Sophie Conti

I'm sure most of you are aware of that wonderful haven of inspiration, Style Like U...but I couldn't help but repost this recent video of Sophie Conti, merely because she is so hilarious and has the funniest anecdotes, including a Larry David-esque incident involving knock-off Balmain heels. I love her approach to fashion. Quality over quantity and pro- outfit repeats, as she says, "I'll wear the same pants four days in a row, but it looks good, you know." It's fun and funny, nothing too serious, cause in the end, it's just clothes.

Sophie Conti from Stylelikeu.com from Stylelikeu on Vimeo.

The Dreamers

I tend to have a desire to watch a movie, but then take forever to actually get around to it. I had heard about The Dreamers so often, that it was always in the back of my mind to watch but it wasn't available to rent through Lovefilm (the UK's Netflix) and so I didn't bother, until last weekend, when alone and bored to death, I finally downloaded it. Being vaguely aware of the premise and only hearing about it from the erotic-incest angle, I was a little nervous, but I loved it. It's kind of like watching Last Tango in Paris and realizing that it's not as scandalous as you imagine it could've been. This is Bertolucci's Last Tango for 20-something intellectuals in Paris during May '68. Shocking but not in a cheap-this-is-meant-to-tantalize sort of way, rather it was quietly beautiful. And though Eva Green spends a good amount of the movie naked, when she was wearing clothes, her costumes were enviable.

(screen captures by me)

10 favorites...ok, 11 favorites

After finishing my exam yesterday, all I wanted to do was lie down and watch some of my favorite movies. But, unfortunately, I had to get straight back to work, preppin' for the next one, but at least I got to sit in Regent's Park and study in the SUN! Anyway, back to my favorite films...I am absolutely god-awful dreadful at picking favorites. I don't know if it is because I like too many movies, there are so many that resonant with me or what, but my list is never-ending so it feels a bit odd to call them all my favorites. But they are, and who ever said you couldn't have a multitude of loves? Movies and me, are a match made in heaven.

So, like bloggers here and there, I present to you clips of 11 of my favorite films, from childhood and now. This is but a mere sampling:


Withnail and I (1986)


Dazed and Confused (1993)


Hocus Pocus (1993)


The Long Goodbye (1973)


Empire Records (1995)


Gosford Park (2001)


Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)


The Royal Tennenbaums (2001)


Before Sunrise (1995)


La Strada (1954)


The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Cote d'Azur

Yay yay yay! It's been decided, and this June I am taking the train from London, through the French countryside and down to the Riveria for a week of sun, sand and general Mediterranean goodness. I am SUPER excited!!! Exclamation points cannot express it. Whenever I think of the Riveria, I think of To Catch a Thief, and the great outfits Cary Grant wears (is it weird that I looked at his clothing more than Grace Kelly, probably, but she is too prim for me). Not that I will be buying a holiday wardrobe, but what I do need is a swimsuit. I haven't bought a new swimsuit in years. And I mean years. The whole experience is entirely dreadful, what with bad dressing room lighting and pale winter skin in the mix = disaster! While I know that that inevitable shopping trip looms near, I can bide my time by staring at the bathing suits from Lover's Sacred Hearts collection. Of course, they will only remain in my dreams as it's a bit silly to pay as much for a bathing suit as it costs to get to the Blue Coast, don't'cha think?

Where the Wild Things Are

Ok, so I'm intrigued...I've been wondering how they would make a story out of an extended wild rumpus but looks like they did, and it looks kinda amazing. This was my second favorite book as a kid, the first being "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." They should make a movie out of that! In stop motion! That would be AMAZING!! I always wished I lived in the tiny town of Chewandswallow. Oh for a melted butter sun (or was it a jello sun?) and mashed potatoes mountains.

Spring at Le Petit Trianon

It was Spring today. It must have been! I felt it in my bones. I felt it in the slight breeze and shining light of the normally shy English sun. Ok, well, it may still be a little too nippy for Spring, but it's a sign, right? It's just around the corner, waiting to be asked to come out and play...

