JULY 2022 - Film and TV

Another month has gone by!  It's crazy that we are halfway through the summer! I had a bit more time this month to watch more movies and TV shows! Last month I only watched like 4 things haha if you didnt see last months post you can check it out here!  This months all of the movies and TV shows were new to me with the exception of one (Casablanca). 

A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1985)

9/10.  I have been meaning to watch this movie for ages and I finally got around to watching it! It is an academy award winner with a star studded cast including Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Julian Sands and Daniel Day Lewis. It is based on the novel by the same name written by E.M Forster. The story takes place at the turn of the century (1907). It follows Lucy who meets George on a trip to Florence, where they share a brief romance.  Once she returns home she is engaged to another man named Cecil... that is until George appears again. 

One of the best things about this movie is the wardrobe !  it is SPECTACULAR, all the the clothes are historically accurate...a little too accurate If you told me these were real upper class people from 1907 I would believe you. The silhouettes were perfect. Both the men and women in this film had a beautiful wardrobes and it made me want to get some Edwardian dresses haha. I am in love with all of Lucys dresses (Duh) but I also love the light coloured suits the men wear, and I specifically liked that striped blazer Freddy (Lucys brother) wears. 

The cinematography is beautiful it's like watching a painting on film. The colour palette is rich but muted, very beautiful to look at. As for the the plot, the source material was written in 1908 so it's a bit more slow paced compared to current movies.  You also have to place yourself in the time period they are living in to understand how scandalous a kiss is. The movie is very romantic!  I find modern movies and plots tend to show too much when it comes to sex. When a kiss, hand touching, and longing stares can be just (if not more) romantic. Just my two cents. Overall I really enjoyed it and will probably watch it again! 

THE BOMBARDMENT (2021)

9/10. Also known as the shadow in my eye. This movie broke my heart and left me thinking about it for days. Even watching the trailer again to link it in this post made me sad.  Based on the true story of a school in Copenhagen that was mistakenly bombed by the British air force during WWII in 1945. I actually didn't know this story when I started the movie. 

The acting was amazing from the young cast, especially from Bertram Bisgaard who played Henry. The scene where he is at the doctor because he cant speak after seeing something traumatic nearly brought me to tears, it was heartbreaking, so incredibly well acted.  The kids bring so much innocence to the movie in contrast to the ongoing war around them. 

The movie was beautifully filmed but very haunting. There is a bit of a catholic plot in the film... which I go back on forth on if it was necessary. I don't mind the religious aspects in films, I just don't know how much it adds to the plot. Teresa was a bit unhinged... and I wanted to like the romantic plot in the movie but I don't think Teresa was in a good place to be involved in a relationship so it kinda ruined the romance for me. It was a bit more slow paced but I think it has to be for this subject matter. Overall it was a good movie and I recommend it if you are into these types of movies. 

CASABLANCA (1942)

9/10. I mean I feel like I don't even need to review this movie because it is one of the most popular films ever made.  I've seen it before but it was playing at the movie theater as part of the classic film series and I had to see it on the big screen! With stars like Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman you can't go wrong. 

A good example of a film noir with its dark shadows and moody lighting. Of course we all know the story, Rick owns a nightclub in Casablanca, everything is going well until an old flame appears (Lisa) with her husband. However her husband is being chased by the germans and Lisa knows Rick can help them leave the country.

Of course there is some beautiful fashion moments thanks to Ingrid Bergmans character, early 1940s structured shoulders and suits which isn't my taste but she wears it so well!  I love the white hat she wears (Photo above) its so beautiful and I hope to find something like it. I don't have much else to say about this film, its a classic and I'm sure most of you have seen it... if you haven't please come out from under that rock you've been living under and watch it lol. 

MIDNIGHT AT THE PERA PALACE (2022)

8/10. Ah ! This show is so underrated! Not sure if its popular in Turkey but I've never heard anyone talk about it here in Canada! I REALLY liked it!  I was a bit unsure when I first watched the trailer because it reminded me of a hallmark movie.... I decided to give it a try anyway and was pleasantly surprised! The show takes place at the Pera Palace, which is a real hotel in turkey where it is rumoured that Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express. So of course you know the show has a mystery "whodunit" element to it!

