women who don't cry

You may remember a post from December about a shoot I styled for grainy-dreamy-film-photographer Hana Haley - and about a week ago I got another opportunity to work with her. Remember when I was watching all those French films and obsessing over Anna Karina? That was all research for a shoot Hana and I started planning after the success of our first. And last week our Francophile vision became a reality when we met up at Palace of the Fine Arts early on a cloudy morning. The model, Alyssa, is a 60's gamine starlet come to life (imagine a young Audrey Hepburn). The grey skies cast a perfect pallor on the wardrobe i had pulled, a wardrobe full of reds, blues, whites and grays - chic, simple and oh so french. A couple vintage umbrellas, a great tweed swing coat and my prized 1950's nurse's cape were highlights of my day as a stylist. Once again the photos turned out like a dream and i think it's safe to say, this is the start of something beautiful between Miss Hana and I...

see the rest of this shoot and more ON HANA'S SITE

bonsoir

i am so, so, SO far delayed on catching this boat, i know...but I have recently been watching a lot of classic 1960's French films and have found myself caught up in the aesthetics and general immaculate perfection of French women in the mid 20th century. Women like Catherine Deneuve in Belle du Jour, Anna Karina in Un Femme Est Un Femme, Jean Seberg in Breathless. They all possess something timeless, charming, elegant and classy, regardless of the fact that many of their characters are of questionable employ or social standing. Something about the way they carry themselves, their perfect eyeliner and well-coiffed hair, the way they wear even the most simple ensemble with a feminine confidence and dignity that makes them irresistible - i guess you could say they have that certain je ne se qua that just seems to be lacking in society and fashion today. 

It makes me feel like all I need in my closet is a well-tailored coat (with a matching hat), sensible Ferragamo heels, and a classic sweater or two. For make-up, just a flick of liquid eyeliner and a perfect pink lip. Now I just need to figure out Catherine Deneuve's secret to her miraculous mane of hair and apparent immunity to aging...

If you haven't seen Godard's Un Femme Est Un Femme (A Woman is A Woman), RUN - don't walk - to your Netflix Streaming queue and do yourself a favor. It is hailed as his most original, unique work - which is certainly saying something. It is also the legendary gamine starlet Anna Karina's film debut. I dare you to watch this movie and not fall entirely in love with her, and her wardrobe. I've included just a couple screenshots of my favorite scenes/ensembles for your sartorial viewing pleasure (the blue dress with the white fur collar, cuffs and matching blue hair ribbon!!)

Do any of you have recommendations for more films along these lines? i can't get enough!