Fashion Book--Ellie Andrews

On Valentine's Day, Joe and I went to see "It Happened One Night" at BAM. I had never seen it, and didn't know anything about it, other than it starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, old Hollywood names that didn't mean much to me. I was delighted by what turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly funny and smart movies I've seen in a long time. Directed by Frank Capra, the same man behind "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," the film is a precursor to the modern rom-com trope of boy meets girl, boy and girl don't get along, boy and girl participate in much sassy sparring before boy and girl fall madly in love. Yes, the movie is predictable and some parts are inevitably dated, but it adds to the charm of the experience.

Claudette Colbert plays Ellie Andrews, an heiress with an overprotective father who escapes his clutches and ends up stranded and broke on a bus headed from Florida to NYC. Clark Gable plays a reporter who takes up her cause in order to get her story. What drew me to Ellie is that she is wide-eyed and naive, but she's also bravely independent and not afraid to stick up for herself.

Since I've been reading magazines and essays all week, I decided to take on a film character instead of a book character for this Fashion Book feature. Ellie wears the outfit in the screen cap above for the entire film, save for her to-die-for wedding gown in the last scene (image at the bottom of this post). Here, I re-imagine her outfit if the film were to be remade today:

Items in this set:
Floral Sweater, Marc by Marc Jacobs,
BURBERRY SKIRT,
Chloe Capretto leather ballerina flats,
Pietro Alessandro bag,

We Love Colors - Color Guide Tights,

Fashion Book--Zelda Fitzgerald

This week, I am reading The Crack-Up, a book of essays, letters, and excerpts from the notebooks of F. Scott Fitzgerald. As such, I've decided to do this week's fashion book feature on Zelda Fitzgerald--not a character per se, but a legend in her own right.

Zelda, Fitzgerald's wife, figures as strongly into the myth of jazz age decadence as F. Scott himself. A Southern belle, Zelda was a dancer with a firecracker personality. Tragically, she spent the last years of her life in various sanitariums, and died in a fire at Highland Hospital in 1948, nearly 8 years after her estranged husband's death in 1940.

Zelda:


Here's what I think Zelda would wear were she alive today:

Alexander McQueen Clutch--a truly tragic loss for fashion. He will be missed!

My Namesake

Kate Spade named a dress after me! Wasn't that sweet of her? I think the rule is that if the product has your name in it, it's free, right?

The Soda Fountain Jillian Dress

In the trenches

There's nothing like the classic look of a nicely-cut, fitted trench. I am in the market for a new one come spring (please, get here faster!) because my cute white one that I got at Forever 21 two springs ago has seen better (and cleaner) days. Here are a few current favorites:

I love the royal blue of this Phase 8 "mac," available at John Lewis 

The Bahnhof coat at Modcloth is sophisticated and chic--love the asymmetrical buttons. 

You can usually count on Old Navy to present solid, budget-friendly jackets, especially for Spring. It's a classic, no-frills take on the trench that's easy on the wallet--can't go wrong. 

This Topshop number (spotted on Feather) is unfortunately out of stock. But aren't the polka dots and bows so much fun? 

And you can't mention trench coats without mentioning Burberry. They have cornered the market on beautiful, classic trench coats and it's a pipe dream for every classy lady to someday own one. You can pick up this basic model at Bergdorf Goodman. 

Anthropologie Win

I have an announcement to make. This is what I'm wearing today:



After last week's post, my generous, thoughtful, and sweet boyfriend surprised me with the Anthropologie pencil skirt I was drooling over. It fits like a glove and I am so excited to pair it with all kinds of colors and textures! Just wanted to share my happiness with you all.

{pardon the messy chaos that is my bedroom and my poor self-portrait skills}

Apologies to Anthropologie

I have always had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder about Anthropologie. Sure, the dresses often make me swoon, and if I'm passing by a store, it's a treat to stop in and browse. However, I have never purchased anything there. Why? Because to me, the clothing is a poorly made, slightly more pretentious big sister to the hipster threads at Urban Outfitters (the two stores are owned by the same company), and nearly every item comes with a jaw-dropping price tag. This isn't to say I've never shopped at Urban (I have) and I do own one item from Anthropologie that I wear constantly--the lovely earrings at the bottom of this post that my boyfriend got me for a gift.

