Jane Eyre's Amazing Bonnet

I recently got to see the new Jane Eyre movie. It was quite pretty, but when you come down to it Jane Eyre is just not the story for me. I prefer something brighter and more cheerful. Like X-men. But I do have to give Jane Eyre points for the costumes (sorry Magneto, but I just prefer silly facial hair with a poet's shirt to the dumb helmet and jumpsuit). There were some pretty nice things throughout, but only one thing that struck me so hard I wanted to cry. Jane's bonnet at the end of the movie is heart-stoppingly jaw-droppingly painfully exquisitely lovely. I WANT IT.

Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion

This exhibit looks amazing. These are some of the most beautiful early 19th century clothes I've ever seen. I keep wanting to say "Regency," but technically you should call these things "Napoleonic," and in the US we're talking about "Federal," but regency is the best term for getting people to immediately identify what you're talking about - it is tough to know what to do about that. But enough of these semantics, here is the real point. This exquisite exhibit was up in Italy, and on the website you can vote for where you'd like to see it next. I beg you to go vote for New York. Seriously, if the exhibit were to come to New York, I would promise to go see it and write about it. GO VOTE!
Also, while you're there, check out the amazing photos. They only have a few up, but already I'm inspired to make several new projects based on what is there. You can also check out videos about the exhibit. Apparently Napoleon paid people well, but then expected them to spend a lot (and thus help out the economy). I find the notion of Napoleon walking up to some lady and saying "Yeah... I've already seen that dress at least twice before. Go buy another one," kind of hilarious. Oh Napoleon, you funny guy.

Glorious Regency Vest

I am in love. The offset stripes... the alternating buttons! It is too, too beautiful.

Rusalochka

As you may or may not know, the Hans Christian Anderson story of the little mermaid has very little to do with the happy Disnified version. For example, she gets legs, but every moment she feels like she's walking on knives. This is a really beautiful 1976 version of the rather less happy version of the story. It is just so pretty! Unfortunately, it is in Russian. Youtube has a few clips with translations, but the clips don't include the whole movie and the visual quality of those is just not as good. So take a look at the Russian version. You can still appreciate how gorgeous it is. Here is the begining. I don't like water, but I have to admit that the underwater sequences are stunning. Also, in the fifth segment she dances. Remember that she's dancing on knives, though.

Adam Ant, Ultimate Role Model

Adam Ant is one of the coolest things to come out of the 80s. Not only did he have a wonderful sense of dramatic fashion (excessively trimmed military jackets, tall boots, ruffly poet's shirts, and more!), which is enough to make him a role model for me, he also had a number of songs with wonderful messages. From
"No method to our madness, just pride about our manner" to
"It's so sad, when you're young, to be told you're having fun" to
"Prince Charming, Prince Charming, Ridicule is nothing to be scared of. Don't you ever, don't you ever stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome." Now those are words to live by. Dramatic, romantic, completely over the top words to live by. My very favorite kind!

I was listening to Adam Ant a few weeks ago, and I made a comment about what a good role model he would make. I mean, he is quite obviously a cool guy, and the messages in so many of his songs are about being your own person, not caring about what others think of you, etc etc etc... the sort of things teachers and parents are always trying to teach children. At least, I think that's why I brought up the role model thing... as a personal role model his impeccable use of poet's shirts might really be sufficient.

My little sister's reaction was that she had once seen a television special on him, and he had, "gotten arrested for throwing some kind of fit. He was dressed as a pirate."

My reaction was that getting arrested does not rule you out as a role model, as long as you do it dressed like a pirate!

Anyway, here is his very best video, for the song Stand and Deliver. I honestly could not tell you whether the lyrics or costumes make me happier, so take a little time to appreciate both. This is why Adam Ant is my hero. If you like this, consider also looking up the music videos for Puss in Boots (a fantastic specimen of the poet's shirt, with quite a lot of plot going for it) and Room at the Top (hilarious women from various historical time periods, in various levels of undress), or any others really. If Adam Ant did it, it is probably fantastic.