Thursday, January 29, 2015

Fashion in Film: Cheryl Strayed



For about the first 10 seconds of Wild's trailer I wasn't watching because it sounded like something I wanted to see, but more because seeing Reese Witherspoon traipsing around in the outdoors is well, pretty unusual. However, somewhere between those first seconds and the last two minutes I had already fallen for the cinematography  and had become somewhat confused yet intrigued by the plot line.  So, there are movies you go to because you are excited to see them and just know that you're going to love, and then there's those you go to just because it  looks interesting enough, so why not. Sometimes, those why not movies can be some of the biggest surprises, which is exactly what Wild was to me. 

Wild, follows a hopeless, destructive, yet determined Cheryl Strayed as she begins a journey of healing and self discovery through hiking the PCT. The story is told through both real time events and flashbacks to help answer the question that is repeatedly asked, "Why, Cheryl, do you have to walk 1,000 miles?" Wild, is honest enough to answer the main question, but also smart enough to leave your mind wondering about so many different aspects of the story that you drive home creating a list of questions you will ask Cheryl if you ever meet her one day (or that's what I did...). As I mentioned before, I was in love with the cinematography which gave us close ups into Cheryl's desperate face, stunning landscape views, and scenes that left you well...feeling...feelings. All of the different kinds. My favorite? Cheryl and several other heroin junkies are high on the street while one man dances in overalls and broad daylight. It odd, and I found it hauntingly beautiful.

As for the costume design, Cheryl is most often wearing hiking clothes (duh) suiting whatever weather she is dealing with in the scene. She does have cute hiking boots. Also, there are flashbacks where we get to see her in some grungy clothes which she has probably worn days, a classy outfit for when she is at a hotel bar, and her work uniform for the diner. Below, I have tried to piece together some wearable outfits for today inspired by all of those scenes. All of the clothing pieces are either from Topshop, Boohoo, or Modcloth.

All in all, Wild is a very well directed/dressed/filmed/edited/acted movie that happens to be very inspiring and does exactly what it seeks to do which is put you in the way of beauty. Go see it, humans.


Cheryl Strayed

wild scenes


Monday, January 26, 2015

Californication

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Ext. Hollywood Hotel - Day

She waits outside the Hollywood Hotel and beneath the L.A. sun watching the passerby's in the parking lot through cat eye sunglasses while the wind breaks through her hair causing her to check her reflection in the mirror. Seeing her ride pull up in the window she throws her hair to the side, turns, and enters the 1960 blue Chevy Malibu.

I've mentioned probably too often on this space how I am a complete lover of the light and seem to suffer greatly without it. I see the Aussie and Cali bloggers that I follow living it up in the sun, and it seems that in Tennessee we have been surrounded by some ginormous gray cloud of fog FOR DAYS! Luckily, the rainy weather seemed to break it's bleh pattern and bless us Tennesseeans with a bit of Californication. 60 degrees is a beautiful temperature for January, beautiful! Seeing the sun and a photo of Kate Moss outside the Beverly Hills Hotel on Tumblr I was practically overwhelmed with inspiration (plus I've been spending some time with Hank Moody on Netflix) and found myself pulling on this Bardot Body Con (gasp!, right? It's not every day you see me in this silhouette) from Nasty Gal, the softest fluffiest sweater ever known to man (trust me, I've tried many sweaters and there is none softer than this one) from Forever 21 which had me the moment I saw it was trimmed in gold chain, and some fluffy feathery heels that I've been drooling over for ummmm too long. 

I'm sure you noticed something different about this post, as in the Courier type slug line thing happening at the top of the post. Yes, well as it has also been made very clear that I'm always inspired by stories (both real and made up in my head) and movies, and I view each outfit basically as for a character within those stories or movies. So, I'm really wanting to express myself with that more, and incorporate my inspirations more into my posts so that everything will be more cohesive and I can show the whole process from beginning to end. This also explains my enter in the Youtube world (subscribe to me plz). This will result in a new blog layout and logo as well, but I'm trying to take it slow and spend my time wisely, as getting good quality posts up in a mannerly time is really the most important thing right now. Ok wow, well nobody is probably still reading as I have only been rambling through the last paragraph. Whatever, just enjoy the pictures.

