Back!

Hi everyone! Well, my move to Minneapolis was tiring, but went about as smooth as moving can go. I JUST got my Internet back yesterday (so much fun to get on NetFlix again!), and I am just checking out all the blog posts I missed over the last week. So, you may get a few comments from me at once over the next few days :-)

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a little of my studio here. It is still a work in progress, but I think it's starting to look cute.

The sun's a little bright in the second one, but you get the idea! Well, today I am off to explore the dozen or so vintage stores and coffee shops in my neighborhood, so I'll try to post more later.

~F. 

Until next time ...

Things will be a little quite here for the next week or so. I am moving to Minneapolis tomorrow, and I probably won't have much time to blog. So, until next time! I hope you all will continue to have shiny summers!

~F.

Happy birthday, Natalie Wood!

Please check out the new "Marlon on a Wednesday" post below, as he is looking particularly dashing on a boat there, but I also have to put together a birthday post for one of my favorite actresses, Natalie Wood! She is definitely worth celebrating for her style, charm, and of course, talent. Here are clips from some of my favorite movies:

Sex and the Single Girl with Tony Curis


Splendor in the Grass with Warren Beatty


Finally, perhaps my favorite of all, Love With the Proper Stranger with Steve McQueen

Marlon on a Wednesday: I'm on a boat!

Some vintage footage I found via YouTube I like:

Kazan, DeNiro, dared "The Last Tycoon"

I am afraid this is going to be a nerdy post.

As many of you know, I am a big F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, and have read and researched his works and life for several years. However, this summer, it has all turned a bit obsessive. Maybe it was Alison Pill's surprisingly good performance as Zelda Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris (seriously, Woody should take a risk and do a "spin-off biopic" with Alison and someone dreamy as Scott), or perhaps I became too involved reading Zelda by Nancy Mitford back-to-back with Tender is the Night. Either way, my interest has reached a peak, and I want anything I can get.

Even my NetFlix queue. Honestly, I dislike every film I have seen based on Scott's works. For example, I thought the Elizabeth Taylor/Van Johnson film, The Last Time I Saw Paris missed the point of the original story, "Babylon Revisited." I also did not like the recent The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for pretty much the same reasons.The script seemed so intent on beefing up Scott's original story, that the whole experience felt tedious and overdone. At least, that is my opinion. I know a lot of critics and and viewers felt differently.

I have not even seen the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby, and the footage I have seen from Tender is the Night looks equally disappointing. Time to give up, right?

But ... I recently saw this scene from the film version of Scott's final novel, The Last Tycoon. I am surprised to admit it looks good. Really good. The Last Tycoon always seemed sad, and easily avoidable to me since Scott passed away in the middle of writing it. However, with Elia Kazan directing, and Robert DeNiro playing scenes like this ... I do not think I will avoid it much longer.



The film also stars many other actors I respect: Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Donald Pleasence, Dana Andrews, Jeanne Moreau, and Jack Nicholson. Basically, I want to see this. Immediately.

Hey dolls

Well, I thought I rented a studio apartment for one in Minneapolis, but I found three lovely ladies to room with at the last minute!

The end two are 1990s reproductions of vintage Barbies, (I thought they were SO much prettier than the modern ones) but the center one is actually an original "Midge." The first owner, my mom, handed her down to me almost twenty years ago! I may have been a little young at the time to have such a special gift, because I think I destroyed her original outfits. She's wearing one I designed and made at some point during my childhood. 

Isn't she lovely? And apparently, Mattel created an entire life story for her! Read about it, here. I think that is pretty funny. I used to just made up my own stories for her.

I am decorating my place with a few other vintage icons, so I decided to pack all three to see if I could fit them somewhere. I admit, I still get really excited about Barbie dolls. I credit my appreciation for fashion and clothes to the many hours I spent playing with them back in the day. Not to mention, I find this beyond flattering:

Camera Phone

Local fashion show from last weekend, and some other things, randomly captured. Have a wonderful Friday!

~F.