cinematic style: FBI agent dana scully in "the x-files"

    Gillian Anderson, who played FBI Agent Dana Scully for 9 years, said that she never felt sexy playing her character. Most of it, she said, was because of her clothes. Putting aside the fact the I do love Scully's wardrobe, I think she was sexy because of her strong, feminist attitude as a woman contrasting against Mulder's male persona. Sure Scully wasn't va-va-voom in the first couple of seasons of the shows; she wore loads of plaid and balloon trousers with pointed toe heels and looked like a little girl ready to start her new job next to a good looking FBI agent. Her "geek chic" glasses with the typical brown/red 90s lipstick matched with her red hair made her look smart and serious in the first three seasons. She also always wore these great big trench coats. A lot of the times Scully and Mulder's investigations would take them to Washington or Oregon (they actually filmed in Canada) and the skies always seemed to over-cast. It called for the hero coat. The hero coat, coined by John Barrowman describing his and David Tennant's iconic coats in Doctor Who, are long trenches that flow behind you as you walk/run thus making you look like a hero in a cape. This was the first time I saw a woman pull it off and I'm convinced that it looks good on anyone (even on Anderson's 5'3'' small frame). By the fourth season, that was then into the 2000s, Scully started to look more polished. She started wearing fitted blazers instead of ones that hit her at mid-thigh, outfits that didn't have two or three prints all bunched together and crisp white blouses that weren't all the way buttoned up, a classic FBI agent look. Dana Scully started to look more grown up. After all, she had to have been getting used to the fact that she was staying as Mulder's wing-woman working to make scientific analysis of his findings.

    One of my favorite Scully wardrobe moments is in episode 13, season 7 that is based around a video game. All of the sudden Scully pops up on screen with this brown leather jacket over a fitted turtle neck and her usual black trousers. I'm not sure what happened but for some reason she looked sexier than usual. It just goes to show that a turtle neck and leather can go a long way. A great suit can also go a long way. I always wonder why Scully never played with color more often. Because that maroon suit with the white Grace Kelly in The Rear Window-esque blouse looked superb on her. It accentuated her waist which was such a good surprise since all she was wearing was menswear trousers and over sized goodness in the past. 

    I can't help but throw a little bid of Mulder in here, after all, those big billowing hero coats really only look good if you're with a partner who's wearing a similar one. I love the fact that Scully and Mulder kept the coats throughout the seasons (these two screen shots are from season four). I'm very into over sized coats and jackets for the autumn and winter because of their comfort and 90s vibe. Scully looks like Mulder's equal when she wears hers and in some episodes, the baddies don't treat her that way. She has a great one here: it makes her look professional and down right cool. 

Images via The X-Files Screen Grab Archive

cinematic style: wendy darling in "peter pan"

My sister recently wanted to watch the 2003 version of the classic story of Peter Pan and I was honestly only into it for the fabulous Jason Isaacs but then found out that I could grab a lot of style inspiration from Wendy Darling. She basically only wears her nightgown for majority of the film in Neverland, but what she has on before departing with Peter is so desirable. I love the fact that she wears the coveted Peter Pan collar during the day as a crocheted version and with a warm cardigan. She's a very typical English school girl with pig tails and bows; she's probably wearing a skirt and long thick socks with loafers, I can't remember. You've gotta dress warm during those London winters. At night, before she escapes to Neverland, Wendy seems so dolled up just to be ready to go to bed, but after all it is the 1940s and the Darling family did have company. What really attracts me to her pajamas are how comfy they look. Her hair looks warm and brushed, like she followed that "every girl must brush her hair 100 times before bed" rule and then tied an adorable bow into her side part to keep her soft mane out of her eyes. That cardigan seems so cozy; it really makes me want to put on a slip that I use as a night gown and throw on my chunky knit and cuddle up in a chair with a good book. But what I really love about Wendy Darling's cinematic style is the innocence of it all. The bow, the white nightie, the pig tails, the pink sweater, that collar...after all, isn't that what Peter Pan is all about? The innocence of youth?

island life

Last year my summer playlist had more of a California beach vibe but this year there's more of a Tahiti, Cancun, Caribbean beach vibe. I love islands, tropical beaches that meet with jungles, heavy dark green foliage, turquoise water, rolling mountains. Pretty much any geographical description that is seen in these photos. A few are from a Vogue Japan August 2012 editorial with Toni Garnn, one is from Vogue Portugal and the YouTube screen caps are from Duran Duran's music video for Rio. Rio is the main song of the playlist because of its funky bass guitar riff and bubbly personality. The title of the playlist is even from the song. A close second is Madonna's La Isla Bonita because of its lyrics: "tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free, this is where I long to be, la isla bonita." La isla bonita means the beautiful island and where ever Madonna was referring to, I'd love to go to. Despite the humidity of tropical islands and the bugs, I just want to end up in some sea side resort with my all white wardrobe and mermaid hair.