Cut to a couple of weeks ago when the January 2010 Anthropologie catalog turned up in my mailbox (addressed to my apartment's previous tenant). I decided to flip through, not expecting to see anything too extraordinary. Boy, was I mistaken. The catalog is chock full of lovely photographs, beautifully styled outfits, and unexpectedly wearable pieces. Here are just a few of my favorites:

If only I could pull off the jaunty scarf, skinny capris, and snappy oxfords look.

Love the innovative bodice on this one.

The SKIRT. The blouse goes gorgeously, but oh that skirt....

This is probably the dress I would get the most wear out of from the catalog--here's a closer look.

The perfect springtime ensemble. It makes me yearn for sunshine.

I wasn't the only fan of this season's catalog: Check out what A Cup of Jo and Jezebel said too!

Winter Sock Dilemma

As I've mentioned a few times, one of my Christmas presents this year was new snow boots. In Boston, snow boots are a must, but for me, they are an absolute essential as I have a paralyzing fear of slipping and falling in the ice. I tend to wear my snow boots out pretty fast each winter, so this year, I asked for a heavy duty pair. Here they are:


Now, these boots are pretty fantastic: warm, good traction, a cute plaid pattern. However, I seem to be having a problem keeping my socks from bunching up and rolling down around my toes. I cannot STAND this, and had the same problem when I was a little kid. I asked some friends what I should do about it, and I got a recommendation to buy boot socks. Boot socks?! Why, I didn't know such a thing existed! Apparently, they are designed specifically to avoid such boot/sock battles that I've been struggling with. I plan on going out and buying some this weekend. Other weekend plans include coffee with friends, making beef stew in the crockpot, and working (fun fun!). What are your weekend plans?

Give a Hoot

I've always felt a kinship to the owl--bookish, screechy, green. I am loving this French Connection top--kind of want to add it to my Christmas list.

Winter Coat

Every year, New Englanders dread the coming onslaught of winter and its biting wind, driving snow, and treacherous sidewalks. If I could hibernate for the entire season, I would--burrowed under the covers in my sweatpants, armed with an endless supply of DVDs, books, magazines, and hot cocoa. Sadly, this is not an option. So, in the meantime, I tried to make the best of the coming cold by treating myself to a new winter coat. I searched and searched, looking for something serious: heavyweight, but still sophisticated enough to wear to the office each day. Before I succumbed to the temptation of spending $300 on this Boston winter staple, I stumbled on a one-day sale at Macy's. The gods of outerwear were smiling on me that day--I scored a Michael Kors coat that fit my qualifications, for 40% off its original price (which turned out to be about half of what I almost paid for that Northface coat). Here's a poor quality snap of me in the coat, since I can't seem to find it online:



Luckily, I haven't gotten to wear the coat yet, because we're still in that transitional time of chilly, crisp fall air: a lovely time of boots, tights, and scarves, paired with cute little coats (mine is purple, and I love it). I saw this transitional coat on Modcloth today and fell in love. If only I could justify buying it....



The wooden buttons, the cute collar, and the amber in the middle are my favorite parts. Sigh.

Inspired by Joan Holloway

I stumbled on What I Wore just this morning, and LOVE this outfit:



{image source}

The color, the cut of the dress, the tights, the scarf--everything. Perfect.

I'm also sort of loving the haircut. I wonder if my hair would do that....

Sky High

{Cupcakes and Cashmere}

Now, I'm the girl who always has a spare pair of flip flops in her bag and doesn't wear any heels that are higher than 1 inch, but oh my word are these YSL heels not absolutely gorgeous? I would most likely fall and knock out a couple of teeth if I ever attempted to actually wear them, but they are so beautiful I might just put them on a shelf and gaze at them, like art.

Bellezza

These two images caught my eye this week as being quintessentially Italian. It makes me want to go back in a bad way...(but what doesn't?).

{Garance Dore}

The dark hair, the olive skin, the red lipstick, the gorgeous green silk, the clutch, the newstand...perfection.

{The Sartorialist}

Again with the dark hair, that red purse, that skirt, that scooter....sigh.