HAPPY NEW YEAR and good news

HAPPY 2014

 

Good news: The two imprisoned Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina have been released  and can start the new year free. I wrote about them here. They did not renounce their critical stance towards President Putin and plan to establish a human right organization. Good luck to them!

 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/27/freed-pussy-riot-remove-putin-tolokonnikova-alyokhina

Africa a la Armani

I love  Stella Jean's creations, She is a young designer of Haitian origin,  who lives in Italy. She mixes 

beautiful African prints with almost anything -checkers, plaid, stripes. The ethnic character is toned down and a modern style appears.

Not at my advantage?

This is my favourite skirt of this summer. I found it on Modcloth, a company that makes vintage style clothes from 1920 to 1970s. I think it makes me a little wide for I have rather wide hips but I still like it and wear it. Is it worth to wear clothes you like, even if these don't show you at your best? I think it is OK if you really enjoy them.

Stitchy art

 

 

This is how it was

Black and White a ma Facon

I dream to pair a black and white Romanian blouse with a black and white chevron or flowery skirt.

 

or

 

or

or

 

 All other styling I've seen pair the blouse with a black skirt or pants. I think my style works as well.

Source: Pinterest

Anna Karenina

I just watched the latest Anna Karenina movie.  I  really was in a mood for a beautiful  romantic version of this beloved book. I cannot say my wish was fulfilled. It is an original adaptation  with ballet scenes and theater settings as to indicate that life is a show where we have fixed roles that we cannot change. I couldn’t find anywhere Tolstoi ‘s atmosphere of deep dramatic Russia. The casting was disappointing as well.  While many film critics praised Kyra Knightley’s interpretation, I found her far away from the 19^th century Russian aristocrat, more like a flirty young contemporary woman and some times even vulgar. Vronsky, her lover played by Aaron Taylor-Johnston looks like a good for nothing, superficial lad. How could she fall in love with him is miracle.  Jude Law is Anna’s cuckold husband, but his role was much expanded and his character much humanized and deviated from the original. Still, he is the best actor in the movie and the title should have been “Mr Karenin”.

I hope I will like more the forthcoming Great Gatsby.

The picture in the lookbook is of Vivien Leigh in a much better version of Anna Karenina.

Other actresses who played Anna Karenina:

Vivien Leigh, 1948

Greta Garbo, 1927, 1935

Jacqueline Bisset, 1985

Keira Knightley, 2012

Tatiana Samoilovna, 1974

Sophie Marceau, 1997