How to Pack Your Diamonds

Irene at the Command Performance - without diamonds!

'All Knit' Wardrobes Find Favor With Traveling Stars

... The most adroit Suit Case idea comes from Irene Dunne, with a minor assist from Sydney. Irene makes a wonderful knitted Sydney cardigan her travel jewelry case. She has had each of the four pockets lined with tiny zippered compartments for her glorious Victorian diamond necklace, bracelet and rings. She slips in her diamonds, packs the cardigan flat, and takes the jewels out when she reaches her destination. Consequently, she loses no space - or weight - to a bulky jewel box! (The Post Standary, Syracuse, 05.04.1953)

This an excerpt from an article on the travel wardrobe of stars, and a typical Irene Dunne newspaper tidbit. 

Irene was frequently asked about all things fashion and wardrobe, not only because those topics were innocuous and as such favored talking with private Miss Dunne, but because Irene was the embodiment of timeless elegance for her contemporaries. As elegant as Irene Dunne was a benchmark in those days and Irene frequently made best dressed and best coiffured lists. 

I am not exactly a fashionista - to put it mildly - but I certainly like to look at nifty dressed Irene, and I admire how Irene handled her wardrobe. All the advice she gave through the years about this subject is as practical as the one above which instantly reminded me of young Irene on road tour during her theater years. She certainly had to be careful about the amount of her luggage. Of course this method would do for any kind of jewelry, maybe even trinket would be nicely housed in zipped pockets. But I wondered a little about where Irene did put those diamonds after she reached her destination. In a hotel safe without any appropiate casket? Or do hotels offer those to customers with diamonds?? Or did Irene have a nice little sack as temporary home for her precious objects? Questions over questions ... and a lot of fun! 

However, my main problem is that I am still searching for a photo of diamond glittering Irene! Honestly, when did she wear them? I spotted diamond rings, diamond earrings, bracelets which could be diamonds - in different pictures of course -  but this necklace - nope! Even for an occasion like the Command Performance which gave us photos of an even for her standards dressed up Irene, she decided on pearls. Well, if someone has a photo of Irene in all her diamond regalia would you please share it with me?? 

More fashion posts to come...