In a few words: a cool gal who hates to wake up early in the morning. Very much into (not necessarily in this order!): fashion, movies, antiques, art, food, travel, music, celebrities, museums, etc, etc.
This past weekend was a 60's revival in my home.
Finally managed to watch " A Single Man" with my fave Colin Firth (love him)!
A visual feast on a beautiful and fashionable time: the early 60's.
Absolutely loved everything: the acting was superb, the clothing, amazing , the story totally heartbreaking. Tom Ford, you are awesome - I guess you know that, no? ;-)
This visual and emotional feast was on Saturday.
Sunday afternoon: I know, I know: I've seen "Hatari!" a million times, but watched it AGAIN!
Love that movie. Love the "African Safari Chic" with the skinny and gorgeous Elsa Martinelli!
Then... on Sunday nite - another dose of 60's beauty: Mad Men!
Favorite, favorite!!!
I was always hooked on strong women bios, and this one is really fantastic...
Here's a brief summary:
With the same narrative panache and gift for good gossip that made White Mischief such fun, James Fox turns his attention here to the Langhorne sisters, Southern beauties who wielded a powerful influence in politics and culture during the tumultuous years from the turn of the 20th century through the Second World War. Lizzie (1867-1914) married a Virginian and stayed home, but her siblings conquered Yankee America and England. Irene (1873-1956) married Charles Dana Gibson and served as the model for that all-American icon, the Gibson girl. Baby sister Nora (1889-1955), dreamy and artistic, had a turbulent life scattered with lovers including, perhaps, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nancy (1879-1964) entered English society through second husband Waldorf Astor and focused her formidable energies on politics as the first female member of Parliament and hostess to the notorious "Cliveden set." Sensitive, introspective Phyllis (1880-1937), the author's grandmother, survived a bad first marriage and an affair with a British officer to happily wed the brilliant English economist Bob Brand. Fox makes excellent use of thousands of the sisters' letters to reveal five dynamic personalities in their own words. His shrewd commentary provides context for a riveting tale of family ties, social commitments, and the complex interplay between them that shaped the Langhorne women's lives. --Wendy Smith
Fascinating history of 5 strong women, overcoming the constraints of the times, even getting divorces and remarrying ! Quelle horreur!
Very refreshing, in contrast to my previous read: Governess, by Ruth Brandon (will do a post soon about that wonderful book).
One thing I did not know is that one of the sisters, Irene married the famous Charles Dana Gibson - the creator of the great Gibson Girl. I've loved those beautiful illustrations since i was a kid...
Living in NYC has its problems (and HOW!), but also does have its perks.
I've spent one of my best Saturdays in the Metropolitan Museum...
Had to go and see 3 things:
The American Woman Exhibit with clothing from 1880-1940,
the Picasso exhibit
And... finally the the Big Bambu installation in the roof.
Had a BLAST with my hubby - he did not want to go at first, but ended up loving it ;-)
Let's start with the American Woman Exhibit:
I almost cried when I saw all those dresses, the ambiance, everything! Died and went to heaven. Crazy good taste = some of these dresses could just be worn today with absolutely no problem! This is what couture is for - to stand the test of time. Of course, you would not walk around with some Edith Wharton dresses today (the ones from 1880 and 1890), but from 1910 on... My God, I would really wear those.
Some shots from the marvelous place:
One of the things I really wanted (ok, I wanted all of those outfits), but this LACE VEST killed me:
One of the dresses I absolutely LOVED was this one above:
Callot Soeurs (French, active 1895–1937)
ca. 1910
This dress is from the 1910's! Can you believe it? I could totally rock this lace vest... By the way, this trend is super hot now!Then after that we did see some wonderful Picassos.
But I think the highlight was the awesome Big Bambu installation on the roof!
It was boiling summer Saturday, but some overpriced cool drinks helped to endure the "awful" view...
;-)
Look at this madness: a bamboo "forest" in the middle of NYC!
Well, this one should be called the "Look for less, for less, for less", because the initial look was not expensive to start with. But Lulu loves a deal... soooo....
Lace shirts are super in. I've been seeing them everywhere. I was considering getting this one at American Apparel, $38 for this:
Not bad... Not bad, but I though I could do better...
And I did. NOt only they were cheap as hell, they had a promotion: 2 for $20! Can you believe it???
So Lulu got a black and a white one... Very happy and very cute! Ciao!!!
NY has the shortest summers ever - at least for me.
This city really changes, comes back to life.
We are in the middle of a wonderful heatwave now... so a great sundress is needed:
Look at my great find at my reliable "Vieille Marine" (or better know as Old Navy!!! LOL)
SUPER cute and I was surprised how good the size small fit me...not bad for something under $20!
