Film Noir Obsession: Audrey Hepburn in Love in the Afternoon

     When people think of Audrey Hepburn the first image that comes to mind is the little black dress, long black gloves, pearls and tiara in Breakfast at Tiffany's. But before she was Holly Golightly, she played Ariane Chavasse in Love in the Afternoon as the imaginative cellist daughter of a private detective in Paris, who falls for the  American playboy, Frank Flannagan played by Gary Cooper. And thanks to Netflix, I was able to enjoy this film noir in it's pure black and white glory! 

     The storyline was quite funny, but when watching a movie, the first thing that I usually pick up on is the costume design -- what the actors and actresses are wearing. And I immediately fell in love with the dresses that Audrey Hepburn was wearing in this movie, three dresses in specific. But since it's kind of hard to see the details in the black and white contrast and it's such a challenge to find the right screen shot of the exact image that I want show, I've decided to sketch the front and back details of what I saw in the screen in front of me. I'm not much of an artist so bare with me and my two-dimensional translation/disaster of a fashion sketch. 

Dress #1:

Sleeveless dress with an open slit in the back and two bows. 

Sketch #1

Dress #2:

Floral, scoop neck dress, with an elongated scoop in the back. 

Sketch #2

Dress #3:

Strapless, voluminous tulle, gown with shimmery micro details in the top half of the bodice.

Sketch #3

     The costumes were so Parisian chic and this movie made me miss the finer details of how women used to dress back in those days -- the delicate waves in the hair, the gloves [oh how I loved how she wore gloves!], and the small details in the clothing that made all the difference in the world. I miss that simplistic glamour that's so lacking in today's world of bad hair, bad tan, and tasteless choice of clothes that we see so often. I'll choose a lady over a glamazon any day. 

Love, KB

Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week: Fall 2011 Review #1

 BCBG - Max Azria 

February 10, 2011

10:00 AM

Runway to Real Way

• 34 looks in the collection
• Color: Neutrals with hints of color. White, gray, black, charcoal, camel, nude, olive, red, and blue-ish violet. 
• Fabric: A lot of light, breezy fabrics with pieces made out of chiffon and the underlying sheer white turtleneck and heavy wool with fur for some of the outerwear. 
• Prints & Patterns: Very minimal, hardly any prints. Solid colors and prints dominate the pieces of the collection. Max Azria showed a lot of V-neck necklines for this season, from the blouses to the dresses.
• Accessories: Belts in neutral hues like black, nude, grey, and brown that are worn below the waist. Knee high boots in black, brown, and nude hues. 
• Theme: Definitely very minimalistic. 

My favorite looks are as follows:

Luca Luca

designed by Raul Melgoza 
February 10, 2011

3:00 PM

• 30 looks in the collection 
• Color: Very colorful and earthy color palette. Fiery red, olive and pixie green, golden-bronze-y-and mustard yellow, taupe, bright orange, charcoal grey, whites, and fuchsia. 
• Fabric: Lots of texture with a mixture of light and heavy fabrics but mostly chiffon and polyester and some fur -- beautiful movement. 
• Prints & Patterns: A lot of floral and nature inspired prints like leaves and feathers. But there was also a good amount of solid and shimmery prints. 
• Accessories: High waisted belts with the trousers, skirts, and dresses. Some pointed metallic jewelry and zipped up booties with laces. 
• Theme: Earthy but modern. 

Christian Siriano

February 10, 2011

7:00 PM

"A dark collection, some beautiful colors mixed in. Jackets, trousers, beautiful dresses and fantasy were my look this time."

• 36 looks in the collection 
• Color: Black, shimmery and charcoal gray, dark olive green, pinkish plum, and a whimsical light pink. The first eight looks were black with the first twenty-four being dark colors, but it got progressively colorful throughout the show. 
• Fabric: A mixture of light and heavy fabrics for all the pieces -- wool, leather, silk, chiffon, cotton, and polyester. 
• Prints & Patterns: A lot of the black/dark pieces were in solid prints and there were a couple of shimmery dresses including a floor length gown with a train. But the pieces with color contained abstract water color prints of what looked like petals and leaves. The skirt on the finale dress looked like a bouquet of light pink carnation flowers. 
• Accessories: Sky high, studded platform shoes and ankle booties. Neutral colored belts with the high waisted trousers. 
• Theme: Fantasy. There was a transition of the looks from being androgynous with the blazers and trousers to very romantic and feminine with the whimsical dresses. 

Love, KB

Magazine Cover: Vanity Fair March 2011 Hollywood Issue

From right to left: Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, James Franco, Jennifer Lawrence, Anthony Mackie, Olivia Wilde, Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Josep Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones, Garrett Helund, & Noomi Rapace + Robert Duvall 

Watch the Vanity Fair shoot

     To prepare for the Oscars, which will be held on Sunday, February 27, I thought Vanity Fair's March 2011 issue is the perfect way to get us excited about it. In this 17th Annual Hollywood Issue, the cover and the inside panels are grazed by Hollywood's most exciting actors and actresses and a couple of new comers. The issue also features articles about some of the Oscar hopefuls and first time nominees. But it's kind of hard to turn the first page when the cover features Olivia Wilde in a very revealing gown [scandalous!] and Hollywood's most gorgeous faces -- Andrew Garfield and Garrett Helund are my latest loves. 

     But let's talk fashion. I absolutely loved the 1930s, old Hollywood theme to the entire shoot which was styled by Jessica Diehl. The men were in crisp Giorgio Armani tuxedos, but not to be out shined by the leading ladies. The women were in long and flowy radiant Spring collection gowns, ranging from Gucci to Yves Saint Laurent  [some with severely plunging necklines and leg slits!] complete with that classic finger waves, and of course, diamonds from Chanel and other arbiters of glamour. It was so dazzling and very old Hollywood and so fitting for this special annual issue. 

     

     Anne Hathaway & James Franco will be both hosting the Oscars. In addition, Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal just recently starred in the movie Love and Other Drugs. Ryan Reynolds will be starring in the Green Lantern which will be released in June 2011. 

     Aside from recently starring in Tron Legacy alongside Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde will also be starring in Cowboys and Aliens this summer. Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Rashida Jones earned their spot from their performance in The Social Network and Mila Kunis for Black Swan. And not to forget, Joseph-Gordon Levitt for Inception.

     

      Is it just me or does this Hollywood Issue makes you look forward for the Oscars red carpet even more? I know I will be watching so keep an eye out for that blog later in the month. For the meantime, it's okay to keep staring at the cover. It's why it's there! 

Love, KB