1/16/11

Try a Little Tenderness

If any of you know what wonderful song the lyric in the title is from, then you are aware of the wonders of Otis Redding. I've been in an Otis kick lately, the soul and passion in his voice are contagious and listening to him has put me in such a positive mindset. Another great thing about Otis Redding is that the above song is the soundtrack to one of my all time favorite movie scenes from John Hughes' 1986 film Pretty in Pink. Duckie (played by Jon Cryer, a fantastic performance) is attempting to woo his longtime childhood crush and best friend Andy (Molly Ringwald) at their local record store/ her day job. Luckily YouTube has the entire scene here.
*all photos from this post were found on Google images



After watching the scene, you can see how incredible the costumes are and how specifically each character is presented. Costume designer Marilyn Vance (also credited for G.I. Jane, Pretty Woman, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and The Breakfast Club) did an excellent job incorporating the trends of 1986 into her visions of each character and how they fit into the world on "the other side of the tracks".

Below I've found a few photos - unfortunately I could not figure out how to save the screen shots I took of the film myself on my laptop - that capture the essence of my two favorite characters in the film, Duckie and Iona (Annie Potts, most known as Janine in Ghostbusters).
*please forgive the quality and size of the photos... found on Google Images


Duckie

Favorite parts of his costume: the army stripes and pin on his right arm, his western string-tie,
the scarf in his hat band, and his round John Lennon-esque sunglasses


In this scene Duckie is rocking heather grey leather, braided suspenders that clip onto his 
shorts. He also is sporting about three pairs of socks and a paisley print Bermuda short.


The color of his yellow sport coat and his red shirt (printed with images of geishas 
and samurai) compliment each other so well and are offset by a metallic paisley print vest.

The shoes... need I say more. 


Vance's transition from Duckie's day wear to his prom tuxedo is perfection. He wears a navy blue
raw silk tuxedo jacket with the "dressy" version of his string tie, made out of a giant rhinestone.


Iona

Favorites: Her punk rock, porcupine-like hair style and the crazy leather utility belt. 


If only I could find a full length picture of this costume. Vance perfectly creates the '80s re-creation
of 1940's fashion (after all, there sometimes is a very thin line). Loving: her pill box hat paired with red fishnet hair net, giant boxy shoulder pads, and the center front key-hole cutout.


The original Lady Gaga.


To me, the yellow slippers and enormous beehive are genius. It shows 
that Iona is always true to herself no matter what she's wearing. 



You can rent Pretty in Pink from the iTunes store for $2.99... check it out, and enjoy!

1/6/11

UK Sartorialists

As promised, a little insight into what's happening right now on the English style front. These are all people I know or met along the way during my travels, each of which possess exellent personal style that reflect not only their own taste but also embodies popular trends across the pond at the moment. And so...
Camden Market in London
(photo by Charlotte Jacobson)


Emily - layered floral blouse under lace sweater, school girl messenger bag and leather penny loafers
(photo by Charlotte Jacobson)


Will - brown skinny jeans and shearling-lined boots





Isabelle - "granny" style sweater, knit circle scarf, cropped striped T, industrial booties


These industrial style boots are everywhere there right now... so comfortable and practical. 
I picked up a pair myself!
(photo by Charlotte Jacobson)


Stefan and Harry - thick, patterned winter sweaters 
(also notice their peircings... awesome and interesting personal touches)


Notice the brown wing-tips and ridiculously skinny jeans


Mitch - loving the 90's wave haircut, hoop earrings, and enthusiast band T
(photo by Charlotte Jacobson)


just something silly :)
(photo by Charlotte Jacobson)

1/1/11

Inspiration

I'll probably get better at this after a while... but I've decided to add some drawings that I've come up with to personify my inspirations! I'm going to need to figure out a better way to copy my drawings onto the computer, but for now, voila! (Please excuse the flash destroying these ones a bit!)


tie-dyed one piece, silk chiffon shirt, Elizabethan style ruff collar, 
green silk jacquard shorts, dark grey steel-toed booties, ostrich plume headpeice



ostrich plume skirt, black iron bib necklace, top hat with gold sash, 
purple tights, dark brown industrial booties, gold cuffs, Chanel inspired temporary tattoo