Yesterday, however, I was feeling very un-spring like as I had my first real migraine and thus spent the day cooped up with the blinds shutting away the wretched [for my head] sun, watching & napping through some of my favorite films. I watched Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and was particularly enamored this time around with the scenes depicting Marie Anoinette's idyllic time at Le Petit Trianon. The soundtrack: tweeting of birds and the rustle of leaves, the costumes: white dresses and rosy cheeks and the background: sun, flowers, Spring pure and simple. It made me, despite my couch-ridden state, dream of days to come that I imagine will be spent frolicking in white dresses.

Psst. You can click to enlarge.

lewis lookvideo

LEWIS Fall 2009 Collection from LEWIS on Vimeo.

I like Lewis. It's got that vintage, sweet & simple look that I so crave from other brands such as Lover, A.P.C., and Lyell. I find this video of the fall collection equally sweet. All very wearable pieces that I could probably find at a thrift store...and that's a good thing.

Though to be honest, I haven't been really interested in seeing the fall collections since we are still in the depths of winter, and I don't think Spring/Summer could come any faster. Why are we talking about fall again? Boo.

The Little Princess

When I was younger I thought this movie was magical. I wanted to be Sara, orphaned as she was. It may be time to watch it again.

Did you hear about the corduroy pillows?

...they're making headlines! Remember that one, anyone? Anyway, 3rd grade jokes aside, I am pretty sure I might be going insane. It has come to a point, where Robert Redford is inspiring me. 1970s dashing Robert Redford that is. Well, specifically, 1970s dashing Robert Redford as Bob Woodward in corduroy pants is what is inspiring me. Or rather making me itch with envy.

That makes me sound crazy, right? Well, to clarify further...a few months ago, I watched All the President's Men because it's famous and I thought I hadn't seen it. After watching it, I realized that I had, in fact, seen it a couple of years ago because it was famous and I hadn't seen it. That element aside, what caught my attention this time 'round was Rob as Bob, who, in all his investigatorial glory was trouncing around Washington talking to Deep Throat wearing an awesome corduroy suit. (Words I never thought I'd type). I hadn't considered corduroy pants since the 8th grade, but I wanted. I even wrote it down.

Then I saw Michelle Williams in the Boy by Band of Outsiders campaign and my desire was confirmed. I want. I need. In that perfect honey color. But why-oh-why do they have to be so frickin' expensive?


****
ps. Wes Anderson looks pretty nifty in corduroy too.

Most people are together just so they are not alone. But some people want magic. I think you are one of those people.

Ok, so sometimes I think this should just be a film blog as oppose to a style/fashion one since I seem to post quite often on films that I have seen. But I figure I made this little thing to post pretty pictures and speak about things that interest/motivate/move me, and that certainly isn't reducible to clothes.

That silly caveat aside, on to the film that I am currently in love with: Broken English. It had been in my mind to rent for ages -- seriously. I actually found "Broken English" scribbled on a scrap of paper in a book I read last summer. When I went home a couple weeks ago, I finally managed to rent it from Blockbuster and subsequently purchased it and have watched it again since.
Though it is somewhat imperfect in its plot, I love it all the same. In a sentence it's about a woman who is thirty-something and lonely. Sounds predictable? Could be Sex and the City? But it's not. For me, it was more about the sombre, bittersweet air that the movie carries. It is slow and drifting, and avoiding many a cliche from the genre. (Sidenote: slow does not mean bad in my book, but if you don't like Lost in Translation and the like, this may not be for you). Parker Posey is absolutely perfect as the lead; every single emotion that the character Nora feels is registered on her face. Yeah, there's a beautiful french man and an ending that is a little predictable, but all together it's a wry and charming romance.


After watching it, a haze of bittersweetness surrounded me, and thats why I love movies so much. I like being effected.