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METROPOLIS

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8/17/2011 New CINEMATORIALIST: SKINS--THE FASHION, THE BRILLIANCE

First and foremost, let me say that Skins is above and beyond my favorite television show ever made. It is incredibly smart but simultaneously extremely trashy (a prerequisite in all my tv viewing). The trashy part arises from the main characters all being teenagers, and the plot consequently revolving around their drugie, sexy, warped, adolescent lives. The intelligent part is that the characters do not conform to stereotypes: the metal heads fall for the ballerinas, the popular girls are lesbians. From a sartorial perspective, you can also see the complications in the characters' personality play out in the way they choose to dress themselves. The outfits they wear are not pure reincarnations of trends, but rather are interpretations of various styles that suit the characters' personalities. Each episode goes into more depth on the character, giving information on their habits and families, making it increasingly apparent why they look the way they do.

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4/27/2011 CINEMATORIALIST: GRETA GERWIG IN ARTHUR


As my first year at Barnard draws to an end, I increasingly find that my peers and I have adopted the habit of feminist critique. A bit bored on the subway, I find myself pulling it out like I did my Gameboy in the fourth grade: "God, that woman's outfit is so offensive, 'Juicy' right across the butt. It's because of women like her that it took us 70 years to get the vote.

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4/22/2011 CINEMATORIALIST: The Style of "The Hours"

"The Hours" is kind of a mixed bag - alternately dreary and glorious, thoughtful and overtly sentimental, but it's a movie I'd recommend to most people, if you're into the mystery of the feminine psyche and all that. But the visuals are splendidddd and the costumes are no exception. I for one really loved the simplicity and dreaminess of the Woolf-period.


I call this "wispy elegance". Love the slightly disheveled chignon, the askew necklace, the brooch, and the orange drop earrings. Everything is so subliminal and adds to the look of the character, never taking away from Nicole Kidman's hypnotic gaze. Colors of pink and orange highlight her English-rose complexion.


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3/27/2011 CINEMATORIALIST: MARGOT TENENBAUM

A "look." That's something that every girl in the world becomes obsessed with sooner or later. A signature style that symbolizes "you," that somehow exudes your personality to the rest of the world.

We all draw on different influences, but I for one wish that I could just invent my own signature style and not think "my god, I want that exact look" and copy every awesome look I see. It's something we all fall prey too.

But it's a tricky and often misguided process. The iconic picture of Audrey Hepburn in her slinky little black dress isn't iconic just because the dress is gorgeous. Beauty isn’t special. Audrey’s inimitable dash of je ne sais quoi make that look special. That charismatic, aloof quality, of relaxed elegance and comfort is what we're actually striving for. That's the difference between true style and fashion.

And today, I’d like to present one of my favorite stylish movie characters:

Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum from The Royal Tenenbaums:

Her signature look...

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