One of my favorite pastimes is watching movies. I find so much inspiration in the stories all the different genres have to tell - comedy, romance, foreign, indie, documentaries... the list is extensive. But besides the life lessons that cinema has to offer, it's only out of habit that I look to the women in film for fashion inspiration as well. I love how a movie has the power to take you back 5 decades and make you feel so inspired by life simply in the style of dress. Why do you think that is? I get inspired by old styles of dress because most looks before the 60's screamed elegance! One of my favorite eras for fashion was that of old Hollywood glamour (so think 40's Dior, Marilyn Monroe, Bridgette Bardot): classic, elegant, and forever timeless. But today on the Stares, I put just a touch of me onto old hollywood glamour. Take a look...
And what says old Hollywood better than a pair of cat eye shades? I'm so excited this style has made a comeback because it's so much fun. I can't help but feel super fun and super girly while wearing a pair of these!
I love the story behind this high slit tunic. I was in a mall parking lot and I saw a woman selling clothes out of the back of her hippie van. Of course my curiosity got the best of me because it was such an odd and interesting situation. In showing me what she had, she brought to my attention this tunic with this beautiful, black lace and sequenced trimming. She told me it was one of her most treasured items she was selling that day, and she wanted the person who bought it to do it great justice. I hope I didn't let her down.
The most beautiful parts about this garment are the trimming and really high slits. The slits gave the tunic the right amount of edge to make me fall in love with it, while the trimming gives the slits the touch of elegance that embodies the rest of the garment.
So the first time I saw this hat... it absolutely took my breath away. I knew this wasn't an ordinary hat. I knew that you could not just wear anything with this hat. This was the kind of hat where the outfit had to it justice, and not the other way around. It made me feel like...Hollywood glamour.
These black chandelier earrings used to belong to my mother. I am proud to say that to this day, it is the one, rare pair of earrings I have yet to lose yet!
Now I know that these shoes aren't old Hollywood...but they're definitely me. I found them in one of my favorite vintage shops in Athens, Georgia, and I knew I wasn't going to leave the store without them. From the snakeskin to the gold, accent studs on the strap...it was definitely love at first sight.
Ahh the movies. Whether their stories lead in fact or fiction, cinema has a way of inspiring people in any aspect of life. From fashion, to travel, to love, to food, to letting go. It's incredible what it has the power to do. In fashion, it's fun watching movies from the early 2000's and reminiscing on all the awful trends we were living in. Or seeing movies like The Notebook, and drooling over Ali's beautiful, elegant 1940's wardrobe (Hmm. Maybe she'll be on The Stares next....). In any case, the next time you watch a movie, don't underestimate its power to inspire you. You never know how it can change the way you look at life.
 |
| Dress: vintage (given) Sunglasses: by Mango (borrowed) Shoes: by Michael Kors (The Pope on Prince) Hat: by The Hatter Company (Pitaya) Chandelier Earrings: vintage (given) |
Photography by Joy Etuk
