Romance for Uggos

I saw a sneak preview of Jane Eyre last night. I thought the actors were too good looking for the characters they played but I still liked it. When I read the book, I imagined Jane to actually be, "poor, obscure, plain and little" with dark eyes and hair like fairy person. They did a nice job of trying to make Mia Wasikowska look plain, her hair is certainly hideous but you could still tell by the slenderness of her features that she's actually pretty. I don't know if they even tried to make Michael Fassbender look ugly- he was total babe. Doesn't Hollywood get that Jane Eyre is supposed to be a love story for Uggos? I love this poster by the way.

And now I'll leave you with bit of comedy.

During the movie, I kept thinking about this cartoon and giggling to myself!

The Nitty on these Gritty Costumes...

Maybe I should just get over the fact that True Grit won absolutely nothing at the Oscars but one category I really thought they should have won was costume design. Mary Zophres did such a fantastic job. I read that while researching for historical accuracy, she did not trust old photographs because they were often done in studios and are therefore somewhat inaccurate as far as everyday clothing goes. Instead, she read diaries and searched for old catalogue pictures.

I also read that the the clothing of the day was rather uncomfortable and that she did not adjust her designs to accommodate the actors. She used itchy thick wool, rawhide, and cut the pants high. I think that factor of discomfort is part of what makes the grittiness of the old west so visceral in this movie.

One of my favorite costumes was the medicine man's. Check out what Zophres had to say about it:

"The gentleman they cast was huge — he was 6 foot 4. We couldn't find a bear big enough. You'd think bears would be big enough, but they weren't. I went to a taxidermist in Albuquerque, and on the floor was a bearskin rug with the head. And I was like, "OK, that's going to be his head," because it looked pretty good. And he happened to have some bearskins in a box. So we took those and cobbled four bearskins together to make that guy's outfit because he was so big. We wanted to envelop him in it. When he comes riding up, it looks like he's a bear on a horseback."

I especially liked Matt Damon's costume. He looks so sweaty and dirty in all the leather, yet he and the costume still manage to be somehow frou frou amid all the grit. LaBoeuf is such a lovable, foolish character, I thought his costume was perfect.

And last but not least Mattie's flat brim hat! It transcends her whole personality. The line of the brim cuts her young face and creates an exaggerated brow of determination.

You can read an interview with costume designer Mary Zophres here.

Best Dressed!

I could do a whole list of best and worst dressed for the Oscars but I think I will just show you Hailee Steinfeld. Wow! She is hands down the best dressed. Finally, a young star is dressed age appropriate and the result is that she looks stunning. What a lucky and talented young girl! Not only does she get to go to the Oscars but she is nominated AND she is wearing Marchesa? In my opinion, she should have won best supporting actress. I thought she was fantastic in True Grit.

Would it be weird if I admited to having a girl crush on 14 year old? This girl is winning my heart.

Biatch Wore My Dress: The Oscars

I don't have time to do full run down on my best/worst of the Oscars but I just wanted to drop in and show my fellow zombies my favorite dress of the night. You may remember it from a previous post on Monique Lhuillier's Spring 2011. This is totally the dress I would wear if I were and Oscar goer. I am in love with this dress. The same thing happened to me last year when Sandra Bullock showed up in my favorite Marchesa dress minus the best part (i.e. the giant shoulder bow)! Since I am not invited to the Oscars I guess I shouldn't begrudge the stars these amazing gowns... I just can't help but exclaim, "Hey, that's my dress!" every time it happens.

Isn't it glorious? Too bad her hair and make up are so terrible. Were they trying to make her look dull? I did not even recognize her as Mandy Moore. Mandy, if you are out there I hope you fire your stylist. Everyone else just use your scroll bar to look at this picture from the neck down.