Bird of Paradise - Summer 2012

friends

"Okay, so my favorite thing to do is to complain about how tired I am, but bring a couple of friends and suddenly my energy kicks back!"

"I don't know her, but I have a feeling she's my best friend." (referring to Stella McCartney)

"...catching up with my friends Sex and The City style."

Garance Doré

"Three of Vancouver's best chefs providing the food, talking shop; I don't know about you but I love this stuff. I get to hang out with my friends, eat like a champion, drink a little too much and the editors and camera people pretty much do the rest."

"Like my three friends, Pinot, Vicro, Tojo, each from a different land, three widly different approaches, all coming together in a fantastic collision, a graceful natural fusion."

"If it's not just what you know about a place but who you know, this is who I know and knowing them is what Vancouver is for me. "

Anthony Bourdain

Watching an Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations episode one afternoon made me think of Garance Doré's "Pardon My French" minisodes on YouTube. Anthony and Garance couldn't be further apart; one's a hostile New Yorker who eats, writes and travels for a living and the other an uppity Parisienne who doodles and photographs for her own blog. But watching Tony with his Canadian friends at the end of the Vancouver episode from 2008 reminded me of Garance's final fashion week video. Tony ends the episode at a makeshift-indoor barbecue due to the weather with three of his best Vancouver friends who happen to be chefs. They all three cook their special Vancouver meal, have some wine, talk, laugh, converse. Quoting Tony, "I don't know about you but I love this stuff." It's the homey feel of having a couple of good friends over and making dishes with their own personal spin on it that appeals to me very much right now. Put on some good tunes and have a laugh.

Watching Tony hang out with his mates in the most simplistic way is similar to Garance meeting up with her three girlfriends during the last day of fashion week. After Chanel, she headed to a little café and shortly after her friends started to show up and they talked about their favorite shows of Paris fashion week and had some lunch. What registered with me was the fact that my two very best girlfriends and I are always longing to do exactly what both of these two have showed me. All we really want to is just laugh and giggle and gossip and chat and eat and drink and listen with good friends. And by "we" I mean me and my friends and also the rest of the world. Let's be honest, who doesn't love to share a meal or a table with a at least one good friend?

cinematic style: the rear window

After seeing one of my favorite bloggers Hannah of Capture The Castle follow in the footsteps of Stevie from Discotheque Confusion, I cannot help myself but to add to the pack of "Cinematic Style". As with a certain café or a lone wooded area, clothing in films help to establish a feeling or an emotion. Instead of the environment giving off the vibe for the scenes, the clothes give off a look for the character and help to create a personality to a person whom you do not know. With the help of the glorious website Clothes on Film, I'm now able to search almost any film I desire and gush over favorite looks.







After seeing Alfred Hitchcock's The Rear Window over my spring break, I really fell in love with Grace Kelly. I was in the midst of prom dress shopping so when I saw her first gown, I knew I had to get something like it. A fitted top with a beautiful upside-down fountain of fabric and tulle with strappy sandals. Grace makes it look so innocent and fun and twirly. A part of me loves that bright and happy feeling you get when putting on a very Dior-looking dress like so. Throughout the film, Ms Kelly kept the popular cinched waist that makes her look very collected and put together. Her character Lisa works in fashion and loves reading Harper's Bazaar. The black little dress in the second photo makes her look like a fashion girl: very clean cut but still fun yet professional as she is, after all, a lady. I've become obsessed with Lisa's halter blouse after she took off her mint green matching jacket. I remember when she pulled the sleeves off, I threw my head back because of the cut and fit of that cream top. Her pearls laying gently over the tightly pulled crossed neckline shows off her beautiful arms and collarbone. At the very end of the film, we see Lisa wearing something not a lot of women seemed to wear during the 1950s and 1960s: jeans. So casually put together she wears cuffed denim with brown leather loafers. I couldn't find a picture of her top but she wore a white crew neck with a pink menswear blouse over. Her lying so daintily reading Harper's was the perfect way to end the journey of Lisa's style throughout The Rear Window.