Adjunct Instructor
Raissa Bretaña
- School of Liberal Arts
- History of Art | Museum at FIT
MOXIE
The Daring Women of Classic Hollywood
Co-Author: Ira M. Resnick
To make it in Hollywood, it takes more than beauty, brains, and talent—it takes moxie. This was especially true for women in the heyday of the studio system, a period from the 1920s to the 1950s when a small number of companies dominated the production and distribution of films in America. It was an industry controlled by male studio executives, in which directors and producers called the shots and contract players had little say in which roles they would play. Still, a trailblazing group of actresses forged successful careers out of sheer conviction, perseverance, and professional know-how. These spirited women captivated audiences, shaped the film industry, and remain enduring icons of classic cinema.
This gorgeous volume profiles some fifteen leading ladies who had moxie to spare. It is illustrated with more than two hundred film stills, publicity photos, and lobby cards from the collection of Ira M. Resnick—many published here for the first time. Together these captivating images reveal how the stars of the Golden Age used pose and performance, fashion and glamour to shape their images both onscreen and off. Moxie will dazzle and seduce all devotees of classic Hollywood.
How did you first come up with the idea for this work?
This book was a collaboration with a prominent collector of movie art, who sought me out to curate a selection of images for a publication and provide the accompanying text.
What was your research process like?
I relied heavily on primary sources—autobiographies, interviews, newspaper and magazine articles—to craft unique profiles on the fifteen women who are featured in the book.
How long did you work on this before it was published?
About a year.
Does this work relate to your role at FIT? If so, how?
I taught a course on the history of fashion in film (cross-listed between the History of Art and Film/Media departments) at FIT for five years.
What was your biggest challenge? What was most rewarding?
The biggest challenge was working within a expedited time frame. It was most rewarding to see many photographs from Hollywood’s golden age published for the first time, and interpreted through a new lens.
Have you published any other books or have any upcoming publications?
Shoes (Abbeville Press, November 2021); Fashion in the Gilded Age (Abbeville press, Spring 2026).
- Raissa teaches at FIT, works in the Musueum and is also an alumna
- Book published November 5, 2024