100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #83: Louise Brooks

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LOUISE BROOKS
Born:
November 14, 1906 in Cherryvale, KS
Died:
August 8, 1985 in Rochester, NY
Fans:
Selma Blair, Kenneth Tynan, Adolfo Bioy Cassares

Beginnings.
Louise Brooks had just been fired from a modern dance troupe when she caught the eyes of both a Paramount Pictures producer and Charlie Chaplin. The Ziegfield Follies showgirl signed a five year contract with Paramount, and had an affair with Chaplin that summer.

Career Highs.
Brooks made a name for herself in silent comedies, but she won critical acclaim for playing an abused girl on the run with a pair of hobos in 1928's Beggars of Life. Her sharp, angled bob haircut inspired a national haircut trend, as more women headed to their stylists to get the new "flapper" look.
Most beautiful dumb girls think they are smart and get away with it, because other people, on the whole, aren't much smarter.
- Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks' black helmet made fashion waves.
Career Lows.
Contract struggles with Paramount led to Brooks being blacklisted by Hollywood. She eventually fled to New York, where she tried and failed to open a dance studio, worked as a salesgirl at Saks Fifth Avenue, and even spent a few years as a high-end courtesan to a few wealthy customers.

Legacy.
In a time before there were any major American designers, Hollywood was the birthplace of national fashion trends. Brooks, a particularly sexually liberated woman, brought a comfort with sexuality to the screen that was soon manifested in the women's clothing of the 1920s Speakeasy era.

Actress Selma Blair recently sported a similar cut.

Get the Look.
A Louise Brooks look just won't work without her signature bob. If you're wary of parting with your locks, you can try out a nice faux bob hairdo to match with a beaded flapper dress and a pair of black jazz shoes.

- Alicia