My favorite Holiday has come back this year in ILD, and even better it's the winter edition! I can honestly say I really love wearing Lolita during the winter time more then the summer. Why? Because of the acceptance of layers and my favorite colors of red, pink, and soft whites (and sometimes blacks). As a Winter baby myself, this is my favorite time of the year and it just happens to make ILD even better then usual. So of course the question is, what are you doing to celebrate? Me myself, I will be going to the NYC Opera Meet Up and seeing La Boheme with my favorite girls and then going to the Russian Tea Room for a delicious after opera meal. This will be my first Opera and I am so excited, especially since it'll be at the world famous MET. Oh, New York is just the best when it comes to theater. Fun Fact: You see the dress Misako is wearing in that picture? I'll be wearing that same exact outfit on Lolita Day! Another fun thing, I'll be celebrating the day twice with another group of friends too! I'm just too excited, I couldn't just celebrate it once.I'm so excited to know what you are doing for the Holiday! Post down in the comments and let me know!
So December is coming fast! The lovely snows, Christmas carols, and warm winter fires will be starting. But what about LVF? Want to make this blog space a little prettier? Then submit a coordinate to be featured for December's Coordinate of the Month spot! The theme for this month should be something related to the holidays and winter - so have as much fun and be as elegant as possible!
Next on the list is the next Contest that will be coming up in celebration of the 1 Year Anniversary of La Vida Frills! This contest will rely more on the movie side of things. The question, what to you is your frilliest favorite movie of all time? And no, it can't be Kamikaze Girls! Give a quick one sentence answer,and the winner will be announced on December 24th, just before Christmas! What will be the prizes? You'll have to wait and see - Let's just say, you'll really enjoy it. Unfortunately, all previous winners can't win this contest (Sorry!) and it's US residences only!
So, post away and have fun - You never know, you might win!
It's sad to think we live in a world where people don't know about the beginnings of popular music - also known as musicals. I know some people tend to think they are cheesy or over the top - but then when you look deep into your favorite genre's music, they all are connected by one singular thing, musicals. Musicals started everything when it comes to the music everyone else chooses to listen to. We wouldn't be anywhere today without the Broadway musical, especially when it comes to the mature subject matter that music can bring us. This is why I bring to your attention a musical only a wee bit older then myself, that has remained a favorite of mine and I hope could become or is already something you whistle or sing on occasion.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a special 1 day only screening of Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert, recorded back in October at the O2 Arena. This show and location is both infamous in size and beauty - which is why this was something I couldn't miss. Les Mis has been a favorite mine since I was little, being raised on Cameron Macintosh and Andrew Llyodd Webber shows - this was one of the staples even in it's recent creation in the 90's.
Ever since I can never seem to escape the story or the entire world of Victor Hugo's masterpiece. First off, if you don't know the story of Les Miserables, I recommend reading the official website, in it's most epic of layouts and designs.
The story can easily be described as that of the essential human struggle of good and evil in all of us. No character is really pure, they all have a duel side to them that you can argue to be one to defend or go against. But overall I can never seen to properly express how perfect this musical is - but let me dive into the details of this specific performance.
This features what I believe to be on the coolest casts that the show has had. Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean gives some real Opera cred to the role, along with key members Matt Lucas (Little Britain) and Nick Jonas (If I have to tell you who he is, I think that's a big problem.) Not all of these members exactly carry the talent to represent this show perfectly (cough - Jonas), but the majority of them filled their roles to perfection - especially Boe and Lucas, new comers to the production. To find out more about the members, check out the official concert website. The highlight performances for me this time around were Matt Lucas's Master of the House, Anytime Boe got to sing (also basically his entire performance), On my Own, and also the entire performance of a new love of mine Ramin Kamiloo. You might know of Ramin from his new role of Eric, The Phantom in Love Never Dies (Which he also played the original Phantom.)
