Singin' in the Rain // Lina's Dazzling Wardrobe

Let's jump right in, shall we?

At the premier for the Royal Rascal, we have this incredible combination of shimmering silver fringe, white fur, and buttercream. Not to mention the gorgeous headpiece. Definitely one of my favorites! 

A later shot from the party so we can admire how the fringe drapes.

During the flashback, we get this moment, which is the only time we see her in a deep crimson red -- and also with gold accents, which is interesting. Generally she's wearing more silver.

And then this pink satin and black lace ensemble, coordinated right down to her heels, and worn while sitting outside her medieval-ish boudoir/make-up tent etc.

(I'm still very curious how that all possibly fits together with the whole outdoor setting and exploding Civil War shed scene that Don apparently just shot, but I guess that's part of the whole joke. XD)

Another top favorite. Obviously. <3 

Though I am a little confused. Every other time I've seen this my impression was that it was pink (as it appears later). Did they switch something out? But that doesn't make a tremendous amount of sense... It must just be the difference in the filming lights, etc. in the different scenes. Does it appear peachy/orange in this scene on anyone else's monitor?

It does seem slightly pinker in this shot from the same scene.

Her harlequin outfit from the scene with the diction instructor.  

Here she's wearing what appears to be one of those previously advertised monkey fur coats, looking very incognito indeed. But just look at that detailing on her sleeve.

I very much like this one. 

The color combo is so classy and again, look at all the wave detailing!

Ahh! And here it looks properly pink! Either way it's a perfectly marvelous confection, isn't it? So dainty and pretty and elegant and lacy and sparkly and lovely -- like something straight out of a picture book. 

GOOOOORGEOUS, isn't it?!?

And what do you think of this mustard brown and royal purple combination? 

I can't decide whether it's crazy or stunning. Your thoughts?

This mauve pink ensemble is just... wow. It's like a walking orchid. The hat reminds me of something, but I can't quite think what... something out of Mary Poppins? And then there's the voluptuous dyed ermine fur wrap. 

I do think the wide cascading scoop layers on the skirt and sleeves are very striking. 

Finally, come the climax scene, we have this gown: all gray and silver and sparkles and ruching and feathery fluff galore. 

Also with hints of a peacock, which ties in with plot developments (and personally I love peacocks 'just because' anyway so that makes me like it even more). Generally I'm not a fan of high low hemlines, but this dress is the exception to the rule. 

Stunning! It's firmly one of my favorite top three here (along with the first one and her 17th century shepherdess style dress). Can you just imagine sweeping around in all that fluffiness, with all those sparkles??

~

So there you have it! What are your favorites of all these? I'd love to hear in the comments!

Lilacs & Oranges // Two Favorite Dresses

Not an exhaustive post of all my favorite song and dance dresses (maybe next year ;)), but here's a quickie highlighting two that deserve at least an honorable mention. 

💜🌾 Flowing lavender on a prairie sound stage 🌾💜

This is, of course, very deservedly one of the greats in the classical musicals pantheon. I love how the dancing particularly perfectly flowers out and progresses as she's starting to trust and let him in.

As for the dress -- catching the lights, blowing in the breeze. Pure loveliness. 

direct link

💜🍊 Sea-bound lavender and oranges 🍊💜

 

I have to apologize for this next link: (unlike the original) it's grainy and the color and sound aren't the greatest, but it's the best I could find. Royal Wedding (which I reviewed here a very long time ago, seems like) has it's faults, but it's also sweet and charming and delightful.

This dress is pretty straightforward in design, but oh the sparkles...! and the layers of pouf! (you see I'm very technical this morning)... and the all around swirlyness! *heart eyes* In other words, the general "thing-ness."

I'm actually fond of this scene as I love the brother-sister interaction between Astaire and Powell. And Peter Lawford's in this scene. So there's that. But beyond those points, the introduction of the oranges is probably one of my favorite bits. Something about it is just so original and unexpected.

direct link

Posted for With Glamour & Panache: A Fred Astaire & Gene Kelly Musicals Blogathon hosted here at Along the Brandywine. Come and join us! :)

~

~ What are one or two of your favorite dresses in a musical? ~

Movie Review // The Music Man (2003) with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth

Hello everyone!

Glorious, wonderful, amazing, emotional, rollercoaster ups and downs of engagement and wedding planning notwithstanding, I’m determined to get as close as I possibly can to finishing Miss Laurie’s period drama challenge (up this Saturday!). (Especially as I mostly have everything all in my head, the words are just begging for a few somehow unemployed minutes on my laptop to spill out and form some sort of coherency.)

