Dolores Del Rio was considered the epitome of female beauty and glamour during the Art Deco era. The female Valentino, as she became known, also sensationalized the two-piece swimsuit, which shockingly exposed her midriff. In 1927, Miss Del Rio starred in the Loves of Carmen, portraying the wild Spanish gypsy in Bizet’s famous opera, who is unscrupulous in matters of the heart. She loves whoever she wants and refuses to conform, which was sensational at the time.

Several sensual movie vamps portrayed the fiery Carmen, including Theda Bara in 1915 and Pola Negri in 1918. This version was filmed in Germany at the end of the First World War, and its popularity catapulted Miss Negri to international stardom. She moved to Hollywood in 1922 and the following year starred in The Spanish Dancer, a silent movie about an ambitious gypsy fortune teller. Her glamorous Spanish-style costumes, accessories, and hairstyle were faithfully copied by fashionable women, right down to the spit curl on her forehead. Kiss curls, as they are sometimes known, were also styled on the cheek during the Jazz Age.

Unfortunately, Miss Negri had a thick accent and did not successfully transition to films with sound. However, she exemplified Hollywood’s star power with her highly publicized relationships, most notably with Rudolph Valentino, whom she met at a costume party at William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate. He was dressed as the matador from Blood and Sand, the 1922 movie about bullfighting, which also fueled fascination with Spain.