New dress, new hair, new year.

Dress: Etsy

I have this book with Marlene Dietrich's opinions on many many things, in an alphabetical list.  Its charm really lies in the fact that one can open the book and flip to a page and feel like one is in the midst of conversing with her personally.  A lot of them are rather silly and unimportant.  For example, do I truly care what Marlene thought of rocking chairs?  No.   Once in a while, there is something somewhat interesting....or just funny....or just completely stupid.  It reminds me of celebrity magazines today.  "Celebrities buy groceries too!!!"  Really?  You mean they eat to survive?  You mean they're human and exactly like all the rest of us??? NO way. Marlene was pretty neat though.  I'd explain why but am too tired and lazy.

Compassion: "Without it, you mean little."

Nakedness: "Easy for the beautiful, difficult for the ugly."

Necking: "A dirty pastime."

Sale: "The temptation of getting things 'cheaper' is cluttering up our households with unnecessary objects and actually burdens the budget."

Sex: "In America, an obsession.  In other parts of the world, a fact."

Clothing Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

I know that "Breakfast at Tiffany's" has become such a female favorite that it Almost seems Old, over hyped.  SOO many posters of Audrey with the cigarette holder.  But sometimes a thing is popular simply because it's that damn fabulous and nobody can deny it.   

I have a crazed confession.  I have seen the film countless times and the thing that brings me back isn't just the young, crazy girl living this glamorous, bittersweet life, who finally finds a meaningful relationship and a sense of self.  It's also the clothes and the music and, well, Audrey making the clothes look better than anyone else.  For Some time now, I have thought how I would LOVE to own every single item she wears in the film.  The tuxedo shirt nightgown, the blue eye mask, the earring-like earplugs, the beige/off-white trench with matching scarf and shoes.  The pink dress, the Black Dress, the toga-style dress, the orange (but the Nice orange) mod coat.  Absolutely everything is divine.  She makes a beehive look like the only nice hairdo there is.  A Beehive, people.

Recently I had a very devilish thought: I may not be able to get my hands on the exact replicas of her Givenchy wardrobe, but wouldn't it be fun to find sneakily similar vintage and thrift finds to all her outfits in the movie?  I know.  I am not made of money. I should save save save.  But alas...I did happen upon a similar khaki trench and laid out the dough.  And I did Also happen upon some off white heels, and laid down the dough.  I may have even bid on a white, toga style, sixties dress on Ebay.  To tell the truth I was a little relieved someone outbid me once I got to forty-eight dollars.  

None of these, mind you, are Distinctly mirror-ish of the original costumes from the film, but they're in the same vein.  The trench and shoes don't match perfectly as I would've preferred, but who knows? Maybe one day everything will come together.

Films and Food

Every time I watch certain movies and the characters are eating something, I suddenly want whatever they're having.  It becomes Exactly what I want to eat.  I may not even be hungry, but suddenly I want what they're having and I want it now.

Examples:

"Elf": The family gathers and has spaghetti.  I always want spaghetti at this scene.

"It Happened One Night": Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert eat plain, old fashioned, unglazed doughnuts and drink coffee and he tells her how she incorrectly dunks, etc.  Oh man, this makes me want doughnuts.  The right kind of doughnuts.  Not the gross ones that taste of melted sugar and a heart attack.

"Peter Pan" (the TV recording of the 1950s/60s stage version with Mary Martin): The video I have is the same video I had when I was a tiny child and there is a Raisinets commercial at the beginning.  Every time I watch this I want Raisinets. 

"Sabrina" (the original 50s version): Makes me want olives until I remember I only like olives on pizza.  Also sort of makes me want maraschino cherries.  Side note: It is largely due to Humphrey Bogart's 'Linus Larrabee' that I now pronounce "maraschino" the semi-Italian way.

"Little Women" (again, the 50s version with June Allyson as Jo and Liz Taylor as Amy): They have popovers.  I want popovers.

"Chocolat": I haven't seen this movie in a long time, probably because if I watched it more often I would weigh three hundred pounds.  I don't need to tell you the craving it induces in me.