Category Archives: Movies

Netflix Reviews

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Recently I’ve been into watching Netflix documentaries on the fashion industry. I love that Netflix allows you to rate a movie that you have seen, and then gives you similar movies to watch.

A few that had popped onto my radar, that I ended up watching over the last few weeks were the following: The September Issue, The First Monday in May, Dior and I, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Image from IMDB

Image from IMDB

 

The September Issue

I ended up liking this movie a lot more than I thought I would. It really gives you a great “behind the scenes” feeling to Vogue, and I learned a lot about the process and timeline of making a magazine issue. I really enjoyed seeing the different dynamics between the different editors and Anna Wintour. I also loved seeing Anna interact with her daughter, who is most decidedly not going to follow in her famed footsteps.

 

Image from IMDB

Image from IMDB

The First Monday in May

I really enjoyed the cinematography of this movie. It follows Andrew Bolton who is the Costumes Institute Curator at the Met prepare the 2015 China Through the Looking Glass exhibit for the Met Gala. They did a beautiful job showcasing the amazing art in the collection, and the detailed and delicate process of curating such a large exhibit. It is a star studded event, so it was fun to see the drama of the seating chart dilemmas. I’ve always been a big fan of watching this event on television, so I liked seeing how intricate and how early they start developing a theme and plan for the Met Gala.

Image from IMDB

Image from IMDB

Dior and I

Dior and I followed the Christian Dior Fashion House as fashion designer Raf Simons prepares his first haute couture collection. This movie had none of the glitz and glamour of the first two movies, instead it showcases the labor of love the seamstresses and designers really have for the craft. My favorite part was seeing all the exterior shots of the different French buildings.

Image from IMDB

Image from IMDB

Yves Saint Laurent

I was really expecting to like this movie. Netflix had given me three hits, so why wouldn’t this movie be more of the same? Sadly, I didn’t really enjoy this movie. I struggled through watching it. The main character Yves seemed immature and odd. The only character I felt like was well developed was his business partner and lover played by Guillaume Gallienne. The famous designers demons are in full force in this movie, and I felt it really detracted from the great art of his work: designing his couture line. Sometimes movies with subtitles are harder to follow sometimes, and perhaps that added difficulty to understanding the scenes. The scenes where they filmed in France (The InterContintental and Avenue Marceau ) were gorgeous.  I would say if you have a bunch of free time, and don’t mind his vices of drugs, drink and sex, then go for it. Otherwise, skip this one. The first three movies were much better. Sorry Netflix, this movie was a total miss for me.

Have you watched any documentaries lately? Any that you would recommend?

Love,

-S

Nantucket Day 3

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Tuesday morning my dad and I walked down to a local coffeeshop, where we had discovered they made not only an excellent espresso for my father, but a sweet and strong chai for me. Not all coffeeshops have a good chair, so once you find a place, put your feet down and stay a while. The Handlebar Cafe was once of those places. While the interior was charming and comfy, the fresh air and corner garden was where we lounged the most. It had a “secret garden” feel to it with ivy winding around arbors, and small table sets. We spent most of the morning there as my brother slept off his cold.

We looked into a few stores, and walked down to the pier where all the ferries take off from. We decided to go to the Brotherhood of Thieves for lunch upon recommendation from our at home neighbor, who is now a second year college student, a far cry from the little girl I babysat and came to this island with so many moons ago. I had a fantastic pot pie (i am picky about having a flaky crust and enough filling) along with a yummy summer salad. I had never had Spindrift before, so I might have had two of those with lunch!

Spindrift

We ended up back at the house with a Redbox movie to watch and enjoyed a mellow evening at the house as a family lounging on the couch.

Have you ever had a really good chicken pot pie? Are you particular about the crustiness of your bread as well?

Love,

-S

MockingJay, Board Games and Lasagna

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Basically the last few weeks have been jam-packed with fun events with friends and family.My friend Yaelle and I had tickets to go to see MockingJay Part 1, which was amazing. I ordered us these great pins off Amazon and we dressed … Continue reading →

Pastries, SnowPiercer, and Perch

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On Wednesday we started off with at this fantastic little bakery called La Monarca. I sipped an amazing little cappuccino, and munched on this pineapple pastry. It was so good we went back there again for breakfast the next day!

We explored a good bit of Silver Lake, popped over to Koreatown to see the movie SnowPiercer, which was entertaining. We followed the movie up with Beard Papa’s green tea cream puffs (delicious!), and then pre-dinner cocktails at this fantastic open-air rooftop bar called Perch. It was amazing to see the city all spread out for miles on all sides.

We followed it up with dinner at Fifty-Seven, which was all around tasty.

 

Summer Adventures

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In the last 3 weeks of summer I have:

  • Gone berry-picking with my brother

Summer AdventuresSummer Adventures

Summer Adventures

  • Watched Frozen with my brother

Summer Adventures

  • Made strawberry shortcake-yum!

Summer Adventures

  • Visited Natasha at Google, again!

Summer Adventures

  • Had a girls weekend in Pittsburgh with my mother, including these delicious waffles!

Summer Adventures

  • Watched a rain and thunderstorm in Pittsburgh, just outside of this building

Summer Adventures

  • Saw my very first drive-in movie (How to Train Your Dragon 2)

Summer Adventures

  • Had a beach day with my girls, and used my newly finished t-shirt quilt!

Summer AdventuresSummer Adventures

  • Followed up the beach-day with some fantastic horchata ice cream from Marianne’s

Summer Adventures

Watched a gorgeous sunset with my dadSummer AdventuresSummer Adventures

  • Participated in our family portraits photo-shoot, taken by the talented Andria Hautamaki (more photos coming!)  Aren’t we a cute ‘lil family?!

Summer Adventures

 

  • Knocked 2 things off my 101 list!

So far, its been a great 3 weeks of summer! How’s your summer going? How was your 4th of July? What did you do for it?

Love,

-S

The Help, Dress Pants, and My Bow Ring

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On Sunday the Roomie and I watched the Help. I read the book a while ago and loved it, but hadn’t seen the movie. I am a fan of Emma Stone, so she was the real reason I had wanted to see it. The acting was fantastic and the storyline was touching. It was a great way to spend a sleepy Sunday afternoon snuggling with the pups.

The Help

The Help

As a substitute I was able to get away with a casual wardrobe. But now that I am teaching full time at one school I have noticed how formal the rest of the staff is. They rock the formal attire.  I look nice, more dressy than anything else, but definitely not business casual all the time.

So friends, tell me the skinny. Where is the best place to buy dress pants? Typically I avoid them because I don’t feel like I know how to buy a pair that fits well. If you have a favorite pair, where are they from? What do you like about them? I know that I want them with belt loops, because I almost never wear the two pairs I have because they lack beltloops.  Suggestions on how they should fit, colors you love wearing, how to know if they fit will all be greatly appreciated!!

My Kate Spade ring arrived Monday, and I love it! Thanks for convincing me to get it, it makes me feel so elegant! (If you missed that post, I talked about this ring here)

Love,

-S