Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Just another funny face

This isn't really a fashion-related* post, but I'm still doing it in honor of NYFW** this week. Have you seen Funny Face? No? It's S'Wonderful. It features Audrey Hepburn as a philosophy-loving bookstore clerk who is whisked off her feet by Fred Astaire, who plays a fashion photographer based loosely on Richard Avedon.




















Hepburn's character finds herself swept into the world of high fashion as she suddenly becomes the It face of Quality magazine***. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is the opening sequence to "Think Pink". I find the staging, with its symmetry and minimal use of color, very compelling. However, the best scene, in my opinion, takes place in the Parisian cafe where she goes to discuss philosophy, particularly emphaticalism. Fred Astaire swoops in to remind her of her work commitments, and in response, Audrey Hepburn lets loose with the moves of a veteran hepcat. This scene alone was the reason this found a way into my fastidious DVD collection.



































It's a cute story with sweet songs that will stick in your head. Personally, I would recommend you watch it even if just for the visuals. I have to confess that I watched it myself for embarrassing reasons. First (and foremost), it's Lorelai's favorite movie in Gilmore Girls, and it plays a pivotal role in what might be the cutest date ever. The other reason I tracked this movie down is that the dance scene featured prominently in a Gap commercial a couple of years ago, and my interest was piqued enough that I researched the original source.









































*I seriously have no idea what crawled up my butt and died to warrant all of this mention of fashion. Blame it on Fall.

**On a completely different tangential, did anyone else watch Fashion's Night Out last night? I found it oddly compelling despite the overt plugs for consumerism.


***The woman who played the magazine's editor is actually the author of the Eloise books. So weird.


****All official promo photos pulled from Google images.

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