March 31, 2022

MARCH 2022: Film and TV


I decided to do a bit of a re-vamp on my blog! As some of you may have noticed I changed my logo and side photo. During the pandemic my blog kinda took a back seat to my youtube channel. For a while now I've only been uploading photos of outfits without saying much other than outfit details. I want to share more of my life and every day activities. Originally that was what intrigued me the most about blogs.... getting a glimpse into other peoples lives (along with some fashion and beauty tips haha) so you'll be seeing a lot more of that ! Aside from Fashion and everything vintage, one of my biggest loves is Movies!  I've always been interested in Hollywood and much like my vintage enthusiast friends I've dreamt of being an old Hollywood star working for one of the big studios (LOL I know I'm not the only one!). With that in mind I decided to start up this monthly series where I share new or notable Movies I watch, along with the occasional TV show. I don't normally watch new TV shows, I tend to watch the same ones over and over but if I try something new I'll mention it. This new series will include reviews (good or bad) and also recommendations of movies I love that I think everyone should watch! 


5/10. This Picture was the first on the classic film series at the movie theater, so I had the pleasure of watching it on the big screen! something I've missed during the past two years. I went into it with high expectations, coffee and popcorn in hand, since it has fairly good reviews. But was slightly disappointed....This 1952 movie stars John Wayne and Maureen O'hara! The movie had a few "country side" fashion fashion moments, but nothing mind blowing or memorable.  I found the movie slow paced and with too much domestic violence. I understand it was a different time but it uncomfortable to watch while he drags here across the entire town (literally). I liked the scene where they go on a date and end up at the cemetery, that was probably the best part in my opinion.


I would've given it a lower review if it wasn't for the fact that this is the movie referenced in ET. I LIVE for understanding movie references. Thats probably why I like watching old movies so much, because they are often referenced in newer films, either visually or in conversation. If you look at the photo below you will see that the epic kiss scene is referenced in ET, when Eliott kisses the girl at school after setting the frogs free (Right down to the colours of the outfit the girl is wearing). After watching ET a million times I never thought to look up what the movie ET is watching on screen to understand the reference. But I'm glad I know now! Steven Spielberg chose the quiet man because John Ford was one of his biggest influences.





9/10. This movie has been on my list for a while and I finally got around to watching it!  I came out in 2008 but the movie is set in the 1930s right before WWII. I really loved it and I've watched it twice already. Starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams (Who is PERFECT for this role!). But for me the real star is Lee Pace. The way he looks at her makes my heart melt AND he plays the piano AND sings (I'm in LOVE, need I say more?) Them singing "If I didn't care" was hands down the best part of the movie and it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. All 86K views on the youtube video of that scene were me lol. 


The movie was really fun and camp, very lighthearted and more of a goofball comedy reminiscent of  1930s movies. If you're not familiar with that type of comedy you might think Amy Adams character is a bit over the top, but I think she was positively charming! She had some amazing fashion moments like the light blue dress with matching hat you can see below (side note, I dream of heart hats like that and I hope to own one one day!). Actually all of the outfits in the movie were lovely. 


Frances McDormand (Miss Pettigrew) gets a makeover which is always fun, I love a makeover scene! and she also has a romance throughout the movie ;)  Aside from the duet I mentioned above, some of my other favourite scenes were the scene where Miss Pettigrew arrives at Delicias apartment, it so fun and fast paced, it almost feels like you are being taken on a ride!  And of course the reference to The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the Art History nerd in me loves a painting reference. Overall I loved the film, and I recommend it if you are looking for something fun and lighthearted, its not super profound and its not an Oscar winner but its a good time! I'll probably watch it again sometime soon.




9/10. As I mentioned above I don't normally watch new TV shows, I tend to watch movies simply because I have a bad habit of not finishing shows. A lot of them get boring after a while or the plots start to get too tangled or dragged out (My sister still hasn't forgiven me for not finishing vampire diaries with her....even tho I was the one to recommend it to her years ago). However If I do find a show I like (Aka I finish it) I will watch it over and over.     One day I will make a post featuring all of my favourite TV shows! But this month I decided to give Versailles a try! and am I glad I did! what an underrated show! it came out in 2015 and unfortunately ended in 2018. I think there could've been another season and maybe it would have happened if it got the attention it deserves. As far as the story is concerned there is a little bit of everything; love, sibling rivalry, betrayal, power, war, and more. 


