Fashionable Movies: "How to Marry a Millionaire" with Marilyn Monroe

I love old movies, and one of my favorites is "How to Marry a Millionaire" with Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable.  Marilyn didn't make many bad movies, and this certainly isn't one of those.  Without giving anything about the movie away (I'm hoping you'll want to see it for yourself), I've included a short synopsis (after the jump):

Not wanting her date to see her glasses (she's blind without them), Monroe inspects her outfit in the ladies room

Three New York models, Shatze, Pola and Loco set-up in an exclusive appartment with a plan: tired of cheap men and a lack of money they intend to use all their talents to trap and marry three millionaires. The trouble is that's it's not so easy to tell the rich men from the huxters and even when they can, is the money really worth it?

During the hunt for their millionaire husbands,  the three models rent an upscale, furnished apartment, and live off of the sale of its furnishings.  I have to assume that a good portion of that money goes to their incredible wardrobes!

Outfits worn during the fashion show scene

This movie was made during a time when women's curves were celebrated and accentuated.  My, how times have changed- Marilyn was a size 12/14, and that was a good thing.  But I digress...  The point is, this movie is a vintage-loving-fashionista's fantasy. 

More outfits from the fashion show scene (why can't we shop like this any more?)

Bacall's trying not to fall for the "gas pump jockey", but keeps answering his calls.

When her millionaire comes back, Bacall realizes she won't have to sell off any more furniture.

I have to say this last outfit (above) is my favorite.  You can't see it as well here, but Bacall is sporting a huge poet sleeved blouse under a simple gray shift dress.  But you don't have to buy vintage to make this outfit work for you today.  To update this look for the 21st century, try this blouse and this dress.  Keep the hemline above/at the knee, and keep the accessories simple.

Impractical green/yellow skiing outfit, but oh-so-fabulous (best seen in color version of film).

What are you fashionable movie favorites?

Image(s) courtesy of Google image search

Day 7 of Shellac Manicure

 7 DAYS, NO SIGNS OF ANY CHIPS!  Shellac is amazing!

The Best 14-Day-Chip-Free Manicure Ever: Get your hands on "Shellac" at The Sanctuary Spa Marin

It's been all over the magazines, including the September issue of .  I first heard about the "14-day no-chip hybrid gel nail polish" from my manicurist, Sarah, at the Sanctuary Spa at the Marin Bay Club.  I trust Sarah with my nails because she is a meticulous perfectionist, which is an important quality in a manicurist.  So when I found out that her perfect manicure could last a full 14 days without the slightest chip, I was sold.

This gift to all women who are disillusioned by traditional nail lacquer and its incessant chipping, comes from salon brand CND- Introducing Shellac.

To show you how easy, and frankly similar it is to a regular manicure, I took photos of my latest application.  I'm not usually a red nail person, but for the purpose of showing you guys what this stuff is capable of, I went bold to make sure everything (even any flaws) show up through the process.

Base coat of Shellac being applied (comes out of a regular looking polish bottle and everything).

After curing the gel under the UV lamp, first coat of the color is applied.

UV lamp (2 minutes max depending)

Final top coat being applied.

The end result?  Perfect red nails that won't chip for two weeks!

Removal process is simply to soak the gel in acetone and gently scrape off.  None of the hard removal of acrylic or traditional gel nails.  I've been told that you can do this at home, but most salons will tell you that you need to have a professional remove to protect your natural nail.

Word is spreading and now this stuff is hard to come by.  In fact, it's causing quite a bit of uproar because salons are having a hard time getting their hands on product (forgive the pun).  I consider myself very lucky that the spa manager at Sanctuary was able to get her hands on some for her clients... and for the small additional cost of $10 to a regular manicure.  Two weeks chip-free, even though you have to have it professionally removed... well worth it!!  A-

Make sure to book your appointment, by calling (415) 945-3030.

Image(s) courtesy of CND and Sanctuary Spa

Movies That Inspired Fashion- Or is it the other way around?

A fellow fashion blogger posted a great top ten list of fashionable movies.  I have loved many of these films (especially anything with Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe).  I previously blogged about how much I loved watching the 40's fashion in the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.  Dare I add it to the list at #11?

