A Few of My Favorite Things

I have been thinking a lot lately about the power behind a good ad campaign.  Sometimes, while perusing through my favorite magazines, I am struck by one particular photo and cannot stop looking at it....can't stop thinking about it.  A great photo, with beautiful products, can really strike a cord.  Here are a few of my favorite ad campaigns:

This is a fairly new campaign from Belstaff.  I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Ewan McGregor is in this photo!

He is very easy on the eyes!

I just love the photos from this ad campaign.  The clothing is amazing and the mood of each photo grabs you!

This next one is from Saint Laurent, Paris.  I absolutely love this outfit!  It is simple, yet very sexy.  The hat, the hair, the blouse, the shoes....I love it all!  

Another great photo from Saint Laurent, Paris.  And another great outfit!  I love the hats!

I love this.  It reminds me of the costumes in "To Sir With Love" with Sidney Poitier.  A great look!

I thought I would end (Saint Laurent) with this amazing photo of Beck.  He is so awesome, I just love this pic!!

I will end with one of my favorite designers.....Christian Dior.  The actor, Marion Cotillard, is a model for Dior.  I think it is a perfect pairing; a striking woman with beautiful, classic clothing.

How amazing is this photo?  I think it is very 1920's with just the right amount of sex appeal!

I remember the first time I saw this photo.  I couldn't stop thinking about that amazing red blouse!  I want that blouse!  The setting of this photo, with the city in the background, is so alluring.  You feel as though you are there with her.  Perfection!

 Divine.  Exquisite.  Gorgeous.  Elegant.

I adore this dress.  And the shoes.  I wish you could see it more clearly, it really is marvelous!

I don't love Jennifer Lawrence, but I think these photos are wonderful!  Love the turban!

I will end with this iconic image: the infamous "Bar" suit and jacket from Dior Haute Couture (Spring/Summer 1947).  The sloped shoulders, nipped waist, the full pleated calf-length skirt, the articulated bust and padded hips.  It is, in a word, stunning.  In 1947, Christian Dior presented a collection of wasp-waisted and hip-padded designs. The American press immediately dubbed it the "New Look."  The "Bar" suit was considered the most iconic model in the collection.

I hope you have enjoyed a few of my favorite things!     

The Face of a Vamp

Theda Bara, cinema's first 'Vamp' in A FOOL THERE WAS,  1915

As surprising as it may sound, I have yet to see "A Fool There Was". I have read the Rudyard Kipling poem, and the bizarre and lurid novel on which the film was based, but I have yet to see this particular silent gem.

Publicity still, depicting Theda Bara as a destroyer of men.

This early role as a femme fatal, or Vamp, as it was popularly called in the 1920s, has earned her the title of Hollywoods earliest sex symbol. I think by todays standards it is fascinating to see what was considered alluring, mysterious and dangerous.

Vamping with a vengeance! 

Check out this stripy skirt! And the triangular pockets! Wow! 

It is evident, in Vamps from the late 1910's and early 1920's, that a dark, voluptuous look was in favour. Another famous Vamp from the 1920's was Nita Naldi (she played such a role opposite Rudolph Valentino in two films!)

Look at that hair! It's lovely!

Rudolph Valentino manhandling Nita Naldi.

But as I mentioned in my last post, by the middle to late 20's, fashions were changing - even with Vamps.

Pola Negri, who began just as early as the above two actresses, but seemed to survive longer in films than either of them. 

Pola Negri sporting a bob!

In the mid to late 20's a sleek and more subtle Vamp was popular. Two that spring to mind are Greta Garbo and Louise Brooks.

The elegant Greta Garbo. Look at that hat!

The infamous kissing scene from "Flesh & the Devil" where Garbo plays the consummate Vamp. According to legend, after filming the scene, Greta Garbo & John Gilbert just kept going, and the director let them. 

Louise Brooks sporting her famous bob. I've always thought it gave her a girlish look, which nonetheless did not detract from her vampish qualities.

These are especially visible in her German films, like "Pandora's Box" (above) and "Diary of a Lost Girl".

Yours truly, as a 1920s obsessed teenager, also trying the Vamp look.

Despite the changing look of the Vamp throughout the 1910s and 1920s, it was a powerful and fashionable image.

Glove Love

When my sisters and I were wee, my Mother usually bought us special, fancy dresses at Easter time.  If we were very lucky, we might have also gotten a bonnet, purse, or gloves (as my sister Beccah mentioned in an earlier post).  So, at this year's Easter-time, I have been thinking a lot about those exciting accessories!  And for some reason, the one that is standing out to me most, is gloves.

What a great color combination!

I must say, I am very sad that gloves are a lost accessory (with obvious winter-time exceptions).  Of course, I understand that they seem a bit formal.  And they might even be a little annoying and inconvenient in certain circumstances.  But I still feel they could have a place in today's wardrobes.  Obviously not with sweats, but if they were accepted enough, I think the ensemble possibilities would be endless!

I love how Carole Lombard is obviously dressed casually, but she's still sporting gloves.  And aren't they the cutest couple?

