Civil Wear.

Have any of you noticed this recent enthusiasm for the late 1800s? So many artistic people are referencing this time period as of late and I thought I should bring it into the light.

by Robert James

Robert James is a man after my own heart. He looks to the 1860s and the 1960s for inspiration with his menswear line on the Lower East Side. James' primary inspiration comes from Jessie James and Ringo Starr (as intentionally unconventional as that sounds) and he has certainly made a big impact on those that hate carpet bags and love their leather ones.

Langhorn Slim

Sure, this guy might look like any other Williamsburg hipster, but the fact is that he is in a band that has a twangy rugged version of folk music fit for a western. I heard them open for a concert last night and their music sounds like it would be perfectly set in a movie's modern interpretation of a saloon scene. With their live music I definitely got that vibe and the lead singer gave that impression as well with his vest, pocket watch, and carefully placed bowler hat.

True Grit

Well, duh. This movie is set in the 1870s and would make Ralph Lauren proud with how perfectly layered and earth toned the cast was. I love the oversized coat that Hailee wore throughout the film even if her character meant for it to be purely functional.

Couple-a-Coppola's.

I just watched the Virgin Suicides and despite the heavy subject matter and the sadness paired with it, the film is without a doubt one of the most beautiful films I have seen recently. I spent the entire movie screen shooting as many photos as possible for inspiration. So here are some of the reasons I am so intrigued by the work of Sofia.

I loved how many similarities there were between this movie and Marie Antoinette, which also starred Kirsten Dunst.

The color composition in both was very similar: light pinks and blues for the lively girls...

... while the more traditional elders donned classic reds and navys.

Sofia certainly showed her mastery of mixing florals in both films.

There were also a few scenes similar between the movies. Here is Kirsten in each film looking out the window reminiscing the memory of a past love.

Even the way that each movies concluded was strikingly similar. Both families left their home behind and the movie ends showing the emptiness, the only difference being that one home had slightly grander light fixtures.

So in short, I am very inspired right now and want to look for similarities in all of Sofia's movies, but alas, it is 2 in the morning. I shall just have to watch them next week. Well darlings, I entreat you to watch these films even if it's just for the sets and the costumes. You will be entranced I assure you. Be sure to dream of happy beautiful places like Versailles tonight, my sweets. Au revoir.

Seven up.

I've been watching this documentary today and it is positively fascinating. It's a project that has been going on for over 40 years documenting the lives of 14 British children since 1964. The project began when they were 7 and the documenters have conducted updates on their lives every 7 years since. Now the children are 54 and I love seeing what turns their lives have taken. I found the images from the children's youth to be very inspirational, particularly from when they were 7 and when they were 21 at their universities. Here is my favorite little boy (pictured to the left in the top photo) who is now a barrister and married to the daughter of an ambassador. (And the guy pictured in green below looks like he would fit in perfectly in a J. CREW men's catalogue today.)

The Wild Wes.

Naturally, I love all of the brown tones Mr. Anderson uses in his movies. He possesses a brilliant understanding of minimalism, but I also love his taste in clothing. Anderson seems to love a good velvet suit and he has no problem wearing it during the day, can make acorduroy suit look sleek and modern, and is a fan of the green suit which he pulls off rather elegantly. There is also a certain humor to the dressing of his characters, like with Jason Schwartzman in Rushmore. All in all, he has an excellent sense of characterization, making each character in his movie memorable and letting that carry over into his own style choices. Here are some shots from his movie the Royal Tenenbaums.

*Also here is a link my friend told me about. This man did his master's film thesis on Wes' technique and it's rawther fascinating. Watch the videos that go along with each part and you will learn, learn, learn so much.

Photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Stripe Union.

