Fantasy Friday: Make a Date with Walter Mitty

I was supposed to write this post last week but I didn't get a chance to.  Oops!
One of the things I wanted to *try* and start doing for the blog was getting it to a place where there was a little more structure - like maybe having a theme day (not like Gif Party Wednesdays) but more like Fantasy Friday.  But this Fantasy Friday would be a little different.  It wouldn't be like the old incarnation of what it used to be - with the day being dedicated to sexy photos for one hot actor / musician every week.  No - it would be that PLUS other fantasy things like photo shoots that would evoke thoughts of fantasy or movies that bring that element out.

So - for the first revamped Fantasy Friday, I wanted to talk about a film that's getting weird reviews: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.


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I saw this film with my Dad and my old man before the New Year and I had a moment of clarity that I had never achieved before.  I mean, it was that deep for me because:
1.) I'm looking to shake up my life as much as Walter is
2.) One of my resolutions is to travel more this year
3.) I'm seeking for the meaning to my life - very much like Walter
4.) My new birth control is making me even more emotional than normal


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Let's start with this: say what you will about Ben Stiller but I have mad love and respect for him as a director.  I LOVE when he's behind the camera.  I mean, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder...and now, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  He has a clear vision and he does great things with text.  Granted, I would love more textual elements in the style of J.J. Abrams (because it's aesthetically pleasing to me) but I LOVED the sequence where Walter starts his actualized journey to Greenland.  It's lovely.  It made me cry.  I'm not giving anything away by telling you this, by the way - you see the beginning of the journey in the trailer (the slow motion run in front of past Life covers with Walter on the cover in an astronaut helmet).  The text elements for the sequence are beautiful and the song selection is already a tear-jerker for me (in certain situations, of course).  Basically, that whole sequence is so thoughtful and so beautiful and so meaningful that I was a crying mess during the whole thing.  That might be #4 on my list above's fault but you know what?  I don't care.

I had a major realization watching this film and even though it sounds like a weird, abbreviated male version of Eat, Pray, Love (or as I like to call it Rich People Problems), I relate more to this story than most things lately and I don't care who knows it.  This film is great and I encourage EVERYONE to see it.  My Libra Sun and Moon were both crying at how this spoke to them because, as we may or may not know, Libras are dreamers and this movie speaks to all the dreamers out there.

See it and let me know what you think of it!

Happy Friday!

Fantasy Friday with Ulyana Sergeenko

After spending parts of the week daydreaming about elegant times gone by and my dream home adventures, I was delighted to see WWD post about the Ulyana Sergeenko show at Paris Couture Week.  Those dresses!  Those tears!  I loved every single thing about it!  It reminded me of my dream home diversion when I ended up on a Google search about the Neuschwanstein Castle.
My love for the Neuschwanstein goes way back to when my family visited when I was a child.  Granted, I have no memories of it but something draws me to that place.  I feel like there's an energy there that I have to get back to.  I also feel like it's the main reason I love Disney's Sleeping Beauty.  Yes, specifically, the Disney version.  Why?  Because the Neuschwanstein was the model for the Sleeping Beauty castle - what's NOT to love!
So when I saw the lovely Maud Welzen in that pretty gold dress with tears streaming down her face on the WWD Tumblr, I was instantly in love.  After perusing through the collection pictured below, I had to look at her other collections and let me tell you - they're all magnificent.  I will say - I have to disagree with Style.com and this line from their review on her Fall 2012 Couture show:
"Sergeenko is a storyteller, but if she wants to break through to a wider audience, she'll eventually need to curb the fairy tale."

The fairy tale makes it.  Maybe I'm just a kid at heart who still longs for those fairy tale days but I think the fairy tale aspect makes her designs BETTER.  They're all relatable.  You can see certain looks and identify with them right away.  Some remind you of Little Red Riding Hood or those old European toy soldiers or old-world style Nutcrackers or Bavarians in lederhosen or intricate tapestries that were painstakingly crafted by hand by a hearth or any other kind of Russian / German Medieval fantasy world.  Maybe because I grew up with a little of that, I feel extremely connected to it on a spiritual level.  Yes, a spiritual level.  I mean, don't these looks take you to snowy trails in a horse drawn carriage to the Neuschwanstein or any other castle in the countryside?

 

I leave you with this imagery and photos from the Fall 2013 Ulyana Sergeenko Couture Show.  The last one is the designer herself.  Even she looks like a woodland sprite ready to guide you to your next fantasy realm.  Love her!  I can't wait to see more from her!

     
     
     


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