Cinematic (Holiday) Style: Kate Winslet's English cottage in 'The Holiday'

I've been thinking a lot about homes in the English countryside: their coziness, their warmth, their gardens, candles, white framed windows, perfectly broken in kitchens, comfy reading nooks, books spewing out of shelves. And of course I was mesmerized by the cottage Cameron Diaz stays in in The Holiday after watching it for the millionth time (that's the joy of re-watching movies: you get something different out of them each time). I don't know if I had a past life living in the U.K. at one point or if being there is my true calling, but I always feel a home-like attachment to England. It's the only explanation I've been able to give myself so far. That or the universal sings of comfort and staying in all snuggled up are quite British: hot tea, rainy and misty weather, grey skies, meat pies, soft tartan and sherpa, a Thomas Hardy or Jane Austen novel. If only Cameron Diaz's character could relax for a minute, put the kettle on, watch Love, Actually, and enjoy a British meat pie then The Holiday probably would've been a bit less dramatic but hey, those are the holidays for ya.

Dissecting Stella Gibson's Wardrobe

Not quite a Cinematic Style since The Fall is a television show (or a Netflix show for us here in the U.S.) but I couldn't help not talking about Gillian Anderson's character's wardrobe. Stella Gibson is a Detective Superintendent for the Northern Ireland police and an all around badass bitch. An unannounced feminist, Stella pushes through gender norms and misogynistic co-workers to catch a man who strangles and kills female victims throughout Belfast.

Some people see clothes to be a superficial quality to focus on but I see it as a way to tell an underlying story. It's one of my favorite things to pay attention to in film and now television (especially since the state of television right now is so good - everything sort of has a filmic quality to it - another post for another time). What I saw in Stella Gibson's wardrobe was one of my favorite things when looking at styling: a feminine and masculine contrast. Sure there's a lot of pencil skirts and stilettos and blush colors and that red blouse (wow) and they're all more or less made of silk - I'm sure the sweaters she wears are cashmere. But the button downs are strong. They're eye-catching but they don't wear her, she wears them. And she wears them with confidence and strength. The wide leg trousers she wears against said blouses perfectly exemplifies the masculine/feminine mix I'm talking about. And the two peacoats she wears through seasons one and two are long and commanding (sidenote: how does Gillian Anderson pull off these long-lined coats so well when she's around 5'3''??)















A lot of her blouses and sweaters are wrapped around her waist for an added feminine look that deflects from the manly silhouettes that are seen on men and women throughout the police station. It's almost intimidating - which Stella is in a lot of cases. A woman who is so confident in her body and herself accentuates possibly the most womanly part of a female's body: the waist - something men do not have.

I also love how practical she is (I mean she lives out of a hotel room while in Belfast) and how she recycles blouses (the pink, collarless piece is seen in season one and two) and she throws on her navy blue peacoat over every outfit despite what she's wearing underneath. She also seems to switch between two pairs of shoes: a black pump and a chunky black ankle boot and wears the same black pencil skirt on many separate occasions.

She also uses her clothes to make statements. For example, the red sweater was worn when questioning Jamie Dornan's Paul Spector who had an obsession with the symbolism in the color red. And, again, the pink collarless blouse was worn when giving a televised press conference about the recent murder victim Sarah Kay to show innocence and femininity to the people of Britain and specifically to Paul Spector.










Of course, nothing beats a good pair of trousers. These slew of looks feel more paired back and relaxed - she wears pants when she isn't giving a press conference. I also noticed when she wears the trousers she's out investigating a crime scene or is dealing with her sexist male colleagues (looking at you Assistant Chief Constable Jim Burns). She's supplied some of her best quotes wearing the pants (literally and metaphorically):

"That's what really bothers you isn't it? The one-night stand? Man fucks woman. Subject man, verb fucks, object woman. That's okay. Woman fucks man. Woman subject, man object. That's not so comfortable for you is it?"

"What if he kills a prostitute next? Or a woman walking home drunk? Late at night in a short skirt? Will they be in some way less innocent therefore less deserving? Culpable. The media loves to divide women into virgins or vamps, angels or whores. Let's not encourage them."









