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!

The Fabulous Bette Davis

I had never known much about Bette Davis (1908-1989) until I began researching 1940's starlets for the costumes in my show. I stumbled upon so many fantastic pictures of her that I finally realized what all of the commotion was about. She was an unconventional beauty, one who took risks in all aspects of her life, especially when it came to fashion. That is what I like most about her of course - that she was ahead of her time, a trendsetter, but mainly was such an individual and so diverse. She was the first actress to win an Oscar for Warner Brothers, and by 1942 was the highest paid woman in America. In 1977 Davis was also the first woman to ever win the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. Another aspect of her person that I find admirable is that she also suffered from breast cancer, an illness that so many women fight with daily. (http://www.bettedavis.com/about/bio.htm) She is a role model not only for actors but for women everywhere, so I would like to dedicate this post to her memory and to spread a little bit of her fabulous-ness around!
*all photos from this post were found on Google images

I love how informal this photo is, and yet she is still so glamorous.

The fur sleeves... who else could pull those off! 

And the enormous standing collar, love!

I've already posted this picture before, but it says so much.

After winning her 1939 Academy Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" 

for the film Jezebel. Now those feathers... incredible. See what I'm talking about!

A screen shot of the 1941 film The Bride Came C.O.D. with co-star James Cagney.

Some of her best known films to add to your Netflix list are:

Dangerous (1935) directed by Alfred E. Green - this film brought Davis her first Academy Award

Jezebel (1938) directed by William Wyler, also starring Henry Fonda and George Brent - second Academy Award!

The Little Foxes (1941) directed by William Wyler - Academy Award nomination

All About Eve (1950) directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz - Academy Award nomination

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) directed by Robert Aldrich, also starring Joan Crawford and Victor Buono - Academy Award nomination