New Hair!

I admit it, I very rarely can be bothered to get my hair cut. Who can face it when you can just do a tighter set, or try a few new styles?! I am afraid that I had left it for far too long and the ends of my hair had gone rather haywire. It all began by looking at far too many pictures of early 50's Marilyn and watching lots of Call The Midwife; it was safe to say that I was full of inspiration for a new 'do.

Stunning Mamie Van Doren

Is it not pretty obvious I am also tempted by a colour change too?!

I decided to be good and stay red, however lost a good two inches of hair! 

It certainly feels much better and I can suddenly get back to setting my hair without ending up with a dead arm! I am quite tempted to take it a little shorter still...we shall see! 

Hannah xxx

The Edge of Love

Ok, I have a confession. I am a big Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller fan. They may split opinion on their acting ability, but it surely can't be disputed how beautiful they are?! The Edge of Love even has the Brucie Bonus of not just Keira and Sienna, but Cillian Murphy too. Drool. 



Anyway, back to the film! Set in wartime Britain, it is a complicated love story between two couples. With Knightley's husband sent to war, she begins an affair and faces the consequences when he returns. I was really hit by the realisation of how lonely war must have been for both those fighting, and those left behind. In such a terrifying situation for all, you can only imagine how frantically all sought solace and similarly struggled to return to normality once it was over.

A real highlight of the film was the incredible wardrobe throughout. I must admit that the outfits of both Miller and Knightley whilst in London did seem much more opulent than their circumstances would suggest, however I certainly wasn't complaining! However, the later parts of the film are a great lesson in the knitwear and tea dress combination that is perfect for transitional times of year.

I think that this coat above is so stunning. Just look at those darts!

What is your opinion on this film?

Hannah xxx
 

Glorious 39

Settling into bed on Saturday night, I noticed that British Drama 'Glorious 39' was on TV. Knowing I was bound to fall asleep partway though, I decided to sit down and watch it properly...and am I glad I did!

 

I really don't want to reveal too much of the tale, but can guarantee that it is so worth a watch. The plot is gripping, cast full of British talent and an amazing wardrobe to boot. Set on the eve of WW2 in wartime Britain, Anne, the adopted daughter of a rich and formidable family, discovers secret recordings in her Father's shed and suddenly her life dramatically unravels.

 

I find myself incredibly inspired by the wardrobe and understated elegance of Anne. The wealth of her family is definitely reflected in the outfit choices, from lame to silk gowns, all outfits are incredibly opulent. Simple, classic late thirties/early forties styling was made incredibly realistic by attention to detail. Anne was given a 'capsule wardrobe', so we see the same pieces of clothing being used slightly differently throughout the film. How authentic! Even better, we even see her sleeping in pin curls. How frustrating is it when we watch reproduction films were they sleep with no set but awake to incredible curls!

 

 

 

 

 

For me, the hair is absolute perfection. Not too over the top, but understated and elegant styles accessorised with wonderful snoods, berets or slides. Even better, look how few pin curls she appears to have in! In the film, she has just pin curled the entire front part of the hairline.

 

The make up for Anne is incredibly simple as she really is a natural beauty. For the daytime scenes, I wonder if they have used a lip stain, such as Benetint. Her eye make up also appears very simple, with the slightest bit of black eyeshadow used instead of eyeliner. Of an evening, a rich red lipstick is used (possibly Russian Red) with some more definition to the eye by a tiny bit of eyeliner and eyeshadow in the socket.

 

I think it is fair to say that the DVD, a red beret and navy snood are most definitely on my wish list!

 

Glorious 39 should be on the Iplayer this week if you catch it quickly!

 

Hope you enjoy,

 

Hannah xxx

Some Inspiration

Over the Christmas period I have been absolutely hooked on the period dramas that have been on the BBC. For me, Christmas is all about settling on the sofa with the Quality Street, getting gripped by an amazing drama and gaining some fantastic style inspiration at the same time.



Boxing Day brought 'The Girl', about Tippi Hendren, Alfred Hitchcocks' muse and obsession who was played by the beautiful Sienna Miller. The drama is set in the early sixties, and Tippi is the ultimate starlet; a blonde bombshell in her flattering and classy belted wiggle dresses like above.  I noticed that her make up was very simple. Hitch recommends, perhaps through personal preference, that she always wears a girly sheer pink lipstick which I feel is very typical of the early sixties, as the bright pink of the fifties began to evolve with the change in eras. I also noticed that she either has beautiful long eyelashes naturally, or there were individual fake lashes applied to the outer corners of the eyes to give a flirty, sexy look. Other than that there wasn't much more make up, perhaps a small bit of brown eyeliner smudged in. I just love the effortless beauty and glamour that Sienna has taken from Tippi herself.

 

Some divine Wartime inspiration came from two part drama Restless. Based on William Boyd's novel, this added some suspense and a little history lesson to my Christmas! The beautiful, curvaceous Hayley Atwell plays Eva Delectorskaya, a British spy. I am obsessed and amazed by women who were spies in wartime. The intelligence, glamour and guts of these heroines is something I aspire to even now and how integral they were to our wartime effort is so commendable. I particularly love the resilience of these ladies; the attitude towards women was so different and nowhere near as equal as it is today, yet they defied any preconceptions and proved themselves time and time again.

I have become slightly obsessed with the style in this drama over the past days, with my hair seeming to be in rollers for longer than it is out! I love every part of the look you see in this drama, right down to the hats and silk vintage underwear. I have done some research and believe that the styling for this drama was based on Rita Hayworth in Gilda, so that film is at the top of my shopping list to get even more inspiration.

Over the next couple of days I imagine that I will begin to frustrate my boyfriend even more by watching it all again on Iplayer! I definitely have some reading and watching to do now, and I highly recommend that you check both of these dramas out this New Years Day if you are suffering on the sofa!

I would also love to know what you thought if you watched either of these over Christmas, or if you can recommend anything else for me to watch or read!

 

Wishing you a gorgeous and glamourous 2013,

 

Lots of love,

 

Hannah xxx