Tag: fashion

Dramas

The Phantom Thread

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Image credit: The Phantom Thread, 2017

“A house that doesn’t change is a dead house.” What a quote to send us into the new year! Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Phantom Thread (Disc/Download) has a lot to say on the subject of death, but it has just as much to say about life. About finding the muse that makes you move forward. In Reynolds Woodcock’s case, it was a person and an unending yearning for perfection. In my case, it might just be this movie.

The Phantom Thread is one of those films that feels fresh and new each time you watch it. Like an evening gown from the House of Woodcock, there are so many layers that it’s impossible to see them all at once. Initially, the viewer is dazzled by the costumes and sweeping score by Jonny Greenwood, which sounds like something out of a Hitchcock film. Maybe you’re also a little turned on by Daniel Day-Lewis ordering breakfast (I know I was!). But then on the next viewing, you start to notice the subtleties in the performances. How one look or turn of phrase can convey so many emotions. Maybe you start to see it as a romance between two impossible people who could only ever love each other. But then on the next viewing, you start to see it as a ghost story. There’s a reverence for the dead, and a comfort from thinking that some of them are still sticking around. Eventually the dresses start to play second fiddle to the women in them, which perhaps was always the point of haute couture: to bring out the best in the person wearing it.

The change that hits the House of Woodcock comes in the form of Alma, a lovely but somewhat invisible waitress. Reynolds transforms her into his muse, and under his gaze we see her confidence grow. As his bitchy sister Cyril says with an assessing sniff, Alma smells of rosewater, sandalwood, lemons, and sherry. A couple of those ingredients found their way into my cocktail this week, and it all came together into a hue that matches Alma’s first Woodcock creation! While you’re watching The Phantom Thread, I recommend drinking this Rosewater ’75.

Rosewater ’75

1 1/2 oz Pink Gin

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Blood Orange Cordial Syrup

3-4 drops Rosewater

Prosecco to top

Combine gin, lemon juice, blood orange syrup, and rosewater in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with Prosecco.

This is a great movie to watch on New Year’s, not just for the lively 1950s NYE party, but because it inspires us to evolve. I honestly don’t know how to categorize it (gothic romance, period melodrama, dark comedy?), but I do know that I’m excited to watch it again. Same time, next year. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

A New Kind of Love

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: A New Kind of Love, 1963

It’s such a delight when, after nearly forty years on this planet, and thousands of movies watched, you find a new-to-you classic that features everything you happen to adore. A New Kind of Love (Disc/Download) was a delightful discovery for me this week, for it contains literally all my favorites: 1960s fashion, gorgeous people jetting off to Europe, copious amounts of alcohol, witty dialogue, and Thelma Ritter.

Starring Paul Newman as a womanizing reporter and Joanne Woodward as a “tomboy” department store buyer who makes her living knocking off the top couturiers, this delightful comedy skewers the business of high fashion while still celebrating its glamour. This movie must have been an absolute ball for costume designer Edith Head, particularly in the scene where designer looks are translated into burlesque costumes. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Paul Newman slowly unraveling a pearl onesie off a stripper. The plot is a little less progressive than I’d like (Woodward feels she has to doll herself up at the Elizabeth Arden salon in order to attract a man, Paul Newman mistakes the “new-and-improved” version for a high-class prostitute, chaos ensues…), but it’s still fun to watch this madly-in-love couple pretend that they’re not madly-in-love for a couple of hours. We know what’s behind all those winks and smirks.

As part of Woodward’s glow-up, she takes part in the St. Catherine’s Day celebration where unwed maidens parade through the streets of Paris. Let’s join in this party (it actually looks like a lot of fun!) with my sparkling version of the classic Maiden’s Prayer cocktail, featuring a splash of pink champagne. Zsa Zsa would approve!

Maiden’s Prayer

1 oz Gin

½ oz Cointreau

½ oz Orange Juice

¼ oz Lemon Juice

2 oz Pink Champagne

Orange Twist

Combine gin, Cointreau, orange, and lemon juices in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with pink champagne, and a twist of orange.

The true MVP of this movie (and pretty much every movie on her resume) is Thelma Ritter. All this woman wants is to eat some onion soup with the boss she’s had a crush on for years, in a dress that doesn’t cut off her oxygen supply. She shouldn’t have to rely on sponge rubber to get the job done—Thelma is fabulous in any city, in any decade, in any outfit. Cheers! 

Comedies

The Devil Wears Prada

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image Credit: The Devil Wears Prada, 2006

As many of us have transitioned to remote or hybrid work schedules over the last two years, it can be difficult to remember what it was like reporting to an office every day. Hollywood has certainly made its share of stellar workplace comedies (The Apartment, 9 to 5, Office Space, etc.), but when it comes to sheer eye candy, you can’t beat The Devil Wears Prada (Disc/Download).

Starring Meryl Streep as Runway magazine editor Miranda Priestley, and Anne Hathaway as her tortured assistant Andrea (or Ahn-DREA as Miranda likes to condescendingly purr), this film offers a humorous glimpse at the inner workings of the fashion industry, perhaps a little more realistically than its predecessor Funny Face (another favorite of mine). Streep is caustic perfection in her role as one of the most powerful women in fashion, and it’s to her credit that this villainous character is such a complex one. We see the pressure she’s under, the entire industry that depends upon her, yet it’s hard to excuse away her constant fat-shaming of employees, or underhanded business deals. You respect her, and at the same time, loathe her. Luckily, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci round out the cast, bringing a much-needed dose of fun to this abusive workplace situation. I will watch these two in anything, particularly when it involves them wearing haute couture and making snide comments. Can I get a spin-off??

When choosing a cocktail this week, I wanted to pick something as classic as Miranda’s style, but also reflective of her signature way of speaking. Somehow, she manages to come off polished and outrageously cruel at the same time. While watching The Devil Wears Prada, I recommend drinking this Acid Tongue cocktail.

Acid Tongue

2 oz Navy-strength Gin

2 Limequats, quartered (can use Key Limes if Limequats aren’t in season)

3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Muddle the limequats in a shaker with simple syrup. Add in gin, and ice. Shake until chilled and combined, then strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with citrus slice.

If we’re going by the ingredient list, this drink is really just a gussied-up gimlet. But I like to think it has the Miranda Priestly touch: strong gin for a strong, powerful woman, a little sweet in the right circumstances (she clearly wants to be a good mom to her twin girls, although it’s unclear if she actually is), and an obscure citrus fruit that will no doubt start a trend. You heard it here first, folks- Limequats. Soon to be in magazines and expensive cocktail bars near you. Cheers!