Once More, With Feeling

December 2, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

Now that Halloween-crazy-town is over (my busiest season of the year), and the last-minute Vampire Ball, and the (I don’t think I’ve discussed this) RAWards (I made it into the final 3 designers of the year for RAW New Orleans!) are over, and Thanksgiving traveling has ceased (ending with my getting sick), I can try to focus back here again.

Once I’m feeling up to snuff I’ll tell you all about the RAWards, and show you my designs. But, for now, I’m going to play it safe and play the “post some pretty pictures of someone pretty” game. Today’s offering is Christina Ricci, a favorite of mine for years. Maybe a hold-over from my grunge-independent-dark years, but I feel like she’s made a rather successful transition to fashionista these last few years. Enjoy:

Kate

October 14, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

Because it’s Monday and she’s beautiful.

Because my Halloween season is running full-tilt and my poor brain isn’t working all that well.

Because posting pictures of a beautiful woman is just…..easier right now.

Because I’ve loved her since high school.

Not that I need any “because”.

I mean, come on.

Kate Winslet, y’all.

Helena

August 19, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

Because she’s pretty much how I’d dress all the time, were I to be able to afford Vivien Westwood….and to be slightly further off my rocker.

Because I love her work and her look.

She’s kind of like a fairytale, really. “All the ancient classic fairy tales have always been scary and dark” Yes.

“Usually I’m frustrated when I look at my films and I don’t believe that I’ve made a real transformation beyond my usual sets of gestures and expressions. I still have this nagging feeling that it’s me, that I didn’t create a unique character.”

“I hate this image of me as a prim Edwardian. I want to shock everyone.”

“You become very angry and depressed that you keep getting offered only these exceedingly demure and repressed roles. They’re so not me. That’s why films like Fight Club were so important to me because I think I confounded certain stereotypes and limited perceptions of what I could do as an actress”

“People have lots of misconceptions about me. My mum, who is half French and half Spanish, gets outraged when I’m called quintessentially English. I owe my looks to my mum-which was 90 percent of getting my first job. And, some people would argue, 90 percent of my entire career.”

“Journalists are always calling my features Edwardian or Victorian, whatever that means. I am small, and people were smaller in those times. I’m pale and sickly-looking. I look fragile-like a doll. But sometimes I just wish I had less of a particular look, one that was more versatile.”

” I have to struggle to change people’s perceptions of me. I grew very frustrated with the perception that I’m this shy, retiring, inhibited aristocratic creature when I’m absolutely not like that at all. I think I’m much more outgoing and exuberant than my image.”

“I drink booze, I smoke, and I’m hooked on caffeine. I actually have been known to swear at times and belch and even raise my voice when provoked.”

Sissy

July 24, 2013July 21, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

Because, I’ve always thought she was beautiful.

I often times had to fight people on that.

I love freckles and gingers.

I might be biased….

She plays her roles with such a beautiful balance of fragility and strength.

She’s so petite, you feel like you could crush her with just a look.

Maybe part of my love is bound up in the 70s–being a child of the 70s (well, really more a child of the 80s), I guess I have nostalgia automatically built into my ideas of her.

That, and the whole “Carrie” thing…..I mean, girlfriend kicked some ass.

I was *this close* to being named Carrie, but my father put the stop to it, worrying that I’d get made fun of, due to the film.

I love-love-love her in “Blast from the Past”. I think I’d be her in that situation.

Though I’d most likely be much more vocal and poorly dressed…

Marilyn

July 3, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

I know, obvious, right?

But, sometimes you just need to state it.

We all know she got kind of a bum rap.

She got labeled the bombshell (and, let’s be fair–she played the role) and, when she wanted to bust out of it, she really couldn’t.

I always just want to give her a big hug when I see her on screen.

Just a big hug and a whisper in her ear to run in the opposite direction that she was headed in.

I wish her stage work was available to see. Is it? Am I missing something?

Ohhhh, how wonderful it would be to see that.

Everything I’ve read and heard points to the fact that she gave her best performances on stage, in classes.

Regardless, she’s beautiful. I always prefer the un-made-up Marilyn. The fresh faced Marilyn. The Marilyn that wasn’t being Marilyn. The peek at Norma.

Dame

June 12, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

Dame Judi Dench.

I hope you know of her.

Because she’s amazing.

I was lucky enough to see her live in London, on stage in “Amy’s View”. *swoon*

I remember it was towards the end of my trip, it was January, and I had a bad cough.

She walked on stage, and the breath literally caught at the back of my throat.

I don’t know if I really paid attention to anything other than “OMG–THAT’S JUDI DENCH! If I was completely insane, I could rush the stage and TOUCH JUDI DENCH!!!”.

Well, that’s not true. That only lasted for a few minutes. Then the amazing show and her performance took over, and I was enthralled.

Except for that one minute where I started the involuntary cough–you know the one. When you really, really don’t want to cough, but there is literally NOTHING YOU CAN DO to make it stop? When, you try your hardest, but it just won’t stop? I had my trusty roll of Halls with me, but I couldn’t get to it quickly enough.

