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Harry Potter and the Elegant Hermione

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It's almost here! The first part of the final installment of Harry Potter opens on Friday, and I cannot wait.  I've had a countdown with a couple friends since... well... maybe I don't want to admit how long we've been looking forward to this...

To celebrate, I've pulled together a few looks from the most stylish of the Potterites - Emma Watson.

Emma's approach to event dressing is simple, elegant, and demure - very different from many of her peers. Even when she had a little upskirt scandal, she handled it with class.  Not to mention she was actually wearing underwear.  Small victory for young Hollywood.

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This, friends and readers, is how to do a statement lip.  The rest of her face is neutral and glowing. Also, I have to admit that despite my initial reservations about this haircut, as it grows out a bit on her, it's kind of growing on me (completely lame pun intended). The only piece of this outfit that I'm not totally sure about is that bracelet/cuff.  The outfit would be perfection without it.

 
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This is probably my favourite red carpet look for Emma Watson.  Her hair is enviably shiny and bouncy, and that dress looks amazing on her (but really, when you're Emma Watson, what doesn't look amazing on you?). She lets her amazing dress take the focus by only wearing one small piece of jewelry - a ring on her right hand that you could very well miss if you aren't scrutinizing the photo as I am right now.  (What I can't miss? Potter's shiny suit.  What gives, Potter?)

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It sparkles, so I like it. I also like the belt/shoe combo.  I think without the belt, the shoes would have looked kind of random with the outfit, but the belt ties it all together nicely. Like me, Emma seems to opt for black shoes no matter what the occasion (I have an addiction), so I like to see how someone else can make it work.  You'll also notice that again she's letting the outfit speak for itself with only a minimal amount of jewelry.

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This is by far Emma's sexiest red carpet look.  Despite the uncharacteristic almost-up-to-her-lady-garden slit, Emma manages to keep from looking trampy with soft hair and makeup, along with a reasonable neckline.  While she has a little more jewelry here than some of her other outfits, you'll notice that the baubles are fairly conservative. And again: black purse to tie in the black shoes.  Well done.

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I know she got a lot of flack for this dress, but I quite like it.  And I don't think I'm just blinded by love for Hermione Granger: I think the shape suits her, and the combination of leather and lace and embroidery - while not totally conventional - kind of works. And of course, I can't help but pointing out... more black shoes!

So to recap, the Emma Watson rules of style appear to be:

1. Let your dress (and your pretty face!) be the center of attention. Keep accessories small and to a minimum.
2. If you're showing leg, keep the girls under wraps.
3. Black shoes go with anything... as long as you tie it in to the outfit with another black item.

P.S. This trailer gives me chills every time I watch it. Cannot.  Wait.

 

Top 10 Christmas Movies

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Alright, guys.  I promise that my next post will not be Christmas-related.  But you see - today's a special day for me and two of my best friends. It's the start of our annual Christmas Movie EXTRAVAGANZA!

Here's how it works: in late October or early November, we compile a list of all of the Christmas movies we either own or would like to rent. We rank them as Must-See, Nice-To-Have or Optional.  We also add two or three new movies to the list every year, and remove the ones that bombed the previous year. Then, I (dork that I am) create a schedule for us.  We usually start at the beginning of November and go until December (yes, we have that many movies...).

In the four years we've done this, I've seen a lot of Christmas movies.  Click below to see a list of my top ten favourites!

Top 5 Well-Costumed Movies

This might sound like a very obvious or stupid statement, but I love watching movies with interesting costumes.  Here are my five favourite pretty movies:

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Breakfast at Tiffany's

This one was obviously going to be on the list, so I figured I might as well lead with it.  I can't think of one thing she wears that I don't absolutely love.  Plus, it's Audrey Hepburn. Enough said.

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Jeux Des Enfants (English Title: Love Me If You Dare)

My friend (and now roommate) Barb and I like to rent random movies we've never even heard of before.  That's how I found this gem starring Marion Cotillard. Her outfits are very chic.  I particularly love this pink dress and lace gloves that she wore to a wedding.

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Marie Antoinette

Every time I watch this movie, I swear I do it without blinking. The entire thing is just so gorgeous.  How can it not be when you film at Versailles?  I wish I had a place to wear such frothy, elaborate gowns.  Hmm, and maybe a large wig. Could one of you throw a very fancy Versailles-themed ball?  Thanks!