Shame I cannot go to work with this, but... weekends are here!!!
Another part of my antique magazine collection: Woman's Home Companion...
I have this Number!!! Just a little bit of a background on this amazing magazine...
WHC was one of the American women's magazines that truly helped shape our lives in the past century. It began humbly 1874 as THE HOME in Cleveland, Ohio, and through a series of changes and mergers became the LADIES' HOME COMPANION in 1886. Changing title again to WOMAN'S HOME COMPANION in 1897, it grew and became one of the most popular of the women's magazines, and lasted into the third quarter of the twentieth century. At one point its claimed circulation was four million, and dozens of famous authors wrote fiction and fact articles for the magazine. Over the years it changed format from "standard" 7" x 10" to various quarto and bedsheet sizes, and during this time its covers included a variety of styles and techniques by some of the best artists working in magazine illustration.
Woman's Home Companion was an American monthly publication, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s.
Now, just a quick look on the ones I OWN!!!!
You gotta LOVE Ebay, in the past I've paid like less than 15 bucks for FOUR magazines from 1915, and that included shipping!!!
Crazy. When I told my mom about how much $$$ I've paid for those, she said: "It is not even worth it to save all these for sooo many years". Well, it was really worth it for me.
I can definitively "travel in time" by reading the articles, seeing the fashions, the wonderful ads... See how life was back in 1915. Amazing time capsule!
Well, it is not every weekend that I attack Marc by Marc Jacobs store in the Village... but... Whenever I go, you can bet I will find really awesome things - my husband already knows the drill: Lulu in the line (yes, there is a line outside the store...), Lulu in the store, husband having some beers at the White Horse Tavern...
Ok, so check my bounty :
Really cool bag - and it was on SALE on top of everything... From $70 to $35!!!! Can you believe it? What is not to love??? This was the second to last in this color. The silver and the gold ones were a bit much for moi...
Suuuper cool.
And then this crazy bracelet: I love cameos (my dad thinks that they are outdated...), this one is super kitschy and cool: I've bought the silver one...
Loved the "Byzantine" stones touch...
This beauty for less than $20... Love, love, love..
This crazy trend has been on my mind for quite some time...
For a short, curvy gal like me who wants to be in style, this harem pant craze would look like an initial no-no. Those things look good only on skinny 7 feet tall models...
Ok, some of those don't look thaaaaat good even in the model world...
Tried many, many harem pants around, including this one from American Apparel:
I was really on the fence on this one. It actually was slimming, but I wasn't sure if I could pull this crazy crotch... Ended up passing on this one...
Then, went online and tried to get a better looking one, without looking like I was hiding a small child in my pants... LOL
Found this babe on the internetzzz ... will keep it a secret from where... but it was very cheap and had no funkadelic crotch!!! The only catch was that it was only available online and without trying them on... Tops, no problem, but pants. So difficult to get it right.
How surprised I was when these pants were SUPER flattering and nice... I will wear this to rags...
look at these similar short harem pants... similar to mine, right?
Being from Brazil... you can imagine that soccer is a big part of my life.
I am simply LOVING the cup this time, but just a little bit upset that I am in the wrong place: wish I was in Brazil, where the games (at least the ones involving Brazil) are sacred and it is totally ok to stop whatever you are doing and watch the game...). Oh well...
And talking about being in the wrong place in the right time... In my lifetime, I was never, NEVER in Brazil the two times that Brazil won in my lifetime:
In 1994 I was in freakin' Italy! And guess who Brazil played in the final???? YES, Italy. My friend and I were in Sicily - it was crazy...
Then, in 2002, I was just getting married in NYC...
Hope that this will be the charm ... I am definitively equipped to root for them...
Had this beautiful Marc by Marc Jacobs Brazil shirt from like 2 years ago:
I will complement the look with this gorge scarf!!! Nike Brazilian soccer scarf.
I am feeling mighty nostalgic... Dunno why... But thinks from my past keep popping up... I guess it is a good thing that i have a place right now that I can post what I feel... And that this place is a virtual place = that doesn't involve physical clutter... But anyway...
These cartoons are big faves of mine:
I am a BIG history buff... and I've never see a cartoon like Asterix. It is FUN and also teaches history. How much better can it get???
These guys were brilliant. I mean, how can you make history fun and have so many awesome adventures???
My fave was Obelix. Loved the way he enjoys life, eats like a maniac and only cares about having fun... and kicking some Roman ass!!!
This is the whole dysfunctional tribe... love them...
