27 Thursday Sep 2012
Posted in Books
A great go-to book by Amanda Brooks to help you solidify your look, or get you to try a new one. It’s full of IT girls, cool girls, chic girls, all of them AB FAB and inspirational.
It’s also a great pictorial reference book for you young-uns just learning the style icon vernacular.
She also has a blog: http://iloveyourstyle.com/
20 Thursday Sep 2012
Posted in stuff to do
Tags
For the supremely organized (not me)… The Closet App lets you take pictures of everything in your closet. You can then mix it up planning outfits for every day of that week or month. So when you’re in that morning fog, staring into your closet, you won’t have to waste precious morning time trying to cobble together a look. It’s also handy for planning a trip, or filling holes in your arsenal of chic.
Closet App. Free on iphone and ipad.
13 Thursday Sep 2012
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Gabriele Ferzetti, L'Avventura, Lea Massari, Michelangelo Antonioni, Monica Vitti, post war Italy
Michelangelo Antonioni’s, “L’Avventura,” was booed at it’s first screening at Cannes, in 1959. Such is the reaction to all things new and groundbreaking. The second screening fared much better, it was hailed as a genius work of art.
Anna, her boyfriend, Sandro, and best friend Claudia, go for a lovely boat ride one summer. Anna goes missing, and the boating party tries in vain to find her. Sandro and Claudia bond over the incident and start romantically seeing each other. Anna is never found, which begs the question, what happened to her? Which Antonioni never answers. It’s an art film. No tidy endings, people. It’s more like a meditation on love, life, and the transitory nature of it.
Anna’s father tells her Sandro will never marry her. Don’t you love his polka dot tie? Lea Massari and Renzo Ricci.
Anna’s simple dress is perfect for Spring/Summer. I love that there’s two ties at the waist. Monica Vitti and Lea Massari.
Anna fears losing Sandro, but simultaneously feels numb in her surroundings. This might reflect an Italian post-war sensibility. Intense feelings towards comforting emotions like love, but a numb psyche as a result of the recent WWII horrors, and unable to fully enjoy emotions like love.
Anna, Sandro, and Claudia embark on a short cruise.
Love the deep V back of Claudia’s, (Monica Vitti) swimsuit.
Love this Italian fisherman’s sweater.
Anna has misgivings about getting married to Sandro. She wants him but at the same time, would be fine without him. She’s cornfused. This is the last we see of her.
Anna goes missing. Claudia, Sandro, and their friend Corrado stay on the island to continue searching for her. Claudia and Sandro develop an attraction to each other.
This could be a Prada ad. Old Italian money + whimsy.
Antonioni is a master at framing. If I were a painter or photographer/DP, I’d be totally inspired by him.
A study in Italian working-class men’s scarves and layering.
Monica Vitti in repose. I love her shoes and that her sweater is not super fitted, but more blouse-like.
It looks even better with a great handbag.
Claudia, Monica Vitti, feels guilt for falling for Sandro. The ocean in the background remind you of Anna’s disappearance.
Antonioni goes out of his way to inject this little scene. This girl, Gloria Perkins, causes a near riot by walking around the city with a ripped side seam, exposing her undies and garter. The reporter Sandro sought out, explains it’s all a ruse to get some attention for herself and maybe a sucker willing to shell out big bucks to “date” her. Is Antonioni commenting on modern love being merely a transaction?
I like that the ruffles are arranged on the chair framing Monica. It makes the frame more dynamic.
Claudia dons one of Patrizia’s wigs, and looks like a certain missing girl.
Polka dot suit + scarf. Serious, but fun.
Interesting framing. Claudia’s double layered dress is too. Don’t see it being much for the masses though.
The last shot captures the theme of loneliness in love. Claudia fell in love with Sandro, then felt tremendous guilt for not wanting to find Anna. Sandro thinks he loves Claudia, but then gives in to his lust and hooks up with Gloria. Romantic love is difficult and complex and never is the answer to all of life’s problems. Claudia and Sandro are together but surrounded by emptiness.
Empty, desolate landscapes in natural and urban settings underscore the rudderless and lonely feelings of modern life.
12 Wednesday Sep 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Took more time off from the blog for the summer than planned but I’m back in movie viewing/screen-capturing/clothes-envying mode. How was your summer? Is it just me, or are you dying for a cold blustery day so you can snuggle up in a wool fisherman’s sweater and nurse a pot au chocolat? The summer was way too hot and humid for me. I tend to wilt and complain when it’s above 75 with the slightest bit of moisture.
Speaking of vengeance and movies… It’s the day after September 11th, always a somber one, and then we hear of the shocking murders in Libya. Some wack job makes a horrible “film” that is clearly made to be incendiary and offensive to Muslims, and SURPRISE, it’s inflamed the Arab world and four Americans have been killed in retaliation. The blame squarely lands of the people who committed these acts, but the filmmaker has shown a callous disregard to the possible and obvious outcome of making that film. I don’t begrudge him his first amendment rights, but come on, let’s use some common sense. The same reason you don’t yell FIRE! in a crowded theater.
But now, you can yell GUN! I didn’t have time to post about the Aurora, Colorado shootings, and then the Olympics swept into town and all media coverage followed, so the shootings receded into the background for me. I took the little guy to see, “Brave,” and had fun watching the trailers with him. Then a card came up to instruct people to be aware of the exits in case of an emergency. I held my little one a little tighter, reminded of the fact that all those people were in that theater doing the exact same thing as me. We go to the movies to take refuge from life. If it’s too hot, or cold, or rainy, or if you need a good laugh, or you want a good cry, it’s a place we all go. Up until that point it was a safe haven.
I don’t have a clever quote to wrap things up. I tried but they all sounded trite. My heart goes out to the families of the victims in both Benghazi and Aurora.
The Fashionéaste 
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