she was casting young men to appear in a film she was casting "Sextette." I received back an autographed photo from her, informing me that I was “way too All-American.” The story of my life.
Exactly ten years later, after Ms. West had passed away, the collection of Mae West costumes, hats, corset, bras, eyelashes, purses, wigs and jewelry were purchased from John West: Ms. West's nephew and Tim Malachosky: her personal secretary. An attempt was made to create a collection of pieces that would best celebrate and represent her fashion style, not only with her stage and film gowns, but also with her personal wardrobe.