The show starts out with Esra (A journalist) who goes to the Pera Palace to write and article. Due to a bad storm she is offered a room at the hotel to spend the night. By coincidence she ends up time travelling to 1919. The problem is that any little thing she does could interfere with the future... which of course ends up happening.  Luckily Ahmet  (hotel manager??)  notices and he travels back in time to bring Esra back. He realizes that she has altered the future and tried to helps her fix it. There is also a bit of a political conflict, one of them being that they have to prevent the assassination of Mustafa Kamal. 

Of course there is a love interest ;) Literally the best part!  and if the fact that they live in different time periods wasn't complicated enough... there is more to it!  But I wont spoil it!  I LOVED Halits character, His clothes are swoon worthy!  However I will admit that Esras clothes aren't the most historically accurate. The hair is also super out of place for the time period.... I could argue hat she's not actually from that time period so it makes sense, but the hairstyles on a lot of the other actresses are also not accurate (neither are the clothes) I tried to look past it but that was one of my biggest draw backs. As well as a small plot hole? But I cant really get into it without ruining the show (Sorry!)  If you've seen it DM me on instagram and we'll talk about it! I heard talk about a season 2 that is suppose to come out early 2023 and I hope its true! Season 1 is only 8 episodes so you should be able to get through it quite quickly... I think it took me 2 days to watch the whole thing. 

1922 (2017)

6.5/10.  Not sure how I haven't seen this movie before. I watched it on Netflix and it was so creepy... and also really sad. I think it's labeled as a horror? I would say it's more of a psychological drama. Based on the book by Stephen King  

The story is about a farmer who conspires to murder his wife for monetary gain, he also convinces his son to help him kill her. They soon become delusional and their actions start to eat away at them as the days pass. The story takes place in 1922 (duh)  and they completely nail the time period! The accents, clothes and set design. Every time they were inside the house I was looking around at the decor, I loved the wallpaper lol... ok I'm side tracking. 

While it was really well done I was hoping for a bit more horror in it, I think they could've pushed it a bit further!  But since it's a Stephen King novel it leans more on the psychological side, I was hoping for something a but closer to the shining in terms of horror. But It was a bit more slow paces with a lot of narration, so if you want something more fast paced you might not like this movie. For those reasons I gave it a 6.5.  I haven't read the book so I'm not sure how the ending compares but for a movie it ended  abruptly and I wish there was something more at the end.

GIRL IN THE PICTURE (2022)

10/10. This documentary was spectacular !  I logged on to Netflix and saw that it was recently added... I tried to look up reviews but I only saw two. turns out it had just come out that day!  After I finished watching it I recommended it to friends and posted about it on my instagram story and I had so many messages from people saying they really liked it. It's a tragic and heartbreaking story but its so well put together. Highly recommend it if you are into true crime documentaries. 

The documentary starts off with a woman being found on the side of the road. She was rushed to a Hospital and  Her husband eventually shows up. It turns out that she was a stripper, unfortunately she quickly dies in the hospital.  When she girls she worked with tried to get in touch with her family they realize she's not who she says she is. The police is notified and after a bit of digging they lay out the nightmare this girl has lived through. 

It's really had to review the documentary due to the sensitive subject matter and I also don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it. But I highly recommend it if you are into these types of documentaries. They do an amazing job at jumping back and forth the timeline without making it confusing. There are also tons of videos with photos and testimonies from people that knew her. 

Window Shopping - Yorkville

Hello! Last weekend I did a little window shopping in Yorkville. I love hanging out in Yorkville in the summer, the patios are full and the streets are filled with people shopping and relaxing. It was also THE perfect weather, partially cloudy, hot but not too hot.... just perfect. 

