Spring Wardrobe Ideas

I admit, I am kind of a celebrity personal style junkie.

However, with the exception of Carey Mulligan and Kirsten Dunst, I avoid stalking celebs via paparazzi photos. Those two dress too deliciously to resist a creeper-esque peep when inspiration itches. Instead, I comb my Google and Bing image searches for dressed down vintage stars. These often prove hard to come by, but they are there. Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, or Natalie Wood stripped from their iconic glamour in exchange for something more simple equals magic. Here, cropped trousers, cardigans, ballet flats, big sunglasses, and dresses appear, with some jewelry for kicks.

I love these looks. The make their point without fuss. They exude fashion without trying. Rather, they just are. I decided I should look like that this spring. My Minneapolis lifestyle rarely accommodates outfits decked with bells and whistles. For one, I rarely wear stilettos anymore. But I need to edit my wardrobe so it becomes more "me" and less faux-urbanista. I am Idaho. Let's be real.

This, however, I can handle.

Just ... minimal.

Let's Make it Legal (1951)

The opening scene of Let's Make it Legal reveals the old beauties of post-WWII suburbia: white houses, white fences, lawns lined with cars and dotted with rosebushes. Enter Hugh Halsworth (Macdonald Carey), who cares deeply about his own rosebushes. He makes special trips to the home he used to share with his soon-to-be ex-wife Miriam (Claudette Colbert) to tend them, much to her annoyance. Hugh and Miriam will soon see their divorce finalized. While Miriam feels elated, proclaiming several times she does not need a man, Hugh fights his grief. He "won" Miriam in a gamble years before, and considers it his luckiest moment.

Now, enter Hugh's competitor in the gamble and Miriam's old flame, Victor (Zachary Scott). Victor, a wealthy "businessman," spends the film pursuing Miriam, and convinces her to become engaged. To counter this, Hugh flaunts a blonde tart, Joyce, (Marilyn Monroe) in Miriam's face, but she does not convey jealousy.

Then there's the Miriam's live-in couple: the daughter, the son-in-law (Robert Wagner), and their newborn baby. The daughter refuses to grow up, as she asks Miriam to take care of the baby and keep house for her. While I admire how Wagner's character constantly calls her out for this while keeping so darn handsome, it remains an annoying subplot in this otherwise cute film.

And it boasts cuteness. I could not get over the happy ending. Claudette always gives a good performance, as does Marilyn (even though I always find it odd watching her early films where she plays smaller roles), but Macdonald Carey stole my heart. What a romantic.

At only an hour and sixteen minutes, Let's Make It Legal may not provide layers of depth, but I am always down for alternate retro worlds where nothing but the best persists. Wunderbar!

~F.

Blonde (2001)

While pursuing my English undergraduate degree, I read Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Three Girls." The idea of spotting Marilyn Monroe perusing a used bookstore, clad in menswear, enchanted me. I never forgot the story, and respected Oates' interpretation of a generally oversimplified woman. This oversimplification became more clear to me after I read Marilyn's autobiography, and the much-publisized Fragments earlier this year. Like "Three Girls," these books transformed Marilyn from the "sex-symbol," and the "cute blonde," to someone I wanted to have coffee and discuss Michael Chekhov with. Or we could explicate poetry. I don't know. I just wanted inside her brain. This remains one reason "Three Girls" still counts as my favorite short story.

However, Oates did not leave Marilyn there. She also wrote a novel, Blonde, which I have not read. It seems to further chronicle Oates' interpretation of Marilyn. While not a biography, I have read it attempts to "get inside" Norma Jean Baker, even as she continues the transformation into Marilyn Monroe.  This novel also became a miniseries in 2001, starring Poppy Montgomery as Norma Jean Baker, Patricia Richardson as her mother, Ann-Margret, and Patrick Dempsey. I do not know if many would consider it an "excellent" film, but I appreciate it.

The film begins with a blonde woman in a red dress sprawled across an empty beach, the waves lapping against her. Viewers learn later she is, in fact, "washed up" at this point. But just at that moment, the contrast of her peroxide hair against the dull sand colors caught my attention. She seems so beautiful and out of place. I love visuals like this.

Montgomery fills the image. I find it scary how much she looks and talks like Marilyn. This film excludes scenes of her blown-up skirt during The Seven Year Itch, and instead shows her seeking affection from various characters: her mother (Richardson was also great), Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, and Patrick Dempsey's bizarre, friend-like, character. I like these tender moments. I like seeing Marilyn in a cardigan, black pants, and ballet flats. I like her desperation for motherhood.

Just ... like, and love.

Blonde makes me more curious about My Week with Marilyn, which will release soon. Michelle Williams will probably give a decent performance, but now, I almost do not want a more biographical approach.

~F.

My sentiments, exactly, Marilyn!

Today the temperature will reach 94 degrees in Boise. I know some places have probably seen much more intense temperatures, but this is the hottest day of the year so far for us! I imagine I will spend most of today like Marilyn Monroe's character in The Seven Year Itch, who spends a great deal of the film figuring out how to keep cool in a sweltering summer apartment with no air conditioning.