1. Sabrina (1954) Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden

2. Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard

3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Jane Russel, Marilyn Monroe

4. Rear Window (1954) Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly

5. Annie Hall (1977) Dianne Keaton, Woody Allen

6. Saturday Night Fever (1977) John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney

7. Grease (1978) John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John

8. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow

9. Devil Wears Prada (2006) Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway

10. Sex and the City (2008) Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall

Side note: In case you love Audrey as much as I do, you can now own a piece of history.  Three years ago Audrey's Breakfast at Tiffany's gown (below) sold for a whopping £410,000.  Now more iconic pieces from Audrey Hepburn's amazing wardrobe are up on the block.  Fifty per cent of the proceeds will be donated go to The Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. Highlights from the sale will be show at Sotheby's New York, November 21-22 and at Sotheby's Paris, December 1-2. Visit Kerry Taylor Auctions for more information: http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com.

Bottom image and auction info courtesy of http://www.catwalkqueen.tv/2009/11/audrey_hepburns_1.html

Diane's high praises have left me speechless...

"It is such a STRUGGLE fending off compliments to my outfit today... REALLY!!!

...I see that the better I feel about myself, the less likely I am to indulge in an eating marathon.  The clothes you chose and the support you have given me make me feel incredible... having beautiful clothes when I am at my "fullest" has really had a profound positive impact on my self esteem."

People tend to think of fashion as being purely superficial.  But you'd be amazed at the way your appearance can lift/hurt your self-esteem.  Anyone who's ever felt over-weight knows what it feels like to have your outward appearance affect you negatively.  Like Diane (see her "after photo" on the FB page), did you ever stop to think that a wardrobe update might help build your self-esteem?

How To Tie A Sash: My obsession with the obi waist belt

Nothing adds outfit impact like the prefect waist belt.  You can belt dresses, tunics, over sweaters, under sweaters, and the list goes on and on.  I love the look, and there are so many styles to choose from.  Personally, I've been on the hunt for the perfect obi sash style belt for this fall.

When on the hunt for unique items, one of the places I always check first is Etsy.com.  Top of the search list, I found one seller, nanafosu, with this super cool leather version.

This Etsy store not only sells these cool belts in various colors, all leather, but they also post great examples of how to tie them.  I am buying this one ASAP, and figured the pictures were worth passing along to you guys.

This is going to look so cute with my new boots I purchased at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale!

Image(s) courtesy of Etsy seller nanafosu

Not So SHORT Story: Dressing up for summer

Before 1- Kristina's typical summer style

Kristina was in desperate need of an update to her summer wardrobe.  She was tired of the tee-shirt-and-shorts look she had been wearing since, well, high school.  She felt like her look had no real style, and needed help putting together outfits.

Before 2- Kristina wanted to get away from just tees and shorts

We needed to do some serious shopping to get her ready for her trip to the Galapagos Islands next month.  Off to Bloomingdale's to take advantage of their end-of-season sales on summer clothes right now (additional 40-50% off the already reduced prices!!)...

Now you may look at this Aqua brand dress (below) on the website and move right on past it, probably because it doesn't seem very versatile.  Isn't silk too dressy for the day?  Sure Kristina could wear it on her vacation, but how was it going to translate into her day-to-day once she got home?  How do you make an outfit out of a dress?

Image of dress as styled on the Bloomingdale's website

First thing we did was to remove the belt that came with it (simple matching fabric sash style), and replace it with the rich brown Michael Kors woven leather belt.  The elasticized waist and flowy fabric of the dress were calling out for something with a little structure.  We balanced out the heaviness of the belt with this great military green jacket from Guess.  To pull the colors all together and finish off the look, we added dark brown sandals.

Re-styled dress Option 1

To change up the dress some more, we decided to keep the belt (it looked so great already), but soften the look by replacing the military green jacket with this great sleeveless cardigan in an oatmeal/tan color.  We replaced the brown leather sandals with some Marc by Marc Jacobs ballet flats to balance out the structure of the belt, and to bring back that military green color into the outfit.

Re-styled dress Option 2

Kristina left our shopping appointment happy and loaded down with shopping bags full of fresh ideas for her summer wardrobe.

What is your summer style?  How do you make an outfit out of a dress?

Dress image courtesy of Bloomingdales.com