Thrilling Fashion

I am getting into the Hitchcock filled section in my Netflix Queue, having just rewatched Vertigo and Dial M for Murder. As a child and teen, I had no real interest in Hitchcock. It was only in college when I had to watch Dial M in my costume in film class that I really grew to appreciate his work at the very least from an aesthetics point of view (I really enjoyed the movie). For me what is so appealing is his use of color, a splash of bold color standing out from the subtler more neutral background. There are many beautiful still shots, great composition, surreal lighting, and often very beautiful subjects. I, of course, love the clothing. The 1950's was a beautiful time for women's wear and it never looked better than on the likes of Grace Kelly, Kim Novak and Hitchcock's other beauties. The red dress with the red lace bolero from Dial M is a work of art not only in terms of its own construction but for its use in the movie, what better way to introduce Grace Kelly's character as the cheating wife. The grey suit that Novak wears in Vertigo should get a mention for it mirroring her character's stoicism and steely exterior hiding a sad interior. Then when Stewart's character forces Novak's Judy back into it, it becomes like a prison. The classic style and grey and white palette remind me of statues and that Novak's character has become this time completely stone. Something in Hitchcock's work is effortlessly timeless, it still feels modern and is still inspiring people today. Many of my most beloved and quite current shows reference Hitchcock regularly. Regular readers know that I have done some designing based on Hitchcock's work and I would love to do more. So hopefully as I get the rest of his films in the mail, I will be able to draw from the inspiration he has been giving for years now.

Better Late than Never

Hi, there. I am geting this post in right under the wire. This is my first straw hat assignment for my millinery class. I'm going to preface my following statement by saying that I really hate working with straw. It is less malleable than felt and will lose its shape quickly without the appropriate amount of sizing (gel, brush on lacquer, spray on). Needless to say I have had a lot of trouble with both my straw hats for this reason. I was able to mostly sort out the distortion on this hat so that the untrained eye might still think it looks fine. To my professor, I am guessing, it will look like a hot mess and she wouldn't be wrong. I had a lot of trouble using the millinery sewing machine which works quite differently than a traditional one and straw is not a material I am accosumed to working with; plus the added bonus of the raw edges scratching my skin creating a rash like irritation that would bothter me for about half hour after I had concluded working on it. Technical issues aside, I am a fan of the color palette and the simpliciy of the decoraion. My teacher will probably find fault with it but I have realized to trust my own design instincts within reason and I know from sitting so close to the front, that my teacher doesn't often like the design that my fellow class mates have gone for. I realize this post consists primarily of rant so let me say this, while I don't think I will ever become a full time milliner unless fate throws some twists my way. BUT, as a costumer and possibly future accessories designer, I think knowing what goes into the hatmaking process will only help me. I think it is a fascinating and beautiful craft that brings a lot of joy to a certain kind of person and I can only hope that it doesn't ever become a lost art.

blog tag team!

When I started this blog it was my goal to post every single day, which I have except once. Well, to be frank, it's hard for me to find relevant things to discuss here. I could daily borrow stories from other blogs or fashion news and post my take on them here but that doesn't really sit well with me. I may be a cop out but instead of try and come up with something half hearedly tonight, I will leave you with a link to a blog that I always find delightful and inspiring Color Me Katie

Sick Sad World

I grew up in the 80-90's which was pretty awesome, though to be fair I really don't remember the 80's as I was only around for the last four years of that decade. I grew up with the emergence of boy bands, pop starlets, beanie babies, furbies, power rangers and digimon. I think I was too young and too mainstream to really get into any of the grrl movements or alternative or grunge lifestyles that were happening. So, as is the case with many things TV related, I came to Daria late in life. The first time I ever watched Daria was in college, long after the show had gone off the air. I took to it like a fish to water. Daria was just as sarcastic and apathetic towards high school and society in general as I was. I don' think I would have ever guessed that a show about a girl who was smart, witty, and living outside what was considered the norm could be a success. I think that is in part because I had no real idea of how many people felt that way, were like that at the time, certainly not many in my town. I also think it was successful because it was a cartoon. The normies wouldn't take it seriously and many of the people who loved the show probably wouldn't take as well to an actress playing that role, actors don't always nail a scene while a cartoon does.

Finally, after many years of hoping, Daria has come out on DVD. The entire series-all seasons, all movies are included and I am looking forward to getting mine in the mail and reconnecting with Daria, Jane and Trent Lane, the fashion club and all the rest of the gang. Also, I should probably warn you that I will be watching these shows all summer and will likely pull out some zingers to use on this here blog so watch out.

Shining, gleaming, streaming, braidied

I'm heading home in about two weeks to go to my cousin's wedding. While home, I'll be seeing doctors, picking up things I need and other similar things. One such event that is of the utmost importance will be getting my hair cut. My hair is in dire need of some lovin' and I am really jonesing to dye it. I haven't dyed my hair in about two years now because I had gone crazy with the dye and my tired, damaged hair needed a break. Also, I wanted to see what my natural hair color was because, frankly, I couldn't' remember. (For those who are curious, it is like an ashy, light brown/dark blond.) Any who, today I decided to play with Instyle.com's virtual makeover game? application? time killer? But instead of using the pre chosen models, I uploaded a photo of yours truly to get a real idea of how something would look with my bizarre features. What this means for you, dear reader, is that you get to see my top five favorite looks! Heck yes, is right. They let you save and email and print and do all kinds of fun things with your images. They also let you do make-up which was interesting to say the least. I tried on a bunch of celebrity make-up combos and pretty much looked c-c-c-crazy in all of them. I also tried on different eye colors and found that I would look delightful with green and brown eyes. I did not look quite as good with violet eyes as I would have liked. Bummer! Well, without further ado, here are the photos and do please tell me which is your favorite; it very well may influence my final decision! Bonus poins if you can guess the celeb! Provided the hair cut and color comes out well, I will post pics here for you to see.

Dial P for Portfolios

In the continuing saga that is my effort to enroll in FIT's accessory program, I am awaiting the arrival of one final transcript. Here are four more images from the portfolio I completed for admissions. I hope the first two renderings you recognize as representations of the two felt hats I made in my millinery class. I used oil pastel because I felt tha medium would bes capture the rich velour texture of the hats. I was also a shout out o my past as oil pastel was one of my favorite mediums in high school and I really haven't used it since my freshman year in college. The second two are drawings of handbags that I designed after watching Hitchcock's classic "Vertigo". The circular designs are a common element to Hitchcocks work as are the blue, red, and green color palettes. I also designed the kisslock clasp to be shaped as a flower to recall the really beautiful scene of Kim Novak in he flower shop and the swee bouquet she buys. I wanted the bags to be structured to recall botht the bags of the time period as well as the steely femme fatales that was Hitchcock's signature. I went for a muted color combination for the main portion of the bags that played up he vibrancy of the piping detail but still remained in the same color family. I think the design details and the colors make the bags special; classic but also fresh and modern.

Happy Mom's Day!

I have this fabulous picture of my mom making one of those priceless faces that only can be described as charmingly hilarious. I would like to post it here today in her honor but in deference to her pride, I will not. I hope all of you do something for your mom to make her feel appreciated, even if your on the outs. Even if what you do is not do something that would probably embarrass her.


P.s. I had a dream about being a mom last night and it was alarming.