I think it rawther important for anyone and everyone to incorporate simple pieces into their wardrobe. The surprising thing about basics is that they do not necessarily need to be boring, oh contraire! Basics can be the very most fun and the most wearable. My reoccurring basics of choice are striped things. Pleated skirts, vintage belts, boatneck knits, all great and certainly interesting. My main objective with clothing is to first be stylish but the close second is to be sensible. Have you ever looked back at family photos and cringed at the puffy 90s sleeves and the busy florals? Thinking ahead and avoiding what is current and fashionable may very well save you a lot of headache in the future and will make looking back at the past much less distracting.

Audrey Tatou in Coco Avant Chanel

Photo 1, 2

Weekend Woahs.

Happy summer weekend, everyone! I have some great treasures of things for you to look at and I hope it thoroughly inspires you.

A funny award-winning music video

An old-fashioned, but still helpful exercise routine

An absolutely enjoyable DVD

A Great Gatsby event happening today on Governors Island

A similar event for all those lucky chaps and chappettes that live in England

Clever Chocolatiers

These guys can walk on water!

Witty card to a fringed friend

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The Destin Nation.

Well, I've at least marked one thing off of my summer list. I accomplished #7, make a video. Now the video isn't very long, but I tried to incorporate some cool elements. The color palate is mainly blue and green and then I have a pop of red in every shot. Sounds a little like Amélie, no? It's sort of hauntingly beautiful with the song, but I feel they come together well. (Oh and the couple towards the end were my mom and dad, so I promise I'm not being a creeper.) So here it is. No purpose, no message, just glimpses into the more captivating moments of my trip to the beach. Enjoy.

The song is Alanson, Crooked River by Sufjan Stevens.

the destin nation from Joanna Sullivan on Vimeo.

Kip is Hip.

I surprisingly have a new found appreciation for, of all things, Napoleon Dynamite. Granted, it is a rather slow film and the humor is extremely dry, but the visuals for the opening credits are fresh and stunning. That is because Napoleon's own Aaron Ruell who played Kip did the photography for the movie. His subtle humor and attention to simplicity in color set the tone for the film and he uses similar elements in his own photographs and commercials. It's a very distinct kind of funny which taps into the drabber looks of the 70s and 80s and is saturated with such banal that you can't help but give a chuckle, just a little one. So be sure to give his portfolio a looksy, this guy has some great skills.

Lovers and Lollipops.

I bet you haven't discovered it yet, but I am a sucker for old movies. One in particular that my mom and I discovered last spring is the film Lovers and Lollipops. Now, the film may seem like any old 50s flick, but not so. The director Morris Engel was actually the first to make a full length film with a home-made handheld camera. He did not like the constricting feel of oversized movie cameras, so he tinkered with one of his regular film cameras to have video taking capabilities. Talk about a smart man. So, the final result was this film as well as his other documentary-like movies Little Fugitive and Weddings and Babies. Here is the original New York Times review for the film and be sure to watch it next time it is on Turner Classics.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Generation Why.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my generation.

I love that...

We are quick to question the norms and refine old concepts to make them new, like the invention of the shoe wheel.

Brands are being renovated and aren't as busy looking as they used to be, like the modern looking metromint water.

Movies are artistic and clear in every shot, like Bright Star.

Music sounds fresh and light instead of extremely heavy, like with the Little Ones.

Clothes are generally very muted and will hopefully be wearable in the years to come, like the label Céline.

There is a movement back to folk, like with Will Stratton.

Reading classic literature is overriding trashy television.

These are just a few reasons why I love this time period and I can't wait to see how the next one will compare.

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The Mean Reds.

Rebel Without a Cause

Recently, I've been studying a rawther interesting subject of the use of red in films. I have to do it for a paper, but I have been observing the concept for years on my own. My whole theory is that if the protagonist in film or in literature is wearing red, generally it means that the person is set apart from the rest of society and that something horribly wrong is going to or has happened to them. I know this is not the most cheery of entries, but give it a look and hopefully you will learn something new.

West Side Story. Heck yes, there is red all over this film. The main person to look at is Maria, who is pictured here in white and red. The white symbolizes her purity "white is for babies," as she said, and the red shows there is trouble ahead. She meets Tony, the modern day Romeo, within seconds of this shot and everything goes uphill from there. Throughout the movie, she continues to wear more and more red until the final scene when her life is in shambles and she is in a vibrant red dress. Interesting stuff.