I see myself downing a few glasses of frosty, frosty, iced tea this afternoon!

Bus Stop (1956)

When I watch older films, I try to be as forgiving as possible. I have seen enough to realize they originated in a different time and society than what I have known. Some human aspects hardly change over time, and others change significantly. I realize these films reflect certain societal codes and values that have since dissipated. Rather than act overly-critical, I try to accept this, and that the time I live in fails as the greatest and most innovated ever. Basically, older films reflect what people had, just as films today do. Who am I to judge?

This mode of thought backfired when I watched Bus Stop this weekend. Released in 1956, and starring Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray (who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance), the William Inge-inspired film follows a sheltered, yet obnoxious (to put it lightly) cowboy, Bo, who ventures to the big city to ride in a rodeo and find a wife. He prioritizes the marriage bit, and after spying saloon singer Cherie, he becomes convinced she marry him. Cherie, with her own Hollywood dreams and general issues, refuses him, and Bo feels so entitled, he forces her on a bus back to his ranch.

While some fans of the film regard it as one of Monroe's best, I felt disturbed watching it. Murray's performance as Bo particularly got me. He walks in front of cars, stands on tables and shouts at people, and lassos Cherie at the bus station (I would like to add, while this may not prove convenient for the plot line, I cannot believe the many witnesses did not try to help her or call the police). Furthermore, he fails to initiate a decent conversation with Cherie. Instead he yells at her, hits her, and refuses to acknowledge her by her name. Supposedly he cannot be bothered to learn to pronounce a "fancy" name like Cherie properly, so he calls her "Cherry" throughout. This pronunciation continues through the film's end, even when he claims he changed. His rage and forcefulness annoyed me at first, then scared me. I felt sorry for Cherie, and her implied marriage to him at the end. I wish Monroe could have played a stronger character, but I suppose no one wanted to market her that way. Instead, she portrays a woman who gives up her dreams and identity, for a man who MORE than represents, in my opinion, misogyny. And stalkers.

The fact that this ending came off as "happy" also concerns me. It's not happy when a woman enters an abusive relationship. Bo's calling Cherie "Cherry" at the end proves he will never change. Poor girl. I realize 1950s gender roles differed greatly from today's, and perhaps my own beliefs remain too strong, but I could not handle this one. It was a little too much.

Here is the trailer if you would like a peek at Bo. "Hollywood's newest hunk of man" ... charming.



~F.

Let's Make Love (1960)

When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns an off-Broadway production plans to parody him in its new production, he ventures from his Manhattan skyscraper to a downtown theater to investigate the struggling company. Once there, he falls for Amanda Dell, as she sashays in a sheer body suit, and sings the coy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." He then introduces himself to her as Alexander Dumas -- struggling actor. 

Thus, the familiar plots of romance and mistaken identity highlight the 1960 comedy Let's Make Love. Yves Montand, as Clement, and Marilyn Monroe, as Dell, seem an odd pairing, and though I enjoyed the movie overall, I think both likely experienced better chemistry in their careers. Still, Clement's sophistication and Dell's playfulness provide enough contrast, I never questioned my interest as their relationship developed. Sure, it's all expected, and it's not pure magic. However, that does not mean I have to dislike it.

As Clement's scheme proceeds, celebrity cameos abound. Bing Crosby, Milton Berle, and Gene Kelly all try their hands at making Clement a star, to no avail. Also, Frankie Vaughan co-stars as a struggling performer and romantic rival. However, Clement proves only himself, and shows Dell in the simplest way ... before seducing her in the elevator.

The musical numbers and costumes provide the most enjoyment for me. Dell performs in oversized sweaters and tights for "rehearsal," traipses around Manhattan in a trench coat and beret, and performs in a negligee elaborate enough to pass as an evening gown. Monroe, then, appears her most stylish to me. She combines artistic and sexy, like any musical comedy performer should.

While not the most original film, Let's Make Love does all the familiars right. I cannot dislike music, costumes, and happy endings, no matter how many times I see them.

Oh, and when I first got into Marlon Brando, I found this You Tube video of him and Marilyn. The song, "Let's Make Love" is from this film!

A Marilyn holiday

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I took a break from the blogosphere and indulged in some good company, food, and gift-giving. The ones I received weren't too shabby either. I got a ton of books, including these on Marilyn Monroe:

The first, Fragments, is the new book containing Marilyn's poetry and personal notes. I am almost finished with it, but I feel like I did when I read Journals by Kurt Cobain--- like I am invading someone's privacy. However, I love the photographs and the section featuring books from Marilyn's library. Her passion for literature comes through the pages. The second book, My Story, came as a complete surprise to me, as I had no idea Marilyn wrote her memoirs. I believe these are incomplete, but I am still looking forward to reading. The book is also filled with beautiful work by Milton Greene, who took some of the most famous photos of Marilyn. 

Has anyone read either of these books? What do you think?