When I started searching online, I was surprised to find that gloves are very rare on the red carpet and on celebrities in general.  Of course, there are a few who seem to favor them (I found loads of pics for Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Lily Allen).  But they are definitely still a random fashion choice, and not the dominant fashion accessory I wish they were.

I'm pretty sure Sarah Jessica Parker was born with gloves, they suit her fashion style so well!

Lily Allen. I love her!

I was surprised to find Lucy Liu in gloves.  I guess I'm becoming a big fan of hers!  Plus I love that coat!

A lot of the pictures I found for this post are of old movie stars. They were elegant, neat, and completely appealing in a way that most vintage fashions tend to be (at least for me, that is). But I still believe that gloves could be current.  I can even imagine people wearing them with jeans and a t-shirt. (Have I gone too far?)  Honestly, even though the fashions are not the same as they were when gloves were the norm, if we embraced them as just another accessory, (like scarves or jewelry) then we could find a way to make them work.  I mean, Madonna did a fantastic job with the lace, cut-off gloves in the 80's!  Why can't we do it now?

Ewwwwwwww!

I did find a small, current trend for gloves that cover only four fingers.  To me, when I look at them, they make me want to scream!  That's like making pants with just one leg, or glasses with only one, giant, cyclops lens.  It simply should not be done, and they look extremely uncomfortable to wear!  So, thanks for the effort, but no thanks!

Of course, it's not hard to find gloves in the fashion editorials, and they're all over the runways.  So, how is it that gloves don't trickle down, like most other fashion statements seem to do?

Until now, I have always thought it would be too extreme for me to try to add gloves to my wardrobe.  Like all those teens who only wear black, or people who choose to wear capes.  But after researching for this blog, I'm not so sure any more.  Are gloves too extreme?  I'm not saying that I could single handedly start a trend (no pun intended), or anything like that.  But perhaps, if we all pitched in and started wearing them, maybe, some day, we'll all be able to open our top drawer and find a small stack of gloves, right next to the undies, bras and socks.

To me, these are the perfect gloves.  I want them right now!

*I found this place online that has quite a few great-looking pairs of gloves.  Aside from the fact that I am heading into a Vegas summer, I think I might buy a pair!

Enchanted April

Ever since seeing it in the cinema, the 1991 film "Enchanted April" has been a favourite among my family and myself (the females in the family, that is!). When I moved to central New York to live with my sister Heather, I adopted her tradition of watching it only in April, with the good female company, and snacks and sweets.

Polly Walker, Joan Plowright, Josie Lawrence & Miranda Richardson.

The film never ceases to lose its charm. And the costuming holds up as well. That is because a great deal of it was the real thing! When writing a post about the film last year in my old blog (http://mairiglasgow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/elizabeth-von-arnim-and-other-loves.html), I read an article online that said that many of the clothes worn were authentic. I seem to remember that it was a matter of budget - that it was cheaper to rent extant clothing than to create new. To my dismay, I was unable to find the reference this year, so I might be full of nonsense. But I maintain that you can tell. There is a quality to many of the clothes worn that you just can't reproduce with todays fabrics. Not that I want to take all the credit away from the costume designer (I don't think ALL the costumes were period), Sheena Napier, who was nominated for an Oscar for best costume design.

The period in question is the early 1920's, probably 1922, which is when the novel "Enchanted April" by Elizabeth von Arnim was published. Many people, when you say 1920s, immediately assume short skirts, drop-waists, and beaded flapper dresses. But the early 1920s wasn't like that at all. The clothing was much looser, longer and gentler than the boyish, severe lines it took on later in the decade. And "Enchanted April" is a perfect example of this beautiful period in fashion history.

Josie Lawrence as Lottie Wilkins.

An example of a period dress from 1922. It looks exactly like something Josie Lawrence (as Lottie Wilkins) would wear (see photo above).

The film is worthwhile on many other accounts - not just for the perfect costuming! It is filmed in Italy in a beautiful castle, and has an amazing cast. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to do so!

Polly Walker as Caroline Dester, the rich socialite who joins the other women in Italy.

Another similar period example: a dress and coat set from around 1922 (pastperfectvintage.com)

Look at the detail on the sleeve and collar!

Polly Walker & the glorious Michael Kitchen.

It's a shame you can't see the whole dress - it's stunning!

I think that Miranda Richardson has never been so beautiful as she is in this film. Every time I watch it I'm amazed by how lovely she is!

Miranda Richardson & Michael Kitchen, as Rose Arbuthnot & George Briggs.

Just in case any of you is now desperate for an early 1920s frock, here are two examples of patterns you can buy. One seems to be very like the clothes Lottie & Rose wear in London, the other is looser & lighter like the clothes worn in Italy. These are reproduced from period patterns, so they are authentic as well.

Ooft! This is TINY! Here's a link to the website:
http://www.pastpatterns.com/2307.html

Here's a much better size! Link for this pattern:
http://www.pastpatterns.com/1332.html