Luck Testers

In honor of the weekend--for all of you who don't live in Hollywood and haven't been inundated with it for the past three months, it's the Academy Awards this Sunday-- I'd like to show you some pictures from Life Magazine like I told you I would. This particular series is comprised of photographs of legendary actresses from the 40's, 50's, and 60's just before they hit their big break. You'll see Marilyn, Audrey, Shirley, Julie, Barbra, all the greats. Here's to the ladies!

 

To see the full series, click here. 

Cut To:

Hello, all. I apologize for the long absence. I think I just like to write here when I'm inspired, not necessary on a timed schedule. This leads to less posts, but ones that mean more to my heart, I think.

Lately, I've been surrounded by inspiring women. Women that have had sudden accellerations in their professions, women who choose to be brave in relationships, and women that live their lives for themselves and no other.

My career is acting, so whenever I see women who've pushed the boundaries, braved the odds, and succeed, I take it as an encouraging personal victory. Wide-Awake, directed by Tierney Gearon, features 13 outstanding actresses who have done just that this year in film. It presents beautiful costuming, sets, and dream-like moments. Each actress is given a cut-away of time. Anne Hathaway's is particularly stunning, so maybe save that one for last. Some of the other actresses include Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Keira Knightly, and Rebel Wilson, among others.

Click here to watch Wide-Awake

The big brothers you always wanted

If you've never heard of Rookie magazine, it's a magazine done by this girl aimed at teen girls. It gives advice on clothes, boys, friends, and just navigating growing up in the terribly awkward and confusing years that being a teen brings. In that vein, they've created a segment called "Ask a Grown Man" that gives 11-year-olds the chance to ask Jon Hamm if farting is normal. I think it's brilliant and these guys give really sweet answers to these young girls (and me) who are trying to learn just exactly how boys think. Here's John Hamm and BJ Novak:

Met Ball

The Costume Institute Gala at the Met is what dreams are made of. It's the moment when designers pair with their muses and show off their skills to the nth degree. They made these beautiful ladies look even more striking than usual (if it's possible--hellllooo beyonce!). Here's some of my favorite looks of the night. I would die for the Ralph Lauren dress. Oof. Bold. Daring. FASHION. Perfection. I know those are just words that I strung together haphazardly, but it felt right. So enjoy these images like the Fashion Slave you are! #fashiondoesntquit

 

Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren

 

 Chanel Iman in Tom Ford

 

Florence Welch in Alexander McQueen

 

Ginnifer Goodwin in Monique Lhullier

 

Diane Kruger in Prada

 

Beyonce in Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci

Photos courtesy of PatrickMcMullan.com

My Name is...

I like to promote a wide variety of thoughts, interests, and preoccupations on this blog and get ready for another one. BAHHHBRA. Streisand, that is. This lady slays it. SLAYS IT. I always forget how incredible she is until I see her again, and then I'm put into another tailspin of joy, jealousy, and awe over her talent. So listen to her voice and enjoy her crazy fantastic nails.  

From the CBS special, My Name is Barbra:

lover, come back to me--barbra streisand

Marilyn Michelle

Last week I was lucky enough to get to attend a screening of My Week with Marilyn followed by a Question and Answer session with Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh. 

Here's a trailer:

I was impressed. She does deserve all the acclaim she's getting. I will say her acting, for me, started a little weak, but it got progressively better and better throughout the film until she really was just killin it. And Michelle as a person is really interesting. I didn't know quite what to expect , but she is very intelligent and well spoken. And Kenneth Branagh was very intelligent, quite humble, and charming. As a pair, I thought they were very complimentary. I was obvious that both had an immense respect for the other. 

I highly recommend that you--especially if you are interested in fashion--go see this movie. You won't regret the 8 bucks. 

Here's some of the footage (taken on my iPhone, so, sorry about the quality) from the Q and A:

Michelle on Marilyn's magic and how she recreated it:

Kenneth on fear and how to overcome it:

Lauren's Rating: 9.1 red lipsticks out of 10 pumps

Glamorous Cat Lady

"I kind of imagine myself at eighty, a cat lady."
Juliette Lewis

 

Vogue Italia, Emily Ruhl by Nicole Anne Robbins, Sheila Marquez by Michael Donovan for Vision China, Vogue Italia, Anastasia by Diego Uchitel for Gravure, Vogue Italia, Vision China

Ivy Awards

On Monday, I was lucky enough to attend the Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Awards in Los Angeles (oof, say that 5 times fast). It's the 9th Annual time around for this award show that honors diversity in the film, television, and theatre worlds. It was great! It was a night full of love and acceptance. It was really a nice divergence from the feeling that a lot of people have about LA being heartless and cold. I found that is definitely not the case. 

It wasn't technically my first award show, but it was definitely my first award show with famous people at it. I saw Kim Coles:



And J.R. Martinez:



I was INCHES away from J.R. Martinez, the Iraq war veteran/ All My Children actor who's now killing it on Dancing with the Stars. I wanted to say "Congratulations" for the Diversity Award he received, but I CHICKENED! So, another lost opportunity. Oh well. He said something incredible during his acceptance speech. So I wrote it down, and now I'm telling you people. He said,

Be you. No matter where your scars are.

I loved that. I think it's important to accept your life and hardships and all the difficulties you've endured, and THRIVE with those scars.

Here are some pictures from the night's festivities, including me on the step-and-repeat at the end of the night (it was my first step-and-repeat and I was a little stupid):













Overall, it was a great night! I'm so glad I got the opportunity to attend! 

Oh, in case you were wondering, I'm wearing a vintage Saint Germain (a la Paris) lace dress over a black Frenchi dress with Enzo Angiolini shoes and a Calderon clutch. A bientot! 

Eddie Izzard: Dressed to Kill

Ello! Alright, it's been a while since I've given any movie/television suggestions...I'm not sure if this is either of those things. It's a Netflix suggestion. If you don't have Netflix, well, you're up shit creek, now aren't ya? For today's viewing suggestion, I believe we're in for some comedy (from me? Heavens, no) from Mr. (Ms.?) Eddy Izzard. It's his comedy special "Dressed to Kill". If you've never heard of Eddie Izzard, he's a British transvestite comedian. Now, I don't know if this is high brow, low brow, or a medium brow of some sort, but it made me laugh. That's all I'm saying. And some days, when you're sick, tired, over-worked, in a bad mood, etc etc, it's nice to sit down at the end of it all and have a good laugh. Because, really, sometimes there's nothing else you can do about any of it. So if today is that day for you, I recommend this silly bastard to lighten your mood. It worked wonders for this guy (*points to self).

Lauren's TV Rating: 8.8 chuckles out of 1 fabulous pair of platform shoes

 

Image from gorillafilmmagazineblog.wordpress.com

Diane Dahling

Two Words: Diane Kruger

Citizen K