SING STREET (2016)

It is deep August so obviously it's a good time to lust over some sweaters. I saw Sing Street in theaters earlier this year immediately knew I wanted to cap it - everything looks so cozy! (And it's a super sweet coming of age story as well.)

VENUS IN FURS (1969)

Brief film history lesson: Jesus Franco was a Spanish director who, despite his ridiculously prolific career (he directed about 160 films over 50 years), has remained a largely fringe figure in cinematic history. Well, that might be fair - to quote (the Jesus Franco wikipedia article, obv, this isn’t academia folks) “Franco’s themes often revolved around lesbian vampires, women in prison, surgical horror, sadomasochism, zombies, and sexploitation”. But what’s a well rounded film diet without some B cinema from time to time?

Regardless of where you stand on his filmography content wise (personally, he had me at “lesbian vampires”), his work is undeniably and exquisitely beautiful. His films are dreamy and haunting, almost other worldly… a world where it’s perfectly acceptable to lounge around listening to a jazz band in a fur coat in lingerie… or plotting your revenge while wearing a plunging velvet two-piece suit.

BRING IT ON (2000)

BRING IT ON

The film that made being head cheerleader seem like the most glam thing in the world,

that taught preteens valuable lessons about cultural appropriation 7 years before tumblr existed,

that launched one of the biggest teen franchises of all time...

Anyway: In continuing the theme of me being Perpetually Stuck in The 2000s (THEY'RE COMING BACK!!!!! sign number one is this retro commercial that Motorola released that may or may not be legitimate but nevertheless proves that we are trapped in a cyclical fashion cycle and the Oughties R Here 2 Stay) I rewatched one of my fave teen films of all time. And it is SUCH a great time capsule of fashion at the time, but what stood out to me wasn't the clothes...

THE FALLING (2014)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A GIRL?
invariably, most of my favorite films deal with this question in some fashion. (Hey, a girl's gotta have her niche). And it's impossible to miss a film as dreamy/moody as this. THE FALLING is a beautifully and eerily atmospheric piece about the magic of girlhood... but of course, not all magic is benevolent

THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE (2003)

I swear I will get off this nostalgia kick soon - but after making the life-changing discovery that Disney has all of the episodes of National Treasure Lizzie McGuire available online (link for the lazy), I spent a solid few days diving into one of my most formative influences. So many hours spent trying to Get the Lizzie Look at Limited Too. So many inaccurate assumptions about studying abroad in Italy. So many metallics and synthetic fibers. So, so glorious.

SLEEPOVER (2004)

A friend had a 2000s themed party this weekend (because I guess that's a Party Theme, onward rolls the unrelenting wheel of time, etc.) and as a result, I fell down the rabbit hole of mid-2000s teen comedies for sartorial inspiration. I am so, so, so ready for the inevitable resurgence of oughties fashion in 5 - 10 years.

And so, as a time capsule of the height of teen fashion in 2004, let's take a moment to celebrate the unexpected beauty of Sleepover.

POISON FOR THE FAIRIES (1984)

Sometimes it's easy to look at the costumes of a film analytically and determine exactly how the choices are working to build chacterization visually, or how specific costumes relate to a character's emotional arc.... and sometimes it might just be looking at pretty clothes. Poison For The Fairies falls into the latter for me - if there's a significant subtext to the costumes, I'm not picking up on it. You could probably work and angle on the contrast between the brightly colored, girlishly innocent visuals and the darker thematic elements of the script, but I don't know if there's enough of a conscious effort to make that argument. For me, you don't always need a ton of hidden meaning to validate and aesthetic choice. Sometimes it's okay to be pretty for the sake of being pretty.

Um, enough pontificating - Poison For The Fairies is super pretty, let's celebrate that: