Pink+Cheap

A while ago I wrote a post on a pair of Les Follies de Joie jeans I got. Well, I finally bought the pink pair, for $9.99. And no, I don't care that I already own two other pairs of pink pants, I love them and wore them almost right after buying them, because, clearly, pink is my favorite color.



Also, I wore a small print like WhoWhatWear suggested this morning. No, it's not micro. But it's small enough. Since I had the pink jeans and the print, I decided to just wear a black cardigan, black belt and black ballet flats so the outfit wouldn't be too much. And looking back, I realized it is almost the exact same outfit I wore in that other post. The jeans with an animal print top (this time a smaller print) and the same ballet flats.

Cardigan: Old Navy / Top: Zara / Jeans: Les Folles de Joie
Flats: Tahari at Marshalls

And finally, today I was reading the February issue of Nylon magazine and Peaches Geldof's column on how everyone dresses the same. She writes that girls should be more daring and don't care what other people think, I agree completely and will try to do it myself. And I think my growing collection of pink pants is a good start.

Mina

My cousins have been making fun of me for a while for dressing like our grandma. But now, I don't really care. I actually now believe that she is a style inspiration for me. Leaving aside the fact that she never wore skirts or dresses (that I remember), I love how she wore loud colors and printed shirts almost every day. She was a fan of animal print... She wore necklaces even if they didn't match her printed outfits, which I'm planning on copying. And I also love how she wore bright lipstick even if she was just going to be in her house.

I think my love for bright lipstick, and printed shirts, comes from her.

When she was growing up she didn't have much money, so she learned to sew and made her own clothes. She also made clothes for her sister and later in life, for my mom and aunt... And when I was little she even made stuff for me, like my first communion dress (which I did just to have a party and a dress, don't worry). I wish I had known earlier that we shared this love for fashion... Maybe she could've teach me how to make my own clothes. Or at least fix what I get at the Goodwill.

Just like me, she loved bright pink and presents.

I kept some things from her closet, real vintage. And I'm planning on wearing them. Even if my cousins make fun of me... But what I really want to do is live life the way she did. She's (along with my mom) is the strongest woman I've ever known. She lived by herself for more than 20 years, she rode a camel in Turkey and she never told my grandfather her real age. She even drank straight tequila up until when she was older than 70. Who wouldn't want to have her life?

Dancing with my uncle, knowing she didn't like to dance
I know she still enjoyed it.

I will miss her infitely, but I will honor her by copying her crazy outfits and matching lipstick. And I will try to be as happy and loving as she was. And also a little crazy and daring. Maybe even driving until I'm older than 80, or saying I'm 89 for more than 5 years, and definitely and most important, dressing the way I want wherever I am... Even if people make fun of me. And I know she would approve and tell me not to listen to anyone. Just like she did.

Our last trip together, last year in CanCun. And that's probably me in 70 and 35 years.

Downton Abbey

On a recent interview with Rachel McAdams for Glamour magazine, she talked about the importance of a character's wardrobe in a movie... The importance of costumes in a movie is as big as in real life. I wrote about this earlier, and every time I see a movie my point is confirmed. Downton Abbey, recommended to me by my friend Maya, is not a movie, but has the pretiest and most accurate costumes ever seen in a TV show, making me want to live there and then.

Image of the whole cast dressed for Christmas, from the series' official website.

Downton Abbey is a series set in the English countryside the beginning of the 20th century with the news of the sinking of the Titanic (I'm not giving anything away, promise!). The three sisters in the family (from left to right), Edith, Sybil and Mary, run around the house in beautiful custom-made dresses that they can't even put own by themselves. Even the servants who dress them wear pretty clothes when they're not working (almost never).

This image was taken from The Culture Concept, from a very interesting article (if
you ignore the Castle parts) on the series written by Carolyn McDowall.

I go back and forth between Sybil and Mary as my favorite sister.
Image from the Spanish blog El Norte de Castilla.

The costumes are so important and have such a role that the series site on the PBS website has a section on the style of the era and how they achieve the looks and whrere they get the outfits and ideas.

When watching a series like this one I can't not wonder how it would've been life in those circumstances and how would I look wearing those dresses. It is definitely one of my favorite fashion eras. And it doesn't hurt that the story is amazing. So amazing that I watched the 7 episodes of the first season in less than 24 hours.

And it's not only me saying it last year it won Emmys for Best Miniseries, Best Supporting Actress for Maggie Smith (one of my favorites from Harry Potter), Best Direction and Best Writing. I just couldn't find out why there wasn't a costume design award for them!

Watching this only increases my excitement for the upcoming The Great Gatsby movie, in which my favorite actress, Carey Mulligan, will play Daisy Buchanan in beautiful dresses.

Image from the DailyMail. This article has good pics of Carey Mulligan, Tobey
Maguire and DiCaprio on set.

And I know The Great Gatsby is set in the 20s after the War (unlike Downton Abbey), it's just that I watched Midnight in Paris last night, and just like Owen Wilson's character... I am a nostalgic for almost every era before my existence and can't resist daydreaming on wearing things from all these different eras.