Yes, another dress

I fell in love with a dress again. This art deco stunner worn by January Jones at the 2009 Emmy Awards stole the fancy-things-loving chunk of my heart immediately. How excited was I then to discover that my friend, the flawless, feminine fashionista, Lacey Lamphere, was involved in getting this work of art on the actress!
Lacey, a Versace employee, was kind enough to walk me through the process of helping an actress find a dress. January is what is called a "friend of the house" at Versace. "Friends of the house" are allowed to view the private atelier collection. Lacey describes it best:

"The collection is comprised of about ten one-of-a-kind couture dresses designed and hand-made in Milan by specially-trained artisans. Our office receives the sketches and descriptions, as well as photographs of the dresses on the fit models, from Milan under strict confidence. No one gets to see the entire collection except us, and we decide which two or three gowns that we think would work well on the girls we have in mind for awards season. Then we e-mail the images to their stylists. On the rare occasion that a girl isn't working with a stylist, we send to their publicist. However, January has an innate sense of style and loves to be involved in the whole process personally. She doesn't work with a stylist, and she doesn't go through her publicist. She doesn't even send anyone to pick up her things for her- she prefers to come into the office and try things on when possible.
"Many times, what a girl wears is often up in the air until the very last minute. It isn't uncommon for us to be glued to the TV watching red carpet arrivals to find out if the girl wore us. But January decided quickly. It was pretty straight-forward, and we knew she would be wearing this dress."

Admittedly, none of this has anything to do with why I find the dress to be so beautiful, but I found it fascinating to get the story straight from an insider.
I have never seen anything quite like this dress. A bodice that is rigid without looking uncomfortable that blends effortlessly with a flowing chiffon skirt. The art deco style, accomplished with plastic triangles and triangle cutouts, is different and striking without overwhelming the actress. She definitely wore that dress and not the other way around.

Someone to Watch Over Me

George and Ira Gershwin

I get this song stuck in my head every once in a while. I finally learned all the words today while looking through an old Readers' Digest piano book of my mom's. It was composed by George Gershwin with lyrics written by his brother, Ira. It was performed in the musical, "Oh, Kay!" The book of this play was written by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse (Jeeves & Wooster, anyone?). The play opened in 1926 with Gertrude Lawrence playing Kay and singing this song.
There have been many covers of this song by everyone from Julie Andrews, Etta James, and Ella Fitzgerald to Amy Winehouse and Perry Como. I prefer the more straightforward, less jazzy versions. I suppose it's because I usually prefer songs in their original form. The first time I remember hearing this song was in "Mr. Holland's Opus," performed by the lovely Jean Louisa Kelly. This is still one of my favorite versions. Julie Andrews does a lovely and characteristically effortless version in the movie "Star!" I've included YouTube videos of both performances.
I love singing this song when I'm alone. Seriously, try it. Pretend you're on a stage with a spotlight on you. You'll feel great, especially if you're in the shower. If you're a guy this might not work out as well, but give it a shot anyway. No one has to know.
Enjoy!

Pietà

Every time I see pictures of this sculpture, my heart breaks a little. It is my favorite sculpture. Michelangelo carved it when he was only 21. Many people refused to believe that he carved it so he carved his name across Mary's chest. I had a very difficult time finding a good picture of the Pietà online. I have the most beautiful photos of this sculpture in a book titled The World of Michelangelo by Robert Coughlin and the editors of Time-Life books. The photos are by Arnold Newman. These are both his. I prefer his photo of the sculpture to others I have seen because it is taken at an angle so Christ's face is visible.
The Pietà is buffed to a high gloss. The figures are out of proportion due to the difficulty of fitting a full grown man across Mary's lap. Mary is depicted as being much younger than she would have been when Christ was crucified. The folds in the fabric are incredibly detailed and I can't help but believe that they would move if I touched them. Mary's face is so serene and peaceful as she gazes at the body of her dead son.
I don't think you need to be Christian to appreciate the Pietà. The skill alone is enough to inspire awe in any viewer and almost anyone can imagine the pain and sadness inherent in the act of a mother cradling her murdered son in her arms.
I'll never be able to comprehend how Michelangelo could look at a solid block of marble and see this inside of it.

Yellow Organza Dress

I adore dresses. They are immensely feminine. A well-made dress drapes a woman's body in begging-to-be-touched fabrics, accentuating her curves, imbuing her with confidence.
This dress has been one of my favorites from the moment I saw it. The color, the frilled deep v-neck are playful without being inappropriate for such a formal event. The slender belt and the twisted front of the skirt makes the fabric drape beautifully across her hips and down to her feet. The fabric in the train echoes the frilled neckline and adds texture to the bottom of the dress.
Some people didn't like this dress. I'm not sure why. Too unconventional, perhaps? This dress was from a few years ago, but it has stuck in my mind. You can see the dress here on a model, but I prefer it on someone a little more curvaceous. Superb job, Vera Wang.

Let's get started

Ok, so I'm trying blogging. I have a lot of time to kill so I spend a great deal of time looking up images online. I've found some good stuff. GOOD stuff. I like it anyway. I plan to post these things and write about them. There will be great links and pretty pictures. Want me to find something pretty where you think pretty can't be found? I'll do it! Let's begin, shall we?

BLUE VELVET

I was at the doctor's office a few weeks ago and there was an interior design magazine with a section on blue velvet. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the magazine, but I remember the pictures. Deep blue velvet furniture, some with patterns, in a room full of dark wood. I wanted so badly to be in that room, for it to be mine. It gave me visions of velvet heels and blazers, handbags and curtains, all in that same luxurious blue velvet. Lusciously delicious.