The Clock Stops Here...
Showing posts with label Dior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dior. Show all posts

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals

Amy Adam's NOT in Tom Ford, in Tom Ford's
noir thriller Nocturnal Animals


A funny thing happened on the way to see Manchester by the Sea...My husband and I were astonished to see a line a block long.  This is not a common suburban experience, in fact, I have no memory of ever having seen this outside of NYC.

Unfortunately, it was sold out.  (*Unfortunately, we made a trip back to see it.
This is singly, the most over hyped film of the year. Bleak, meandering and depressing.  I'm not familiar with Casey Affleck's work, but this laconic, dull performance is NOT Oscar worthy.  Do skip this...)

Fortunately, since it was a small theatre, that tends to book smaller films for thinking people; our fallback was the critically acclaimed Loving or Tom Ford's stylish, neo noir thriller Nocturnal Animals.

Given the choice, how could I resist see Ford's new film? Inevitably, no matter what the plot, there would be gorgeous interiors, attractive people and stylish clothing, beautifully worn. (A stunning contrast to the film's opening scenes.)

It is all that, and more, simultaneously, a thriller and a tale of how empty all of those expensive trappings can be, if loveless.

Interestingly, Ford, made the deliberate choice not to feature his own clothes in the film, though the polished, sleek aesthetic of designs by Chanel, Gucci, Dior, Miu Miu, Celine and Marc Jacobs, could easily be mistaken for Ford's own.

Ford deliberately did not want the film to appear as an advertorial for his brand, choosing to keep his creative and intellectual talents as Designer and Director, separate.

Smart.

Of course that doesn't rule out the stylish cast, which includes Amy Adams, , Isla Fisher, Ellie Bamber (clearly Ford loves his red heads; Julianne Moore also starred in his first film A Single Man) and Laura Linney from appearing in Ford's clothes at the Premiers for Nocturnal Animals.

It's a good film, that like what the good ones do, keeps you thinking about it, long after you have left the theatre.  In addition to Manchester by the Sea and Loving to look forward to,  there is also Jackie, starring the magnificent Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy, they day after her husband's assassination.

After a dearth of good films, it's a pleasure to have something to look forward to this holiday season. Today's treat?  The Greenwich Ballet Academy's production of the Nutcracker at the White Plains City Center.  I'm glad we purchased tickets for it ahead of time, since it is completely sold out.

Greenwich Ballet Academy's production of the Nutcracker
White Plains City Center


Note to self...buy those movie tix ahead of time too.  Seems I'm not the only one starved not just for eye candy and popcorn, but brain candy too...

xox,
DD





Monday, September 5, 2016

Manus x Machina; Fashion in the Age of Technology




First Beach, Newport R.I.

Hello Lovelies!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.  I got to spend some wonderful time in Newport with old and new friends, laughing, chatting, napping, eating lobster rolls, drinking lots of coffee and wine and honoring that age old tradition, perusing the Yellow Page like tomes, that make up the annual September Fashion Books.




I like to pretend that the stunning and stylish Kendall Jenner isn't really one of "them."  She seems stitched from a whole other family cloth and her 'off duty' street style never fails to impress; flat out fabulous, every time.

Though I had the entire summer, I was hoping against hope, that Manus  x Machina, Fashion in the Age of Technology, this years Met Costume Institute Exhibit was extended. As luck would have it, I and the rest of the tri-state area were in attendance, (no doubt after abandoning beach plans for the hurricane that wasn't). We got lucky. Labor Day was the end of its extended run.

It was nothing short of spectacular, exceeding all expectation.  I wrongly imagined that it was going to show the mechanical elements of design.  Instead, the exhibit focuses on the end product; the incredible creations that incorporate the handmade and the machine-made, primarily in the ateliers of the haute couture.

The 170 coutour designs featured were magnificent fabrics, embellished with embroidery, pleats, beads, hand and machine made flowers, sequins and raffia. Others were created solely from leather and feathers.  The imagination, vision and skill that is required to produce a single garment is artistry, and team and machine work at its best..

Chanel
Metallic Duck Feathers

Chanel



Raf Simons for Dior


Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen


Raf Simons for Dior

Monsieur Dior 1950's


Karl Lagerfeld's  2014 Wedding dress, Chanel Couture
             The 20 ft. train is ivory scuba knit material. The gold embroidery computer generated, than hand stitched. The rhinestones were printed by machine. Pearls and gemstones were applied by hand for the finishing touches.  Simply breath taking.






I almost didn't write about this, knowing some of you would feel badly about having missed it, but I was too inspired not to share my good fortune.


Andrew Bolton, the shows brilliant curator, did an overview on this YouTube video above. I hope you will enjoy it.

I no longer have to worry about Back To School Shopping thank God, but I did do my annual trek for my version of it, which includes starting off the fall "term", with a visit to CVS, Sephora and Ulta.

Naturally, there will be tales to tell...

Happy End of Summer.

xox,
DD

Sunday, March 22, 2015

The Gift of Social Media Friendshps

For dear @divadebbi



Victoria Beckham fitted dress, $3,510 / Giorgio Armani cut-out shoes / Pier 1 Imports magnolia home decor / Valentino's New Flagship Opens Up At Fifth Avenue - Pursuitist


Sometimes, I'm just amazed at how my world has been enriched by the Internet and social media.  Yes, at times, I too tsk tsk about how much of our time is spent gazing into our palms when we could and should be more present in the moment.

That being said, I have also made scores of new friends and rekindled old friendships via Polyvore, Twitter, Facebook and more recently Instagram. 

My very talented friend Vera created this Polyvore set to celebrate my blogs 7th anniversary and so nicely, to honor my style.  I am deeply touched. (You can see more of her fabulous sets here.  The lovely "Emavera", as she is known, as over 55,000 followers!).

Maybe the goal should be to balance it all a bit better...remaining "unplugged" in the presence of friends, colleagues and family, yet still recognizing magical connections can and do happen in cyberspace.

I'll work on it...how about you?

xox,
DD

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Charlize

Charlize



I love Charlize.  I think she is an enormously gifted actress, a beauty who has flawless taste and a brilliant Brand Ambassador for Christian Dior.

I think her softly tousled bob looks just fantastic. Je adore!

xox,
DD

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