Gone with the Wind. Hello! Her name is Scarlett, enough said. Throughout the movie she changes from a flighty innocent girl to one who is completely downtrodden from the world. She is widowed twice, her third husband divorces her, and her whole life revolves around money. I would say that has the potential to taint someone's life.

No Reservations. The fact that the little girl Zoe (Breslin)'s favorite color is red in this movie is a sure indicator that she has some bouts ahead. Zoe is a very grown up little kid because she has to deal with the death of her mom and the new circumstances of living with Catherine Zeta Jones' anal-retentive character. Although there are some sad moments, the story overall is lighthearted. It just contains that bright pop of color.

Lastly, Rebel Without a Cause. This is my favorite because it is super symbolic and the usage of color was skillfully done. James Dean's character Jim goes between wearing a suit with burgundy accents and a red jacket symbolizing his confusion in being an adult or a rebelious child. Every scene that someone is wearing red, it seems that they are singled out and considered "the rebel". The final scene particularly proves this point and if you haven't seen the movie, I highly

suggest you do.

Now, here's where to go if you don't know about the mean reds.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4

81, 83, 85.

My vintage Minolta

I have recently grown a liking for the 80s. I didn't see that one coming, at all. It all started when I began my search for a new camera, happy times! I got a Nikon Coolpix P100 and it is a pretty advanced little thing. When I got home, that's when the magic happened. I was in a camera craze and I remembered that I had an old broken one sitting in my closet that I got from my yearbook adviser, but I had not really looked at it since. I bring it out and it is OH SO spectacular. It is a Minolta XG-M which I found out was made in 1981. The after-market zoom lens is extremely large and probably takes some really incredible distance shots. The only downside, it's broken. It's okay though, I am thoroughly willing to have it fixed.

Then the next discovery one of my friends told me about, the musical stylings of Daniel Johnston. He was quite an unusual chap, staying in his basement studio for hours upon hours making up songs and creating lots of short films. He released his first cassette tape Hi, How Are You? in 1983, having to rerecord his music every time he wanted to get a new tape to a record label. He was first truly discovered when he appeared on MTV in 1985 and from there received high regards for his soul stirring songs. Despite many personal battles, his fans have remained loyal and other artists continue to cover his work, from the Karen O and the Kid version of Worried Shoes, to Bright Eyes' rendition of Devil Town. Just phenomenal.

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club
Also for the year 1985, the movie the Breakfast Club. Now I know it's a little cliché to like this, but I just recently watched this movie and I really admire the work of John Hughes. He connected to teenagers in a way that few adults had done before and he highlighted a time in aperson's life that most film makers choose to skip over. He is a legend.
So because of cameras, quirky music, and certain teen flicks, I have decided the 80s were not so bad. If I can just get over the shoulder pads...
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The Bloomin' Brothers.

I saw a terrific movie a few months ago and I am surprised people haven't been going completely ga-ga over it. The film is called The Brothers Bloom, about two brothers who have been conning those around them since they were tots. The movie is terrific because of the color choices and overall theme of not knowing the difference between what is real and what is 'con'trived. The movie has many elements that make it seem like an old film, with the jazzy music and 1960s clothing, but then there will be a break into the present like with the character Penelope's (Rachel Weisz) yellow laborghini. The movie's director Rian Johnson made the movie almost appear black and white, from the brothers' clothing choices to the movie's destinations to St. Petersburg and Montenegro. The only character who really wears color is the heroine Penelope, at one point in a striking burnt orange pea coat running around on an all white beach. The plot is a bit jumpy and at times it is hard to follow, but unlike most movies today, the audience has no idea what is going to happen next. Overall, the movie is striking in image and in plot and will make your view of the cinema bloom exponentially.

Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Ruffalo

Sources 1, 2, 3