Latest Celebrity Hollywood: April 2014

Karen Radkai

In an effort to educate myself on vintage women photographers I stumbled across the work of Karen Radkai. I feel a bit like a scent hound trained for a specific target: I'll be browsing the web, see a vintage photograph and then read the photographer while buzzers start going off in my ears as soon as I see a feminine name listed--time to hunt down more images and information on that person! I'm a great admirer of the aesthetics of the 50s and 60s, but I don't subscribe to the retro-value system we usually associate with that era so I'm always interested in learning about women who spent the 50s working (particularly in fields I'm also interested in) when most women were assumed to be homemakers. Unfortunately, information on Karen Radkai is sparse; she was married to a fellow photographer and worked primarily for Vogue in the 50s and 60s. One of the only tidbits of her career that does persist on the Internet is a falling out with model Dorian Leigh, which perhaps should be a fair warning that you can't outlive drama.

Labels: photography, vintage

Forgotten Mill

I tend to describe my style as feminine, perhaps a little ladylike; quirky is another favorite descriptor, but I also have my practical side. Which means while I'd like to spend most days in a tutu with little jeweled heels (ahem) I'd also like to not twist my ankle or ruin a nice skirt while doing other things I enjoy like exploring abandoned buildings or merely enjoying a walk off the beaten path. So my tutus are reserved for less strenuous days and I have a ready arsenal of more utilitarian pieces to help me on my adventures. For poking around in an abandoned mill nothing beats a cozy coat and sturdy boots. I recently received these adventure-ready boots from Cat Footwear and I'm almost sad it's spring so I won't have much opportunity to wear them when the weather warms up--they would have been very handy this past winter! There is also something empowering about being bundled against the wind with some thick boots on your feet; you feel able to go anywhere, climb any fence, trip down any dark alley, etc. So while tomboy will never be my official style it's a nice feeling to experience every once in awhile.

Outfit details:

dress via Gilt

*pictures by Thomas

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Labels: abandoned, catfootwear, ireland, outfits, teen vogue

Favorite Films Masterpost

*photo by J.R. Eyerman at the opening-night screening of Bwana Devil, the first full-length, color 3-D movie

It's always difficult for me to pick favorites; I'm always hard-pressed to name my favorite author or candy or book from childhood or even dress or outfit and yet we are constantly asked to pick favorites. The frequent request for a favorite movies master post has led to today's post listing a few of my favorite movies by genre (genres as defined by me anyway). I haven't been very good at posting movies recently, but I'd love to get back into the swing of things because there's nothing better than a couple of hours escaping into a fantastic film and then discussing it for awhile afterward. Anyway, back to today's subject: favorites. The movie that is probably closest to being named my overall favorite is Charade--it has all my favorite elements: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, plot twists, intrigue, comedy, and a gorgeous wardrobe. It's a bit of a Hitchcock copy, but with so much wit and humor that it stands on its own apart from more traditional thrillers.

Classic films:
-Charade
-The Red Shoes
-North by Northwest
-The Women
-Now, Voyager

Comedies:
-What A Way To Go
-How To Steal A Million
-Bringing Up Baby
-Take Her, She's Mine (I've really been hunting for a copy of this film!)
-The Thin Man

Modern favorites:
-Bright Star
-An Education
-The Virgin Suicides
-Before Sunrise
-Bugsy Malone
-Dead Poets Society
Fashion related films:
-The September Issue
-Bill Cunningham New York
-The Eye Has To Travel (about Diana Vreeland, I want to write a thorough post on this one day!)
-Funny Face

Are you better than me at picking favorites?

Labels: movie pick, movies, vintage

Do I Dare Disturb The Universe?

The question "do I dare disturb the universe?" has been on my mind lately--it's from a T.S. Eliot poem I discovered in an article on my favorite author who referenced it in terms of her writing. Writing which often made people uncomfortable by asking questions without easy answers and broadening minds; disturbing the comfortable universe they have created for themselves. Many of us little in a self-manufactured universe of half-truths and find ourselves uneasy when presented with other realities like different beliefs, lifestyles, etc. I see individual universes as comfort zones we live in and dislike being forced out of. Most of that is aside from the main questions on my mind, that being: do I dare disturb the universe? Do my friends? When people say things I am vehemently opposed to how often do I choose to leave the universe alone, to remain silent in fear of rocking the proverbial boat? I feel quite often that I am meek when I should be brazen...

Outfit details:

Asian iCandy coat

dress ℅ Sheinside

Tabbisocks crochet socks

vintage shoes

*pictures by Thomas

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Labels: ireland, outfits, spring, teen vogue

Postcards From Ireland Part 3

Labels: aran islands, aran isles, ireland, postcards, travel, traveling, travels

Music Is My Boyfriend

When people are talking about what musical instruments they play I always like to quip that "I play the radio." Of course when I was younger I did take piano lessons and was decent, but ultimately lost interest and drive as a teenager and have since barely touched an instrument. I actually have a guitar waiting in the corner of my room for me to get my act together, but for now the radio remains my main instrument. Still, like most people, despite not being a member of a 60s influenced girl pop band, I quite enjoy music and it's usually a big part of my day whether working on my laptop or driving somewhere it's hard to imagine what a day would be like with complete silence. (Which also reminds me that I need to start posting playlists again...) I used to have a music note top I wore often in college but it seems to have disappeared in one of my post-college moves, so I'm happy enough to replace that tee with this loose-fitting dress that's such a perfect "throw it on and go" basic.