Which leads us into our actual review here for one of my very favorite musicals. (Incidentally, reviewing it at the moment is actually very fitting as it’s something that’s helped me through a couple tough spots in the last few years and as it’s also tied more than a little into all the wedding planning.) And the story takes place over the course of the three weeks between Flag Day (June 14th) and the 4th of July. So it’s the absolutely perfect time.

Now where to actually start?

First, to get the quick FYI negatives out of the way, the language etc. is all very clean, but there are a couple inappropriate uses of God's name, particularly in the song Iowa Stubborn (so we usually just skip that one). And now for some background. I have indeed seen the 1962 version as well and I won’t spend much time on all that (as this isn’t about all the reasons why I didn’t/don’t like the ’62), but suffice to say, this one fixed every single thing I didn't like in that one and I love it!! Indeed (with a surprise twist at the end), I think they made it five times better. Which is also why the story jumped from the bottom of the scale to become one of my tip top favorites. 

From beginning to end it’s just so happy. 

As aforementioned, it happens in June 1912, right at the tail end of the Edwardian period, with an absolute wealth of delicious colors and incredible styles. Some of them are a bit stylized, but the costuming altogether -- textures, colors etc. -- is just breathtaking. Not to mention the hats. Those are stunning.

I feel like Kristin Chenoweth’s acting as Marian takes a bit of getting used to, but the story pulls you in and altogether she does a very nice job. I really like how they change her make-up and dresses over the course of the film, too, highlighting how she changes -- warming and softening. And her voice is incredible.

One aspect I particularly love in this version (seeming to make a lot of sense) is that she’s a little older. It’s fascinating to see how the town has ostracized her (and how she’s grown accordingly) and then as Harold Hill publicly values her -- pursuing her in a thoroughly gentlemanly fashion -- she starts becoming valuable in other people’s eyes as well. It’s lovely.

Matthew Broderick does a great job with the singing and an excellent job as Harold Hill. A con artist, he’s yet genuinely concerned for other people, looking out for their best interests and noticing the smallest details; entering into their lives and into their stories -- understanding their secret fears and hopes and dreams.

And, with perfect and utter courtesy, he turns their strait-laced, straight-buttoned, neat-as-a-pin world upside down, bringing life and resurrection to little, stubborn, holier-than-thou River City Iowa. (So yes, there’s some incredibly neat Biblical imagery there about which much could be said -- including the role music plays in all of it.) But, even with all that wonderfulness aside, the story is just pure and delightful fun.

In short, it’s quintessential small town America. In the summertime. And the humor throughout is priceless.

The cinematography is beautiful and -- energetic and dynamic from the very first scene -- with the vibrant tweaks in storytelling it’s an absolutely top notch remake of an old classic!!

Tell me! Have you seen this Music Man and what do you think?

(Reviewed for Miss Laurie’s Period Drama Challenge 2016.)

Period Drama Challenge: April & May Tag Answers

(For Miss Laurie's Period Drama Challenge here.)

1. What period dramas did you view in April & May?

Let's see.... Among a couple more here and there, The Music Man 2003 (hoping to have a review coming soon! :)), parts of The Slipper and the Rose, Little Women 1978 (which I quite loved and can't wait to see again), Pride & Prejudice '95, The Magic of Ordinary Days on a 'ladies afternoon' with a friend, and The Thin Man Goes Home.

2. Do you prefer to watch period dramas that have a happy ending or a bittersweet ending?

I prefer the ending to be thoroughly happy, but (thinking about it) I do love it when everything's tied together so well that the ending is tinged with echoes of all the deep places the characters have been. So that can lend itself to a thoughtful bitter sweetness at times.

3. What media forms do you prefer to use when watching period dramas (i.e. purchased DVDs, rented/borrowed DVDs, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu)?

At the moment I really like purchased dvd's, but I prefer viewing something before purchasing so I (generally) watch a given movie/tv series via the library first.

4. Which period drama character's wardrobe would you like to own?

Ohhh... slightly modified in a few areas, of course (i.e. the necklines), but at the moment I'll say Cinderella 2015.

5. What period dramas are you looking forward to viewing in June 2016?

Well I just watched Song of the Thin Man (#6 in the series and also starring Keenan Wynn) twice this month with different combinations of siblings and as I'd really been wanting to see that one I'm feeling pretty satisfied. :)

(FYI, these screencaps have all been colorized differently. The movie itself is b/w.)

And this one's not from the movie, but it's too fun not to put on. ;)

Tell me! Have you seen Song of the Thin Man? Or any of the others I mentioned?