But what was the one flaw of this production? You guessed it, Jonas. I apologize for those who are Jonas fans reading this - but as a true fan of this musical, hearing the role of Marius played by a little boy instead of a man was truly disappointing. Granted, he's probably the only one to play Marius who was actually the characters age, but still when one new singer is over taken by the original singer who is almost 50 - we have a problem. Overall? I was so pleased with this production. It meant a lot to me, especially when my mom and me were convinced we'd somehow see this exact production live 15 years ago. Sadly, we didn't get to see it actually live - but this was just as good and close as we could. Frilly Musical? Go for it period/historical story telling lovers! Les Miserables The 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 is not something you should miss! You can pre-order your copy on DVD and Blu-Ray here. (US version should be available soon as well!)LVF Grade: 4 headbows out of 5
In 2010, we got a frilly horror film in The Wolfman - and in 2011, we will get an even more girl powered frilly horror film in Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood. This is expected to be one of those films that will be instantly become a cult hit and all over obsession with those into subculture fashion and music. Though many reflect on Hardwicke's work based on Twilight, I truly love her other films and feel she doesn't get any respect as a real filmmaker (Thirteen being my favorite.) I'm also a huge Amanda Seyfried fan, who plays a new dangerous version of the title character. Did I mention Gary Oldman is in this too? Get ready. (Link for my info)
Now granted, This movie is ridiculously hard to find and it's probably more geared towards Halloween - yet I think Thanksgiving works for it too! So here is a little Dress Up Time treat - I picked for this week Polly from The Scarecrow. A cute cheesy little animated gem by Richard Rich, creator of the Swan Princess.
This movie tells the story of The Scarecrow, who by the magic of a fairy godmother, comes to life in human form to help his love - Polly. An orphan girl who is attempting to be enchanted by the evil rich Grisham. Scarecrow (Or Feather Top, as he is later called) must save Polly and the other orphan children, but without anyone knowing his true identity. It's cute - nothing extremely special but I do think it's one of those fun movies you can watch to get that youthful feeling about the holiday's and fall in you.
In terms of an outfit, I decided to go with my own interpretation of Polly, rather then a literal outfit from her color scheme. Polly seems to be a dark red head, so I chose this neat brown outfit to compliment her almost brunette tones. First I chose a recently added Baby jumperskirt, along with a long Forever 21 sweater that seems really comfortable! Polly tends to only have a few articles of clothing, so you need to keep yourself warm.
Then I chose a cute slightly off color tartan scarf. It compliments the strips on the dress and makes it look a bit mix/matchy, as Polly looks usually. I picked a nice comfy pair of boots, along with a big brown bag to help Polly carry her shoes for the other Orphan kids! The final touches are that of a feather necklace, paying tribute to Feather Top (since Feather's are a key object in the story) and a cute little black (or brown works) bow to place in her hair.
I adore this outfit, and even with all it's cheese, I love the movie too. Fun fact: Corey Feldman plays Max, the rat companion of The Scarecrow. It always makes me laugh when I see this movie, just on that alone. If you'd like to see The Scarecrow, it's been kindly uploaded to youtube here. So go on an adventure with your own Scarecrow!
It is now officially the fall, as November has just begun! LVF is going to be a bit spars for a little bit, as mentioned that I'll be filming my thesis in a week. But while you wait for more fun posts, I've added some cool features on the sides of the blog.You'll notice on the right is a new section called Frilly Video of the Month! Here you can check out a super fun and lolita (or just frilly-loving) video to help you get excited for your day or month! This month's video is Misako Aoki, when she visited Hyper Japan in London. I love the way she talks with the audience and her lovely atmosphere!
Also posted on the right is My Favorite Coordinate of the Month! If you'd like to enter in for next month (I'm looking to go the blog with a Christmas theme, so the more winter-like, the better!)This month, I chose a coordinate from MintyMix (Kammie) in her Melty Chocolate JSK and brown boots! To submit a coordinate either comment on this post or email me at drowell90@yahoo.com!
If you haven't noticed, the layout changed as well. When Christmas rolls around, I hope to decorate the blog up for the holidays and the 1 year anniversary of LVF (I can't believe it...). Look for more cute graphics and fun little knick knacks all around the blog.
Have fun looking around and as always, look out for more reviews and Dress Up Time posts!