Not to mention that the show itself is visually stunning.. I mean they had a BUDGET, the clothes, hair and makeup and the locations are perfection... ooooh and the hair *chefs kiss*. They film some of the show at the palace of versailles, some of the exterior scenes, the gardens and of course the famous hall of mirrors. Everything is so intricate, no detail is missed. They even included some elements not often talked about like, for example in the first season they show the queen in her bedroom with a little person with dwarfism. Portrayed as a companion or distraction for the Queen. This reminded me of the painting "Las Meninas" by Velasquez,  As we know Queen Maria Theresa was from Spain and so was Valasquez, so I can't help but draw that connection. I found that detail to be very interesting and I think they drew from a lot of rumours that surrounded King Louis XIV. While the show does have a lot of history,  I wouldn't say it was 100% historically accurate, it is a TV show after all. However its a great starting point if you want to do some research if you are interested in King Louis XIV, and his reign (He is the longest reining Monarch after all... although queen Elizabeth is about to steal his crown lol) His desire for power and sexual appetite was depicted perfectly but I think it lacked a bit more opulence in terms of personality (Thats just me being picky tho). 


The character with the most growth was Phillipe (Duc D'Orleans), he matured immensely throughout the show and became one of my favourite characters. Also, his romance with the Chevalier de Lorraine was one of the most interesting and relatable relationships on the show (jealousy and clinginess/dependence). Phillipe was gay and it is a known historical fact along with his relationship with the chevalier, something I didn't know prior to this show. I actually spent a lot of time researching after to see how much of the show was accurate. But I wont give any more spoilers! I gave this show a 9/10 it would've been a 10/10 had it been 100% historical accurate lol (Again thats just me being picky)  




8/10 This movie was so fun! I staring Fred Astaire, Jane Powell and featuring Sarah Churchill (Winston Churchill's daughter!) The movie follows a sibling duo on their trip to London to perform during the time of the Royal Wedding ...Yes Queen Elizabeths wedding. They actually used some real footage from the day of her wedding, mostly crowds and the carriage, she doesn't appear in the movie obviously lol. I watched it on Amazon Prime but you can actually watch the whole movie on youtube, Link here! 


Any movie where I can watch Fred Astaire dance is a hit for me! He is as light as a feather when he dances, it doesn't even look like he's trying because it comes off so naturally to him (I know he worked and trained hard but you know what I mean). One notable dance number is the one where Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling and the walls. I had to pause the movie after the dance number to look up how they filmed it!  There was no CGI used and it was all filmed in one take. They created the room to rotate along with the camera and all of the props were pinned down. You can watch the full dance number here.  Someone actually made a youtube video to show you how it would look without the camera moving, its honestly mind blowing to watch! check it out here! I liked Fred Astaire and Jane Powell dancing together, She's a beautiful dancer as well. Overall I loved the movie But I've seen better Fred Astaire movies, maybe it was the story itself that lacked a little something ? I couldn't fully get into the romances, I also wasn't a fan of their on stage dance number so I gave it an 8/10, I recommend everyone watch it for the dancing on the ceiling number alone.




5/10.  I really wanted to like this but I couldn't get too into it... if you love Classical jazz you might like it a bit more than I did. I think its saving grace was the amazing musicians that appear. One notable one was Benny Goodman, who doesn't play himself, he plays one of the professors... But someone does mention Benny Goodman so I though that was a tongue and cheek moment. Other legends include Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong among others. 



I've only seen Danny Kane in White Christmas so I was looking forward to seeing him in another picture, I found his character to be charming in an endearing/innocent way. But I wasn't a huge fan of Virginia Mayo's character and thought Frisbee could do much better, I didn't feel much chemistry between them. Some of the professors were nice.. others came off as in-genuine? Thats the only way I can describe it. Truly the musical giants making cameos in this film feel unbalanced to the story and characters. I wouldn't really recommend it unless you are a big jazz fanatic....and truthfully I wouldn't watch it again.  


  
That is all for this Month!  I'm excited to start this new series and to share movies and TV shows with you guys! Let me know your thoughts on this series or if you've seen these movies. Also I you have any recommendations for movies or TV shows let me know in the comments below, I'm always looking for new things to watch!

March 23, 2022

Blue Sailor Coat


With the arrival of spring I'm starting to pull out some of my sailor / Nautical pieces! This particular jacket is a new addition to my wardrobe and has quickly become one of my favourites! Unfortunately I cant link it since its thrifted... along with all of the other pieces I'm wearing. However the real star is this little wooden toy I found at the thrift store! how amazing is he!! 

March 11, 2022

Brown Fur


WOW I cant believe my first post of the year is in March.... the pandemic and the cold weather has really taken a toll on my blog photos. I really want to get back into the excitement of creating content and sharing my life with you guys! I'm hoping to create less curated things and create more day to day blog posts if thats something you are interested in seeing. In the meantime I'll share this outfit, I've been really lucky this winter and I've found so many amazing vintage fur pieces! I've mentioned on my youtube channel and Instagram before that I DO NOT support the fur industry or the purchase of new fur. However I don't see an issue with vintage fur. The piece has already been made and there is no point on it going to a landfill. This is the one the jackets I found this year and I've worn it a few times this season!  For this look I paired it with this brown midi skirt (Its actually one of my favourites!). For my top I layered a mustard coloured sweater over a cream blouse, I think the mustard and brown match my shoes perfectly!