Black and white and 'red' all over

The recent deaths of both Jane Russell and Elizabeth Taylor (plus the subsequent online and in-print articles on their films and respective merits) provoked me into thinking once again about the 'Golden Age of Hollywood'. These monochrome and otherworldly icons may have passed on, but they are very much alive in the films and photos they left behind; whether it is Audrey Hepburn's charming smile framed with bunches of technicolour flowers in 'Funny Face' or Jane Russell doing an impression of her co-star Marilyn Monroe in 'Gentlemen prefer Blondes' (which incidentally is my favourite MM film after 'Some Like it Hot'). These women represented the epitome of glamour as idols (even if their lives didn't always reflect this) - and some of them could even act!
How often do we use the word legend about the stars of today? Maybe, like the Norse or Greek stories and legends, it is some kind of mythical status that can only be achieved post-death, once one becomes a part of the past as opposed to the present. Which begs the question, who are the twenty-first century Elizabeth Taylors?

I must guiltily admit at this point that I have not seen any Elizabeth Taylor films, although I have added 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' to my to-watch list. Although, for sartorial inspiration one can just stare admiringly at pictures of her.

Talking of inspiration, I don't think I could adore vintage clothing as much without immersing myself in the culture that the clothes reflect - which perhaps explains my penchant for 'The Kinks', 'The Beatles' and Kate Bush (but maybe not my additional love of eighties pop), alongside my general obsession with old films and magazines from previous eras. The Red Shoes, Top Hat, Singin' in the Rain - the visuals alone of these films are incredibly awe-inspiring. However, maybe the film that I can credit most for the pictured outfit is 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. After all, I'm wearing a little black dress - it couldn't exactly have been inspired by Shaun of the Dead!

I picked this black dress up in a charity shop just before London Fashion Week. Then lo and behold, at LFW, Jill was wearing an item so similar that I wonder if it is the same! If so, I think this dress is Benetton. Feeling uncharacteristically minimal for me, all I added for photos was a short sleeved top underneath, my mum's vintage belt and some vintage red shoes. Okay, and a vintage St Michaels hat... And a sixties necklace... Plus my grandad's sunglasses and a vintage bag... Maybe I should delete the minimal bit. The feel was Audrey Hepburn meets up-and-coming classic french actress. I'm not sure if that's even accurate, but I may have been using artistic license.

I have been really enjoying reading all the entries for the giveaway (see the next post down for details), please keep the wonderful suggestions coming...

Regarding the title of the post - one of the first jokes I remember really getting in terms of wordplay was that great old chestnut - What is black and white and red (read) all over? Answer - a newspaper. My favourite thing to read on a Saturday morning!

Black and white and 'red' all over 2011-04-03T08:08:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown