Being this blog the space that I use for spreading the word about my first big passion (vintage!), I realized that I don’t write a lot about some of my other big passions like movies and books. This is the reason why I decided to create my “movies and books appreciation society” to share here some good advice on what to read and what to watch if you are a vintage lover! I don’t often read books or watch movies related to vintage but when it happens I promise to share my experience here!
The idea came to my mind a few weeks ago, while watching the movie Carol. I am sure that you heard about it but if you haven’t seen yet, please run to the cinema before it ends. I cannot say that I loved the movie, I am among those who didn’t really consider it as a masterpiece; still it is a good movie. But if there was a reason to adore it, this reason was the costume (and Cate Blanchett!). I cannot really explain the magnificence of Carol’s wardrobe, including jewels and accessories so it doesn’t surprise me that the costume designer, Sandy Powell, is an Oscar candidate for best costume design for this movie.
I recently read an interview where Sandy Powell said that she accessorized Carol (Cate Blanchett) with jewelry by Fred Leighton and Van Cleef & Arpels but she also used a lot of original vintage pieces like handbags and bespoke hats. One of the funniest thing was that she had to use customized shoes by Ferragamo based on their original ‘40s and ‘50s patterns because foot sizes are much larger today than they were in the ‘50s, so it would have been impossible to have original vintage shoes! Same thing happened for the matching gloves! One of the tips that Sandy Powell shared in the interview was the fact that she used a lot of retro inspired lingerie (especially bras) in order to create the shapes of women of that era.
If Carol’s style remains almost constant for the whole movie, Therese (Rooney Mara) character has a huge change of style at the end of the movie passing from a low-profile student style to a more feminine clothes and make-up choice. Her resemblance to Audrey Hepburn in the last few scenes of the movie is really incredible .
One of the other interesting things about Carol (at least for vintage lovers!) was the accurate respect and re-creation of the ‘50’s era. When I say this I mean not only the clothing and accessories but also furniture, cars and even a completely different lifestyle, far away from the speedy world we live in. Some people criticized the movie for being slow but I guess that it was just a way of living of that era that we probably should imitate more!
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