Before we go into the stores I know you want to know about this outfit!  I am wearing a vintage 1940s dress from Adelines Attic Vintage on Etsy. It's a beige coloured dress with a peplum shape. It also has sequins going along the front creating bows on the chest area, and also sequins on the peplum bit of the dress. I think its such a beautiful detail!  I've seen pieces like this in old photographs but I've never seen one in my size until I scrolled past this one on Etsy. I'm so happy I got it because it is a 1940s dream!  I of course had to pair it with a big wide rimmed hat!  This is the vintage hat I got in St. Jacobs last month (You can check out that blog post here if you missed it!). As for shoes I went with these small black kitten heels with a strap at the ankle.

I went shopping with my friend Mikayla, who you guys have met numerous times! Our styles are completely different but we both love dressing up! I mean who doesn't ;) If you love the colour pink check out her instagram here! 

The first store we visited was Gucci! Every time I come in here I am obsessed with the stands they use for the shoes!  Its so royal and unnecessarily extra lol I love it. I want some to display my shoes in my closet. I'm tempted to find a way to make some... 

The Interior is mostly pink (So you know Mikayla loved that), I personally fell in love with floral hangers and the nautical pieces!  If I had the space in my closet I would find floral hangers like this! they look SOO pretty. I was tempted to use those silk lingerie hangers (Those plush one... you know what I'm talking about) I wanted to use those in my closet but they take up a lot of room compared to regular hangers... The minute I have more closet space you know I'll invest in some beautiful statement hangers. It elevates the look of the closet and the clothes inside it.... thats why I have those small busts and hat stands in my closet haha. 

In the Louis Vuitton store I saw these beautiful silk scarves! I always gravitate towards silk scarves because they are a great way to add some colour and unexpected patterns to your outfits. It's harder to pull off a dress with an obnoxious pattern but a silk scarf? they all have bold patterns and colours so they are really easy to wear. 

I forgot to talk about my accessories ! I paired the look with a vintage black purse, I believe its from the 1950s!  And some sheer black gloves that have little hearts on them. I got these gloves from H&M YEARS ago (Probably around 2014?) from the clearance section, I think I paid $2 and I love them... but I've only worn them once. I am making a point to wear all of the items I own and I'm so happy with how these gloves look with this particular outfit. I like that the ruffles along the wrist mimic the peplum on the dress, It's a subtle detail that ties the look together. 

We also went into the Chanel store but they are a but more strict about photos, but I did take this when I walked and how beautiful are those shoes!  and the feathery skirt! I spend more time taking photos outside the Chanel store as you probably noticed haha. 

I love going into the Prada store mainly because of the the black and white checkered floor!  I LOVE checkered floors and hope to have an entry way with this exact flooring. My favourite pieces were thee knit sweaters that say Prada on them, I think they are so cute! 

After a long day of window shopping we went to dinner ! We wanted to sit on a patio and have a long dinner with drinks but the places we were looking at were mostly Italian and it was a bit too warm for pasta....actually if I'm being truthful we both wanted bar food lol. So we went to Hemingways on Cumberland (Parallel to Yorkville) They have a large patio upstairs so thats where we asked to be seated. This is hands down my favourite crispy chicken sandwich ! I've had it a couple of times and its always delicious... every time I'm craving a crispy chicken sandwich this is exact sandwich I'm talking about. Highly recommend! 

I forgot to mention... Yes we did go into the Dior store as well but they were also a bit strict on photographs, so we just took some outside! We also sat outside the store on one of the benches while Mikayla ate a banana bread loaf! lol

And that pretty much wraps up my day of window shopping! I had an amazing time just walking around and looking inside all of the shops!  I hope you guys enjoyed this little post ! Let me know if you want to see more posts like this in the future! 

Dior - My Inspired New Look

For todays outfit I am pulling inspiration from one of the most iconic looks in history! Of course its not an exact replica but its a more "modern" "wearable" version.... however if you gave me the original I would still wear it everywhere because in my eyes its still wearable.... but I digress. But before we get to my version of this look lets take a trip back in time to the very beginning... 

