The Clock Stops Here...
Showing posts with label Chanel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chanel. 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, September 20, 2015

Lizzie's Night

Lizzie's Night



Givenchy vintage black dress / Gianvito Rossi khaki shoes, $505 / Chanel special occasion clutch / Kimberly McDonald 18k white gold jewelry / Christian Louboutin lips lipstick, $93 / Marc Jacobs flower fragrance / 

I am an enormous fan of Elizabeth Moss, particularly her extraordinary work on Matt Weiner's Mad Men. 

Since its inception, I have been a rabid fan of the series. It is amazing that in 7 years, neither Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, or Christina Hendricks have  never received an Emmy and even less probable that the spectacular John Slattery was never even nominated. 

Thank God our Breaking Bad days are behind us. For sure, it's Jon's night.  My fingers are crossed for Lizzie's too...

Polyvore ran a contest on how we would style our favorite Emmy pick.  I imagined Lizzie in this very "modern" vintage Givenchy gown, with classic Gianvito Rossi shoes and this limited edition Chanel Clutch. Who wouldn't want to discreetly or not slip out Christian Louboutin's gorgeous lipstick for a quick touch up?

I'm saving up my energy for my DivaDebbi Loves and Loathes blog. Even when I'm not quite in the mood, I find I can't resist, so do peek back and see if picked yours.

xox,
DD

P.S.  Well, I'm doubly disappointed! Elizabeth Moss did not win and I really disliked her prom-y Oscar de la Renta gown and platinum "Adele" bob. The off shade of blonde robs Elizabeth of all of her beauty. I much prefered the way I styled her...How about you???

Elizabeth Moss in Oscar de la Renta

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Aw... Cut it Out....

Aw... Cut it Out....



Alexander Wang sleeveless dress, $1,295 / Gianvito Rossi beige shoes / Federica Rettore white bangle / Aurélie Bidermann feather jewelry / 

Cut outs are having a fashion moment...I like this Alexander Wang dress because it captures the spirit, without exposing copious amounts of midriff.  I have no objection to that look when it is age and figure appropriate, but one really has to ask ones self , if they might otherwise end up looking like a Real Housewife.

Of course this trend is also reflected in accessories, a safer, simpler way to be on point, instead of in display...

xox,
DD

Monday, July 21, 2014

DivaDebbi's First Template!

DivaDebbi's First Template!



Valentino butterfly print dress, $3,560 / Christian Louboutin black heel shoes / Asprey bright handbag, $2,820 / Hermès hardware jewelry / Korres lip treatment, $14 / Chloé fragrance, $79 / 

As a Polyvore member, we are able to create "templates".  You can style the template in any way your heart desires and those elements are permanent. The fun aspect is using different fashion looks in the photos, ready-to-wear and accessories, to create completely different looking sets, based on your mood.

When I first made this template 8 months ago, I assumed it was just for my personal use, so that on days that I'm time pressed but have the urge to "Poly", I could still quickly create a set.

What I didn't realize was that DivaDebbi's First Template was also available for any other Polyvore member to style at their whim.  Ohhhhhhhh....

I got used to it...eventually and to date, nearly 1000 people have used my template to create "their"  own set. 

Share and share alike...

xox,
DD

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