I remember a gentlemen in front of me in the audience turning around with that look on his face. The “Really?? Dame Judi Dench is on stage and YOU’RE going to sit there COUGHING????” look. As if I had a choice. It was terrible.

Gladly, it only lasted a minute or less.

I wish I had waited at the stage entrance after the show. I really do. I’ve heard she is exceptionally sweet and signs autographs and is just a truly wonderful person to her fans.

I just think she’s beautiful and amazing and fabulous.

One of those women who, in my opinion, has actually gotten lovelier with the passing of time.

I’m not ashamed to say that I envy her hair cut, as well. Oh, how I would LOVE to have those cheekbones and pull off that gorgeous short, short cut!

I believe I’ve loved everything I’ve ever seen her in (barring “Behaving Badly”, which I just cannot get into, no matter how many times I try). I’ve read her follow up autobiography “And Furthermore”, which was extremely enjoyable.

“As Time Goes By” is, by far, my favorite television series of all time. I have all the episodes on dvd, and re-watch the series at least twice a year. I never tire of it.

Stone Face

June 5, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

I’m branching out into the male side of things today.

Buster Keaton–my all-time favorite comedian and actor.

I didn’t discover Keaton until college–hell, I waited until my senior year in college to discover Keaton.

It was in film class. He was briefly mentioned in a lecture, and we saw a short clip.

I was transfixed. I laughed so hard at just that little clip.

It helped that I found (and still find) him to be quite a good looking chap.

Too bad he was so short…..and long dead by the time I came along.

I did my final project on Keaton as a director for that class. It didn’t even seem like work, sitting down and watching his fims. Reading every single thing I could get my hands on that even briefly mentioned him.

I’ve heard you’re either a Keaton fan or a Chaplin fan.

I’m as far into Keaton territory as you can get. Don’t get me wrong, Charlie Chaplin was a phenomenal talent, and had a by FAR greater business sense than Keaton (sadly) ever did. Chaplin enjoyed much more success than Keaton, though there are some schools of thought that Keaton’s work is becomming more popular as time goes on.

Something I find with Keaton–he translates surprisingly well to now. I don’t feel that with Chaplin.

He did all his own stunts. Starting his career on stage in vaudeville with his parents, he learned pratfalls as a toddler. The man had no fear. No way would studios today allow big stars to take the risks he took.

Oh, and he’s so, so, so very funny. If you have yet to watch a Keaton film, I strongly suggest starting out with what many consider to be his masterpiece, “The General”. Though, “Steamboat Bill, Jr” remains my favorite.

Elizabeth

May 29, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / 2 Comments

I have a confession.

I haven’t actually watched a lot of Elizabeth Taylor’s movies. I’ve seen “National Velvet”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (amazing performance), “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof”, “Father of the Bride” and “Father’s Little Dividend”, and the 1943 “Jane Eyre” where she plays Helen. That’s not a lot of her films, when you consider her life’s work.

However, Elizabeth Taylor was always known to me. How, I’m not sure. Maybe it was being a child of the 80s–she was always seen in pictures with those childhood favorites of mine (Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc). She was just always there.

And I could never take my eyes off of her.

Love her, hate her, think she’s a genius, or a crazy person, you can’t deny–she has your attention when she’s on screen.

It’s not just that she is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen. It’s not just those eyes (those eyes!).

She has that certain something. That something you can’t put into words, you can’t put your finger on. You just know it when you see it.

She always seemed like a good soul to me. She seemed to truly love and care for those around her, and to truly want to make a difference.

“Big girls need big diamonds.”

“I don’t like my voice. I don’t like the way I look. I don’t like the way I
move. I don’t like the way I act. I mean, period. So, you know, I don’t like
myself.”

“I’ve been through it all, baby, I’m mother courage.”

Myrna

May 22, 2013 / trappedintimedesigns / Leave a comment

I first saw Myrna Loy in “The Thin Man” (and if you haven’t seen that movie, you simply MUST–I’d have to say it’s my favorite movie of all time) and I was smitten from the moment she walked on screen.

You can’t take your eyes off of her when she’s on the screen.

Those eyebrows! Those eyes!

For me, she is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.

And she’s funny. Comedy is, in my opionion, the hardest thing to play on screen or on stage (and, believe me, I’ve attempted it–and failed miserably). You either have it, or you don’t.

Watching just the first 5 minutes of her on screen in “The Thin Man”, and you KNOW she has it.

Just a beautiful woman, and from what I’ve read about her, that extended to her personality as well.

So, go watch a Myrna Loy movie or two–trust me, it’s so totally worth it.

“I was glamorous because of magicians like George J. Folsey, James Wong Howe, Oliver Marsh, Ray June, and all those other great cinematographers. I trusted those men and the other experts who made us beautiful. The rest of it I didn’t give a damn about. I didn’t fuss about my clothes, my lighting, or anything else, but, believe me, some of them did.”

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