An Education

My laptop has been with HP being "repaired" for like two months now (worst service ever!) and that means that I have been without Netflix instant play for far too long. I love Netflix instant because you can watch really bad movies that you would never dare to rent, then if they suck, you can just turn it off and pick something else! Anyway, during this period of withdrawal I discovered that Blockbuster has little to no selection anymore and it really is not worth going there. Most of the time I want to rent a movie from them and they want to sell it to me, but they want to sell me their crappy used copy and for that same price I could probably buy duo good copies from Amazon. Hey Blockbuster, what do you think I am? A sucker? So anyway, last night my housemate and I ended up in Target and we decided to browse the DVDs so that we'd have something to watch when we got home. I really wanted to buy An Education, but it was like 20 bucks and I know it will be half that in 6 months. I do hate waiting though... so I think I will re-live the movie again by creating a couple of style boards, alright then?

This image alone made me want to go see this movie. I talked my boyfriend into it (not a difficult feat) and off we went to the old Del Mar theater. I love going to see movies that I don't know much about. In fact, I knew so little about this movie when I went to go see it that I actually thought Ewan McGregor was going to be the lead man because-- doesn't Peter Sarsgaard look like him in the poster? Sometimes when I am in the theater and they show a preview for something I know I want to see, I will close my eyes so that they don't ruin the movie for me. In my opinion, they really show way too much! On that note, if you have not seen this movie, go watch it and then come back and read this post.

Here is my uncorrupted Jenny styling board. So lovely and innocent. If you want to go with this look find a sweet heart pendant, look for a simple, modest dress and add plaid where you can. You can also keep your eyes out for peter pan collars, tights, kitten heels, and fuzzy sweaters. Be sure to study your Latin and take plenty of tea with biscuits.

Vintage coat, dress, scarves, and locket from Etsy.

 

Here is our temptress. I really enjoyed Rosamund Pike as Helen in this movie. I think her due was lost in the Carrey Mulligan Oscar nomination surprise but I thought she was fantastic. She seriously cracked me up when I saw this in the theater. Plus, she played a pivotol role. David or maybe Jenny herself should ultimately be blamed for Jenny's demise but without Helen there to set the example I don't think Jenny would have been so seduced by David's world.

It's funny the way women can be such powerful influences on each other. I read a study once that said women check out other women more than they do men. I never thought about it before but I think it's true. You can see here that Jenny tries to belong to David's world by emulating Helen. What's interesting is that Helen not only influences her appearance but instructs her how to behave. It's so horrible to be a teenager and not know who you are or who you want to be. Everyone influences you in the worst ways. That is one of the reasons I loved this film so much, I can totally relate.

Here is my ruined woman style board. You can see from the photo in the above style board that before meeting David, she loves to dream about Paris and listen to French records. It's disturbing to see the fruition of Jenny's dream trip to Paris marred by the immorality of David's world. On the surface however, it is a pretty picture! I love Paris and Jenny looks so chic. It's really an easy look to achieve, all you need is a 60's wiggle dress with a interesting print, some Jackie O sunglasses and a head scarf! If you are a guy and you are looking for some elegant 60's inspiration just go with a skinny tie and pair it with a hat and scarf. 

Vintage scarf, guide book, and dress from Etsy.

Another thing I like about this movie is that Miss Stubbs really saves the day. Jenny is rejected when she asks her head mistress for a second chance, proving that the system is worthless but Miss Stubbs is thrilled to help Jenny, which I think illustrates perfectly the value of teachers. The story line is also a reflection of how many of us felt about our teachers, we under valued them, assumed they had no lives and misjudged them only to realize later the impact they had on us. I love the point in the movie, when Jenny realizes that she has misjudged Miss Stubbs and you can see the contrast between Helen & Danny's apartment (filled with ill-gotten goods) and Miss Stubbs apartment, brightly colored and decorated with personal objects that allude to an interesting life outside the classroom. The whole story comes down to a realization of things genuine and things false and the difference in the paths that leads to each.

Images taken from Sony Pictures Classics AN EDUCATION Directed by Lone Scherfig and Written by Nick Hornby.