Dior - The Beginning 

Before we talk about the new look lets get to know the man tho created it. Christian Dior was born on January 21st 1905 in Normandy, France. His father was Maurice Dior and his Mother was Madeline Martin. Dior was the second born out of 5 siblings. They lived a comfortable bourgeoisie life due to a successful fertilizer company. Dior and his family moved to Paris when he was 10. As a young boy Dior was fascinated by anything elaborate, sparkling, flowery of frivolous. Later in life he would say that his greatest love were flowers and plats... that will be important for his debut collection.  However his Father wanted him to become a diplomat but Dior was artistic and wanted to be involved in art. To make money he would sell his sketches for 10 cents outside of his house. 

The making of a Legend  

In 1928 he left school and his father gave him some money to start a small art gallery with the condition that he didn't use the family name. He sold artwork by Picasso. Unfortunately due to the great depression the gallery closed 3 years later. This forces Dior to have to find another way to make a living. Dior began selling sketches of hats to newspapers and eventually landed a job with Rober Piguet in 1938, where he was given the opportunity to design 3 Piguet collections. While at Piguet, Dior worked alongside Pierre Balmain. Dior left Piguet when he was called to serve in the south of France during WWII. He returned to Paris in 1941 and worked with Lucien Lelong at a much larger design house where he and Balmain were the primary designers. On December 8th 1946 he opened his own house.

The Collection that changed fashion

His first collection launched on February 12th 1947 by the name of Corolle (The botanical term corolla or circlet of flower petals in english) The term new look would be coined by Carmel Snow, editor and chief of  Harpers Bazaar. Dior was quoted saying " I have created flower women". Which I find really interesting because the big skirts do look like upside down flowers. Diors designs rejected the styles of the 1920s and 1930s and was inspired by styles body shapers of the late 19th century. The bar suit was the most iconic out of the entire collection, and there are two variations, one with a notched collar and one with a shawl collar.  The one in the most famous photo (The one I have beside my photo at the beginning of the post) is notched  HOWEVER that photo is actually from 1957, the original photo is the one below on the left which was taken in 1947. So the original bar suit was a shawl collar and the notched one was created later and then used as a promotional image for the 10 year anniversary of Dior. 

Dior was a master at creating shapes and silhouettes, his designs were revolutionary at the time because there were more voluminous than the clothes seen during the war and the previous 2 decades. His looks featured round shoulders, cinched waists and a very full skirt. He accentuated the shapes by using hip padding, petticoats, bones bustier style bodices, and corsets.This amount of shape wear had not been since the turn of the century, especially since it became popular for women to not wear corsets in the 1920s.  His collection celebrated ultra femininity and opulence. However his collection did get some backlash upon its release, initially women protested because the skirts were longer and covered up their legs, at the time hemlines had gotten shorter due to rationing from the war. Some criticized the excess amount of fabric being used for a single dress or suit right after WWII and people were still struggling. But there is no denying that this collection established Dior as a high fashion brand and set the fashion trend for the next decade.

Dior offered not only a new look but a new outlook on fashion... and as they say the rest is history! 

From Corolle to Carolina 

Of course my outfit is much less opulent than the original but I am pulling inspiration not recreating the look. I put together this outfit with items I thrifted and that I already had in my closet ! As you probably noticed the colours are inverted but I still think it works!  So I am wearing this vintage cream pleated skirt, its not as full as the Dior one (Which is what makes it iconic) but when paired with the peplum style top I think it works really nicely for a more day to day look. The top is a black rayon top from Wilfred, it fits me perfectly! What I love about it is the slightly rounded sleeves? They almost look like tulips. 

I took inspiration from the 1957 photo and wore a straw hat and I think it worked perfectly! its a vintage piece I found earlier this summer and finally got a chance to wear it.  In the original look the model is wearing gloves, and you guys know how much I love gloves and I've been on a summer glove kick this season! Since my top has short sleeves I thought cream crochet ones would be appropriate for this look because they are more subtle and work better for a summer look. As for the shoes... I don't have any 1940s black shoes so I opted for these little black patent heels with an a little strap at the front. For the finishing touch...the  lipstick I am wearing is Dior 999 which is the perfect shade of red!  I loved the way this outfit turned out and I think the reference is very noticeable so I'm really happy with it!  

Let me know what you guys think of this look in the comments below! I had so much fun putting together this look and doing some research to tie it all together! let me know if there are other looks you want me to try to "recreate"!