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Clueless

Is there any girl from the 90's who didn't want Cher Horowitz's wardrobe, complete with computer system and motorized, rotating racks?  Surely it can't just be me...? In particular, I wanted this yellow plaid outfit and the red Alaia she wears to the party in the Valley ("No, you don't understand! Alaia!"  "An a-what-a?")

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Alice in Wonderland

When I saw all of the little-girl party dresses that Mia Wasikowsa got to wear in Alice in Wonderland I was (a) really jealous and (b) inspired to wear similar (yet a little less over-the-top) dresses for about a month straight. Hmm... I think I just figured out what to wear for Halloween...

I Love Olive (and anagrams)

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I was lucky enough to be treated to a belated birthday evening last night, which included a viewing of Easy A (with a side of popcorn and M&Ms, of course).  It's pretty much my new favourite movie.

And really, what's not to love? It's so cute and clever! (much like Emma Stone herself)

 

 

My personal fave:

If you haven't seen it: go.  NOW! GO! You're wasting time! If you have, share your favourite bits with me in the comments.

PS: I totally want those sunglasses from the banner pic.  I might skip the A-emblazoned bustier, though.

 

Inspired By: Little Edie

Note: All of the Grey Gardens screen grabs in this post are my own.

I watched Grey Gardens for the first time last night while taking a break from my South Park marathon. It was absolutely fascinating.  I can't believe I hadn't watched it before now!

For those not familiar with Grey Gardens, it's a documentary about a mother and daughter - Edith and Edie Beale, better known as Big Edie and Little Edie - who live together as near-hermits in the Hamptons.  They were relatives of Jackie O (whom I love - my friend Stephanie put it best: "Jackie O is totally right behind Audrey Hepburn in terms of, well, my love") and were put into the spotlight two years before the documentary when they were ordered to clean their home or be evicted. Jackie O ended up hiring a cleaning crew so that her aunt and cousin could keep their home.

While I watched, I was struck by Little Edie's gorgeous turbans.  Apparently Little Edie had alopecia, and wore the turbans to cover her hair loss. I particularly liked how she added brooches to jazz them up. Say what you want about her state of mind - this woman had personal style in spades.

Inspired, I decided to try the look out myself (including the awesome winged eyeliner she wore for the second half of the documentary).  
Scarf: The Gap
Brooches: Inherited from my gorgeous (and always stylish) Grandmother

While I probably won't be rocking this look at work or the supermarket any time soon, I have a feeling it will definitely make an appearance during my next cottage weekend.  And, truth? I may or may not have worn it the rest of the evening until I went to bed.  Shh!

By the way, scarves weren't the only awesome pieces that Little Edie showed off.  Check out her great patterned tights and gorgeous maillot (and, naturally, two more delicious turbans).

Throughout the documentary, you see a number of photographs of both Edies in their youth.  Check out this one of Little Edie at 24. Gorgeous, non?  

Interested in checking out Grey Gardens?  Watch it here!

Event: My Weekend of Sloth

 
It's quite possible that I am the laziest person who has ever lived.

You know how people sometimes say you should pursue whatever career you'd choose if money weren't an issue?  Well, I'd do nothing.  Blessed nothing.  I guess that means the career I should really be purusing is "Fame Whore"? They don't seem to do all that much...

Anyway, I've had a busy few weeks so I decided to treat myself to what I like to call a Weekend of Sloth (a name that I adapted from my friend Tracy's Summer of Sloth). You know how sometimes you've just been super busy, and you need a couple days of just nothing? That's where I'm at right now. Other than meeting up with a friend for brunch on Saturday, my weekend plans consist of living like a hermit. Is it sad that I'm looking forward to this so much?