As much as I love picking out the symbolism in colors and clothes and all that, I love face masks and makeup too. And so does Stella. The first scene of the first episode in season one is Stella doing a face mask in her very normal-girl pajamas. It sort of brings her down to a relatable level; all girls (should) do a face mask in their pajamas. And damn it, even her lingerie and silky dressing gown are up to par - I'd like to imagine she wears Agent Provocateur.

Then onto her makeup. It's glowy and professional and feminine. I was of course wondering what they used on Gillian's face and thanks to the woman herself, she tweeted a photo of her character's makeup bag. Lots of products I was expecting: Clarins, Dior, Chanel, Lancôme. Products that warrant devoted customers and strong women who know what they want and stick to what they know.




Okay, even her going out look is smart and chic: slim trousers, another silky blouse, black stilettos, and a sort of sweater-like blazer combination.




And of course, her accessories. A navy blue Longchamp bag and a leather bound crocodile skin notebook with the most elegant pen I've ever seen. This woman knows what's up.

Screen caps by me from Netflix

Film Countdown: One on One Films

For some odd reason I love films that only feature two main characters. That way the story can focus on the juicy content: character development. I love what can come from a great, well-written dialogue between two people, and even better if it's in one set place - like a few of the films on this list. I like how intimate it is watching two people unfold for an hour and a half.

I gave myself a little criteria check list for compiling this and I found out that the best one-on-one films are when 1) There are only two characters (obviously). Three or more gets too out of control character development-wise (the movie Carnage with Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet is a good example). 2) The movie is set in one place - one building or one city - not jumping around to different locations. It distracts from the characters. 3) Strangers have to meet. Not old friends meeting up. The exception is obviously Before Sunset but I'm letting it slide because the two characters don't "meet up", they run into each other and it's a continuation of a story (and it's so damn good, ok). 4) It must be set in real time. All of these movies document an hour and a half of the characters' time. We watch them walk, talk, and live every minute right before our eyes. It makes for a more intimate and raw exposure of personalities and stories.

6. Two Night Stand, 2014, dir. Max Nichols

This one is probably the cheesiest and most deliberate of them all but all the basics are there: two strangers connecting on a deeper level only because they're being unintentionally forced to by a snow storm. Even better: it takes place in a tiny Brooklyn apartment.

5. Night Owls, 2015, dir. Charles Hood

Wonderfully acted for two relative unknowns, Night Owls also takes place in a home over the course of a night. The concept is simple: two strangers who were meant to just leave it as a random hook up end up spending the night together, one keeping the other awake all the while gossiping, flirting, and cooking a casserole that involves potato chips. Past issues are brought up, personality flaws are brought to the table, and, in the end, the two become more or less friends.

4. Before We Go, 2015, dir. Chris Evans

Chris Evans' directorial debut is pretty solid for a superhero! But for real, this isn't a terrible movie, it's just a bit dragged out. But what I do like about Before We Go is that the relationship between the two main characters remains, for the most part, pretty platonic. No sex is ever shown between the two which I found refreshing. I also like that it's set throughout New York City during the wee-hours of the morning - the best time, in my opinion, to be wandering the streets having intimate conversations.

3. Interview, 2007, dir. Steve Buscemi

Another movie that features its director in the main cast. Interview is probably the most heated of all the films I've picked out. The two characters are constantly trying to one-up each other, catching one another in a lie or picking out flaws from their personal lives, when their relationship was supposed to be just business related. As with most of these movies, the characters learn something about themselves through the other person which somehow makes the arduous night all worth it the next morning.

2. Before Sunrise, 1995, dir. Richard Linklater

The mecca of all one-on-one films is the Before trilogy by Richard Linklater. The first film in the series, Before Sunrise, takes place, again, during the early morning hours in Vienna, Austria. The conversations here are pure. They're full of curiosity, naïveté, passion, and love. They're harmless and inquisitive and innocent and there's never a lull even though the entire movie follows Jesse and Céline wandering around Vienna at night.

1. Before Sunset, 2004, dir. Richard Linklater

The reason I chose Before Sunset as number one was because of a few things: 1) it takes place during the day, in the late afternoon. Every other film on this list takes place at night where it's easier to have intimate, private conversations that can be hidden by the dark, night colored blanket. Jesse and Celine's conversations are exposed by the afternoon Parisian sunlight. 2) There's an already establish rapport between the two characters. Even though this is Jesse and Celine's first time meeting in nine years, their conversations still flow like the first time they met.