Credits
Sweater and Necklace: Forever 21
Dress: Nasty Gal
Shoes: Chic
Sunglasses: Asos


Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

"Down on the West Coast, they got their icons
Their silver starlets, their Queens of Saigons" 

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger

Retro Black and Gold Outfit, Black Off the Shoulder Dress, Lana del Rey Style, Californication, Fashion Blogger


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

January OOTD Lookbook


What we have here, is a project that I thought would only take about a day, but in reality ended up taking about a week. (Hence, the lack of posts this week. Ugh!) I began using Final Cut Pro X, and found there to be quite the learning curve from Windows Movie Maker. However, I think I have pretty much mastered the basics now, and look forward to creating more and more interesting videos. I'll also be prepared with other content so that there isn't some random week long hiatus. Anyways, as I've said before I really love making videos, as it really brings the outfit to life, and since most all of my outfits are inspired by stories or cinema I love the opportunity to actually set the scene and give my outfit characters some life. So, hope you enjoy this video, and I've made a goal to make one once a week, so watch this space along with my YouTube channel. In case you missed these posts previously, I've linked each one below shown in correlation to their appearance in the video. (Correlation? That reminds me of statistics...remind me never to use the word again.)

Look 1: Dancer at Dawn

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Ice Princess

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

top: anthropologie, bottoms: asos, necklace: charming charlie's, heels: ebay, coat: missguided

The winter weather always seems to mute the color of the world around it. A blue sky becomes gray, the once colorful trees are now bare, and a light mist seems to always be lingering in the air. Sometimes, this seasonal change does seem to get to me, as I am a lover of summer and the sun itself, and not seeing it for so long does make me feel a bit numb. I really can't wait for spring to come, and inside I'm so hopeful that it's soon, both for wardrobe and general happiness/inspiration reasons. Plus, this girl needs a tan.

Today, I found myself matching my outfit to the sky, but tried to keep it from being completely dull with funky textures, different silhouettes, and some sparkly pastels. The bottoms still give me that balletic look that I love so dearly, while the top and necklace feel rather glamorous. It's fair to say I've never felt more like an ice princess in my entire life.

Stay warm and whimsical, my friends!

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing, Leopard Print Coat

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing, Leopard Print Coat

Classy Winter Outfit, Ariana Grande Style, Winter Pastels Clothing

Friday, January 9, 2015

Winter Swan


black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

 button up: gap, tank top, necklace, shoes: forever 21, skirt: free people (old), coat: missguided

The quote, "smile through the pain" takes on a whole new meaning when trying to take pictures in temperatures that are lower than my age and wind that makes you wish ski masks were a current fashion trend. Northerners would probably read this and laugh, but honestly, us Tennesseans are not used to these icy temperatures. Braving the weather, I went out to a spot I've grown to particularly like, mostly because the brick wall reminds me of the ones I passed in New York City's East Village, and jumped around trying not to go completely numb in my black tulle skirt and white button up. Caught at the right moment I might've looked as though I was reenacting scenes from Swan Lake, I'm just not sure if it was the Black Swan or White Swan in this monochrome ensemble. 

Hope you all are keeping warm! May your best tights not rip, and your coffee be an endless supply! 

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

black and white outfit, monochrome outfit, classy outfit, audrey hepburn style,

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Chelsea Hotel

Retro 60's Inspired Outfit, Fashion Blogger, Peter Pan Collar Top, High Waist Shorts, Taylor Swift Style

Retro 60's Inspired, Platform Heels Ankle Strap
 peter pan collar top: asos, black high waist shorts: desirae danielle, floral garter tights: urban outfitters, platform heels: pleaser

"I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel"

Perhaps our secrets aren't best kept within each other, but within places. Locked behind apartment doors, tucked into wall crevices, sitting on shelves, peering through windows, lying in open fields, and even tossing in waves and buried beneath sand. There is the moment when you enter or even just pass a place of the past and your mind becomes a flurry of memories. The rush of a kiss. The unforgettable sound of a magnetic laugh. The ghost of someone who left long ago. All of these things still as present as when they first happened. Maybe this is how Leonard Cohen feels about his time at the Chelsea Hotel? This  song was after all my inspiration for the post. Dressing up in 60's inspired pieces pretending to be a lady staying in the hotel at that same time, making memories and then leaving them behind with a sign that reads "Do Not Disturb." 

The 60's are one of my favorite eras to try and recreate whether it be through photos, make-up, or outfits. Give me a mod style top and some high waisted shorts and I'm good to go...both out into today's world and back to one I only wish I had known.


Retro 60's Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts

Retro 60s Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts

Retro 60s Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts, Garter Tights

Retro 60s Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts

Retro 60s Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar, Black High Waist Shorts, Taylor Swift Style

Retro 60s Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts, Taylor Swift Style

Retro 60s Inspired Outfit, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts, Taylor Swift Style

Retro 60s Inspired Style, Peter Pan Collar Top, Black High Waist Shorts, Taylor Swift Style