Weekends of Sloth are something that I've fine-tuned over the past year or so. Prepartion from my WoS includes:

1. Cleaning the apartment.  I can't truly enjoy a weekend of sloth if I'm looking at dirty dishes or a carpet that needs to be vacuumed.
2. Moving my mattress into the living room, a tip that I got from my friend Stephanie. Yes, I know I'm essentially making my into a bachelor-style, but I don't have a second TV. Plus, the AC is in the living room, which is key for a summertime WoS.
3. Piling a ridiculous number of pillows on the mattress. If less than 1/3 of your mattress is covered in pillows, you're doing it wrong.
4. Placing a coffee table next to the mattress for easy access to things like snacks and the remote.
5. Moving a lamp onto the coffee table. Who wants to get up to turn off a light when you're ready to sleep? Not me, friend. Not me.
6. Collecting any items I plan on using so that they're within arm's reach.  This would include books I plan on reading, my laptop, BlackBerry, knitting projects, DVDs etc.

Step 6 is where I need your help.  I'm at a loss for what I should watch.  Rear Window and A Single Man are already on my movie list, but that's not nearly enough to fill an entire weekend.

Does anyone have any movies or TV series you'd like to recommend? Any genre, doesn't necessarily have to be a new release. What do you guys like to do on your weekends off?

Not-quite-Tuesday tidbits

In my regular evening perusal of my favorite blogs, I found far too many great tidbits to wait until tomorrow for the regularly-scheduled tidbits piece.  Those who are super entrenched in routines might want to wait until tomorrow to take a look at this.
 
Perez posts kiddie porn in the form of Miley Cyrus’… um… lady bits.  In the words of the great Beeper King: “Come on, dummy.” (WWTDD)

I remember turning to my friend Stephanie at this point in the game and mentioning that his bitch-face could rival Erin Kaplan’s (of The City).  (Cele|bitchy)
 
Also from cele|bitchy, a great comparison between Chace Crawford’s offences and other celebrities’.  I feel kind bad for this guy. (Cele|bitchy)
 
Congrats to Jessica at WhatIWore for her mention in Lucky.  And she’s right: the Luxe for Less issue of Lucky is pretty dang awesome. (What I Wore) 
 
Thanks to Dyanna Pure for commenting on my blog and thereby introducing me to The SF Style.  Though all the outfits are lovely, I’m particularly lusting after this one.

A sequel to Showgirls?  Sigh.  I watched both trailers and was convinced that it was some sort of joke, given that I still have no clue what the movie might be about. Despite the craptastic trailers I have to admit that if this is for real, I kind of want to watch it... but only because IMDB lists a character called “Dark  Angel Nomy”.  Seems like it will be a whole lot of "WTF". I should hope that this goes without saying, but the trailer is completely NSFW. (NYMag)

Speaking of a whole lot of WTF, please enjoy this trailer for The Apple, a sci-fi musical from 1980 about the future (aka: 1994).

Inspired by: Holly Golightly

"If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!" - Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's

I looked in the mirror this morning after slipping into my favourite black dress.  Something was missing.  My outfit looked so plain.  I tried on a few different necklaces, but I felt bored of all of them, even Alice! I really wanted to wear my cameo locket that the lovely Stephanie (pictured in locket below) gave me for Christmas, but it wasn't quite long enough for the outfit.

 
Then I spied the multi-stranded pearl necklace that I used as a backdrop for a pair of my sunglasses the other day. I bought it for a New Year's Eve party, but ended up not wearing it because it felt like it was a bit much for the event.  

I slipped them on overtop of the cameo necklace. The combination reminded me of the necklace that Audrey wore at the beginning of Breakfast at Tiffany's, though much longer.

"Wow. That's really way too much for work, though," I thought to myself.  Then I shrugged and went on my merry way.

Inspired by: SATC2

The glitz.  The glam.  The amazingly cheesy puns.  What's not to love about SATC2?

Well, admittedly... a lot. Even the better reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are hilariously back-handed. Sure, it wasn't as well-written as the series, and yes there were some cringe-worthy moments, but I honestly found it more enjoyable than the first movie.

But enough about the movie itself.  Let's talk fashion.

First. Post. Ever.

I've been mulling over what to put here all day.  I mean, first post - that's serious business, right?

At first I felt like I needed to introduce myself, but then I thought "Won't they just read the About Me for that?" But just jumping in and writing a post about fashion or beauty seemed a bit strange as well.

So, after thinking a while longer about how best to introduce me and my blog, I decided the best way to do it would be to share with you something that I love dearly:

This clip has everything.  An awesome dance sequence.  Great music.  Parisians. Audrey. Freaking. Hepburn.  Really, what more could you ask for in a first post...?