Whiling Away the Hours 2019 Edition

I recently had the privilege and pleasure of travelling to Europe. So I spent a lot of time whiling away the hours in economy. I was desperate to watch Fleabag, but Series 1 was not available anywhere sadly.

On the way to Helsinki I only managed one movie. I finally got to watch The Wife. I've been keen to watch this for a while, but never managed it, so enjoyed the opportunity to finally see it. I haven't read the book, but knew enough about the book and movie to guess the plot twist very early on. 

I'm not sure if it was the cramped economy watching, or the middle of the night feelings, but while Glenn Close was fantastic, a couple of the male actors really got on my nerves. Unusually after watching the film, I'd still be interested in reading the book. 

I really can't explain what else I did on the way to Helsinki, but I didn't watch anything else. 

I watched two movies on the way home. Both on my rather sleepless Hong Kong to Sydney flight. First up I watched Swimming with Men.

Which was perfect economy seat fodder. Light, fluffy, no surprises particularly (although perhaps how long it took me to recognise Jane Horrocks was a surprise), and actually laugh out loud funny at times. Always good for your neighbouring passengers. 

Then I watched The First Monday in May. I do so love a fashion documentary, and this one was particularly fascinating. I watched it twice back to back. I did manage my only sleep between Budapest and Helsinki during the first run through, so I rewatched it and managed to stay awake the second time. Indeed I was riveted to the small screen. 

The First Monday in May is a 2016 documentary looking at the year of preparation and planning for the 2015 Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for Metropolitan Museum of Art's Anna Wintour Costume Center. Each year the Gala is themed for the upcoming spring fashion exhibition at the Met. In 2015 that exhibition and theme was China: Through the Looking Glass. 

It was a fascinating peek into the amount of hard work that goes into creating a blockbuster fashion exhibition and event. Months of meetings. Trips to Paris and Beijing. I loved seeing Andrew Bolton (curator of the exhibition) wetting himself visiting the YSL Archive in Paris. 

Naturally there were tortured discussions and a lot of hand wringing about whether fashion is art- at this level it certainly is, and whether it belongs in a museum- yes, it certainly does. Even though the designers deny that rather strenuously. Karl Lagerfeld was still with us and he called what he did applied art, while Jean Paul Gautier said that he doesn't design clothes expecting them to be in museums. I well remember the sensational Jean Paul Gautier exhibition I saw in Melbourne (way back in 2014! Can that really be 5 years ago?).

The final exhibition looked amazing. Chinese art and film was displayed along with the fashion. The presentations of the rooms were incredible, every one jaw dropping, different, so imaginative. Glass poles lit from below creating a bamboo forest of light sabres! Definitely next level. 

I learnt about some topics that I'm keen to followup on. There was a focus on the impact of Chinese film. JPG was fascinated by a film called In the Mood for Love, he watched it over and over again and a year later produced his chinese inspired Autumn/Winter 2001 Couture Collection. The trailer for In the Mood for Love makes it look creepy, we will see. It seems to be available on Kanopy. I haven't used that platform yet, this seems to be a good excuse. Most of the designers featured were big names and I was quite familiar with them. I hadn't heard of Chinese designer Guo Pei, but am intrigued, and will be checking her out. 

A similar amount of work went into the production of the Met Gala. Anna Wintour is extremley impressive to see in action. The amount of thought that goes into the seating plan is phenomenal. So many egos to be massaged. "We should bury this table." And celebrities are "great carpet material". Whilst the little people, we the general public "will just come back next week" according to Wintour when she needs to close a gallery a day early for preparation for the Gala. Some of those people have travelled from around the world, and will be there for one day only, they can't come back next week. 

Anna Wintour was a walking ad for Starbucks. Someone needs to buy that woman a keep cup. 

The First Monday in May is highly recommended. 

Mademoiselle C

I'm really not sure why I've become so interested in Fashion in recent times. Or even fashion documentaries. It's not my world. Although perhaps that's part of the attraction. I taped Mademoiselle C a few months ago, and recently got to watch it on an exciting Saturday night at home. 

I'd never heard of Carine Roitfeld before. She was born in Paris to wealthy parents. She was editor of French Vogue for 10 years from 2001 to 2011. After she left she set up her own magazine CR Fashion Book in New York. Mademoiselle C documents the process leading up to the launch of the first edition.  It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of fashion, celebrity and money. Helicopters and private ballet lessons- she is mighty impressive actually, this grandmother is very flexible.

