valentino: the last emperor.

finally, finally - a week later... what i wore to the valentino screening.

i got lazy halfway through the layout, so scrapped the other half of it:



h&m pleather jacket / necessary objects dress / aldo shoes / bueno clutch-purse (removable chain) / vintage necklace / f21 ring

my "bat dress" makes another appearance! (i looked at the label finally and found out it's by necessary objects.) this is also only the second time i've worn these aldo shoes. i need to find more excuses to strut around in fiercely studded leather heels.


regarding the film:

firstly, can i just say how charming matt tyrnauer is? if i had anything remotely interesting to say, i would have approached him at the cocktail party. alas, i am not one for having insightful questions and i'm also prone to making an ass of myself whenever i am near people i admire - even if they are only a teensy bit famous. (although last time i talked to isaac hanson, i was able to carry on a decent conversatiton - even if my heart was racing - so maybe things are looking up!)

there is quite a bit of hype surrounding valentino, and even though i hate to fall into the "hype trap," i may just have to fuel it. it really was very enjoyable... a wonderful glimpse into the life of the extravagantly wealthy; the strong relationship between life and work partners; and the lavish world of haute couture. i can't decide which i enjoyed more: the process of valentino dreaming up a dress all the way to its appearance on the runway, or the wonderfully funny bits of dialogue between valentino and giancarlo giammetti.

i forget how many hours of footage was filmed in total, but the initial cut of the film was seven hours long. i will proudly admit that i am one of the fashion fanatics who would love to see this seven-hour cut. haha but before that monstrous gem is released, if you live in and around vancouver, you can head to tinseltown to catch the 96-minute cut. (other cities now showing or screening soon can be found via the movie's website: valentinomovie.com.)

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i did not go the alice festival as i ended up with dinner plans while the urgent web project was still undone. i am now also fighting off a cold (still in the "kicking in" stage nearly 30 hours later)...

but! i will be seeing harry potter and the half blood prince at midnight! i was hoping to dress up (would be my first time for a midnight viewing and dressing up), but still haven't decided on what, though i am so very tempted to be bellatrix lestrange. if i could raid mary-kate olsen's closet, my costume would be instantly complete! seriously.. witness:



and



and



ok, in this case, i'd steal ashley's dress but mk's caftan/robe/dress is still awesome:



and



all of the shorter skirts featured above could be layered with this maxi skirt:



images from various sources... sorry, saved over a few years; hard to keep track

and thus concludes my visual evidence that mk could totally dress up as bellatrix lestrange. /potterhead + mk&a mashup; woah.

regarding architecture.

original image courtesy wikipedia

let's take a break from fashion and talk about something else i appreciate: architecture. i didn't study industrial or architectural design in school, but we did touch upon such topics.

the image above is of fallingwater, designed by frank lloyd wright in 1934. it is one of my life goals to visit this beautiful house one day.

i suppose when most people think of the early 1900s, streamlined furniture and architecture aren't the first things that come to mind, and that's probably why i am continually amazed by the calibre of design (from graphic to industrial to architectural) that was pumped out from the early to mid 1900s.

the art deco and modernist movements have become so timeless. if i had an unlimited budget to furnish my house, i'd pay herman miller and knoll some lengthy visits. (another goal on my list: to own a barcelona chair. in black please; may as well throw in the stool.)

but, i digress. my actual intent for this post was to point you in the direction of this website and trailer on west coast modernism: coast modern. if you have any interest in architectural design, please have a look! (i'd worked with one of the directors, gavin froome, briefly at a design agency, and this guy is a multifaceted talent. music, design, photography, film; it's a pretty hefty resume. check out his blog here.)