Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Fake It Till You Make It

First off, I have many reasons for defending my interest in seeing The Bling Ring:

1. The glamour. I'm a sucker for pretty things a.k.a any Sofia Coppola movie.
2. The story's background. I was an avid viewer of Pretty Wild  and basically have the "Nancy Jo, this is Alexis Niers calling" phone call down like a shallow pro.
3. The movie is an accurate and not so flattering representation of my generation.

It doesn't take a psychiatrist to figure out why these kids did what they did. They were stupid, bored, and like most people of the current youth, heavily influenced by the A-list/celebrity obsessed lifestyle. As someone who idolized Nicole Richie on The Simple Life and begged her parents for a Louis Vuitton all at the young age of seven, this obsession wasn't exactly newsworthy to me. We're all a little tainted by the desire to be rich and swimming in couture - pretty harmless ambition. We get a little too fascinated by Loubs and take too many selfies when we get into V.I.P. areas. It happens. But greed isn't the problem for the bling ring, or most of my generation, it's the lack of self-awareness. These kids were coked out like 95% of the time and lived in a bizarre fantasy. Like the LV my parents purchased to shut my 7-year-old self up, they were unstable knockoffs. And that fakeness gets disposed quite quickly.

Overall, Sofia did a great job showing the story without glamorizing the suspects. The characters' actions confirmed our generation is definitely corrupt but their selfishness doesn't define us. The American dream is still in tact with the "me" generation, it's just a bit more fueled by materialistic ideals. Our desires might be high, but in our defense, so are our standards. Yes, most girls worship the thought of owning a Birkin. But unlike this group, we're smart enough to earn it the authentic way - not steal it from Paris Hilton.

And sidenote - five stars for Emma Watson and Claire Julien's valley accents. Killed it.

Friday, June 7, 2013

An Oldie But Goodie


Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of Sex and the City! The show centered on four women in New York City broke the barriers for girls on friendships, relationships, sex, and fashion. It's typical for girls (and mo's!) to identify with a different character depending on their particular personality, however the fashion on SATC really brought its audience together. The one thing we can all agree on is you can't go wrong with a little Manolo Blanik on the feet and a big flower on the shoulder. Here's to the top SATC fashion moments worth raising a cosmo to! 

First off, they went to a Yankees game dressed like this. Fur coats, heels, and diva sunglasses. What better way to get over your ex (especially when he's Mr. Big) than show up to a baseball game like this and catch the attention of the new Yankee.

The series came full circle with the Paris finale. While Carrie experienced the most unromantic rendezvous in Paris, her fashion fortunately didn't suffer the same fate. This particular green dress stood out as she dashed through the streets of Paris before returning to her one true love - New York City.

The flower trend! By the time of the SATC movie, Carrie largely increased the flower, but back in her early Aiden days, the accessory was a subtle touch. Thanks to the show's amazing styling department, florals in the spring/summer suddenly did become groundbreaking. 

My personal favorite, the Dior newspaper dress. This style was so iconic that SJP repeated the look in Sex and the City 2, after debuting it during the series. It's not hard to pinpoint what exactly makes the dress so flawless. For six seasons, viewers watched and related to Carrie's struggle to find herself and what she wanted out of life. When Bradshaw steps into this dress, her confidence just sparks that SATC/NYC dream millions of girls relate to. 

"The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself, and if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well that's just fabulous."
-Sex and the City