It never ceases to amaze me that the behind the scenes fashion types generally wear black all the time. And they never change their hairstyle from one decade to the next. They're very much a do what I say not do what I do group of people. 

A visual bonus for any fashion doco that has anything to do with France are the obligatory glimpses of Paris during Fashion Week - Palais Garner, Grand Palais and the Colonne Vendome. 

A month after CR Fashion Book launched in 2012 Carine Roitfeld accepted a position as Global Fashion Director for Harpers Bazaar. She still publishes CR Fashion Book twice a year as her own "personal laboratory of ideas".

Karl Lagerfeld is in it a lot

they collaborate quite a bit

Some interesting Carine Roitfeld links
CNN
Observer
"I’d used the same perfume for 20 years, so just for me to change that was very difficult." Maybe this really is a French thing. Those gals in How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (see my review) advised us not to change our perfume for 30 years. Carine Roitfeld was to launch a range of seven perfumes in 2016 but I can't find that it exists yet. 
FT

Dreaming of France is a wonderful Monday meme
from Paulita at An Accidental Blog  

Advanced Style

I'd never heard of Ari Seth Cohen or his blog, Advanced Style, when I came across this book-of-the-blog in Melbourne recently. Ari was apparently captivated by fashionable older women from the time he was a young boy when he watched his grandmothers exhibit glamour and style. He moved to New York as an adult and started his blog.

These photos offer proof that the secret to remaining vital in our later years is to never stop being curious, never stop creating, and never stop having fun. 

There seems to be a few essential items to the Advanced Style (female) look. (There was I think one lone man who made the pages, maybe two) A big or quirky hat. Big glasses. Big jewellery.

Big rings. A Chanel 2.55 doesn't hurt either.

I had no idea you could still get crocheted gloves! But a number of the ladies had them. 

I would have absolutely loved this Tiffany umbrella back in the 80s. Now I like it, and like it quite a lot, but I like my Desigual one better. 

Some women with Advanced Style wear a riot of colour, others prefer monochrome outfits. Big wads of cash do seem to help as the majority are wearing clearly expensive designer clothes. Some of the women are wearing more modest garments, and clearly the book isn't focused on money per se, it's focus is to showcase older people/women with style and panache. 


There is a documentary that I will seek out:

and a second book- Advanced Style- Older & Wiser. I'll be looking forward to checking it out. Thankfully I've still got some prep time before I'm old enough to be included. 

Are polka dots acceptable for over-25s?

I do like to read the weekend papers. I like all the supplements.  The book reviews. The art reviews. The recipes. Often these aren't easily available online, and it's nice to read the magazines, much like I prefer to read real books over ebooks. And yes, I even like the fashion pages. Most often they make me laugh or shake my head. "Really, $3000 for that. I don't know who buys this stuff."

Last week I read the Weekend Australian Magazine from June 11 2016 and I can't tell you how often I've thought about this silly little article in the last week. I'm not fully sure why but I was more than moderately incensed by the proposed age limit on polka dots. Do fashion people really think like that? Is it something anyone needs to think about? No wonder that the model looks downcast. I have a polka dot scarf that I enjoy wearing at the moment, and I'm a little past 25. Although it is true that you do need a certain je ne sais quoi to be able to pull off top to toe polka dots.

Glynis Traill-Nash appears to have recovered from her mistake at removing polka dots from her wardrobe and perhaps it was all a little bit of fun. I was then astonished at her suggestions for how we might include some polka dots in our mundane lives.

Like this Marco De Vincenzo dress. On sale for a mere $4, 359 (but now the price has dropped even further to $2,490)- I simply can't ever imagine spending $2,490 on a dress. Never mind that the full original price was $6, 228. And is it irony that she's picked a dress that wouldn't suit anyone over 25?

Who then needs to carry a copy of Alice in Wonderland?

Similarly while it is super cute and dotty, are we average newspaper readers meant to aspire to a handbag that is $1518 (on sale)? Perhaps we are because I can't find it on the matchesfashion.com website anymore. I do really like Mary Katrantzou's use of print and colour though.

Or an $1787 ring?

I could have written this post about pretty much any fashion article, but the polka dot comment pushed me over the edge. It's been a while since I had a bit of a rant. It was time. There, I feel better now.