ALL THE WORLD IS A RUNWAY

                And all the men and women merely models.  Our lives are a fashion show, they follow trends, they have their highpoints and revelations and in the end we only remember the significant moments.           

                We begin our fashion show wearing what our mother thinks we should wear. We don’t have any choice in the matter. We crawl and then walk through the catwalk in a naïve, relaxed and joyful manner, being constantly distracted by new toys and people and needing to be protected to not fall off.  We don’t care much about how we dress although girls usually start to get a bit vain by the age six.

                The second part of the show begins when teenagers walk in. Some already know what they stand for and others are still figuring out how to express their personality throughout style.   Their walk is apparently confident but hides many insecurities. They make a drama out of the smallest things and they have more fun that in those of any other parts of the fashion show. The preppies, the "sports”, the punks, the hippies… they all succeed each other having each one a short duration. They are trying to find themselves and to fit in at the same time and these purposes make it the most experimental part of the show. They end up by trying different looks until they find their own or just decide to mix them all.

                The third act is “te looking good”. It starts at the age 16 (not exactly, depending on the person) and ends in the early 20’s. This phase doesn’t apply to everyone. It is basically the stage where you wear what flatters you the most in order to get the opposite gender’s attention. These pieces are combined with what you think your peers may like, the trends and what you believe to be your “personal style”, the one you have found in the earlier phase (or that you are still discovering).

                And then comes “the adult”. This phase incorporates many years but often not many different styles. The collection reaches its maturity point. The models are confident, certain of their own style and aware of what they can and cannot wear. They understand that the looks are a complement of their personality and not the opposite. They are now capable of helping other models that are beginning the fashion show.

                Adults are more wisdom but they usually start taking fewer risks as well, ending up in the next and last stage – “the granny” or “the show must go on”. Nearly to the end, the show uses models that are not focused on their appearance any more, they just want to enjoy the last period of it after all that they have accomplished, living each day at a time, trying to walk further but slowly. Their show is in a balcony of a high building so that they can see the other shows they helped creating that are developing in different stages.

                Nearly to the end, the best creations walk again at high speed, showing the highpoints of the fashion show. Since we have dressed all the outfits that compose it, we remember wearing them, relating each one to a particular moment - happy or not so happy. When the show ends, the applauses stop and the lights go down. We do realize that all it matters is what we left on the catwalk, what we have done to make a difference and what we remember from it. All it really matters is that we lived, we found the courage to never stop walking.

                Red Shoes

                

            

           P.S: Yes, the Red Shoes are back on my feet. Do you think I could have written about fashion without them? No way! It’s better this way. We are both happy and I don’t think we will have another argument soon. I can’t wait to hear their new ideas!

We Bought...a Zoo

           (Before you read this post you should know that I and the red shoes had an argument. And now they are in the closet. Honestly, I don’t think I can live without them for a long time but they won’t interfere in this post. I can guarantee you that. They would probably make me write about “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and that’s not what I want. This text will not have anything to do with fashion. I want it to be the exception.)

A friend asked me the other day about the movie of my life.  I said I didn’t have one.  “Alright”, he said, “but what’s your favorite movie?”. I thought about it for a while and figured I still didn’t have one. “Maybe I’m too young for it”, I replied.  Later, when I was alone at home I kept thinking about the “movie of my life” and the truth is I love cinema and there are a lot of movies that I’m passionate about but any of them seemed to have changed my life. Maybe they all changed me in a good way and gave me new perspectives. Maybe I’m just too undecided to pick just one. It’s an unfair decision! It’s like having to choose my favorite outfit or maybe even harder than that (Sorry, I said I wasn’t going to talk about fashion…). There are movies that cheer me up and some that make me cry like a waterfall. There are movies that appeared in the roughest situations of my life and others that arrived in the happiest ones. But I honestly believe that we are not only what we do and what we eat but also what we wear (Oops, I did it again!, well but there is not always true) and what we love. When I watch a movie I’m looking for some laughs, crying, brilliant performances, an involving plot and specially an inspiring message. That’s why I picked a movie that has all that. It may not be an Oscar movie but it is one of the few whose trailer is enough to make me cry. Besides, it is based on a true stoy. I’m going to write about “We Bought a Zoo”, directed by Cameron Crowe.

               

                I personally feel attracted to characters that change their conventional way of living to do something risky that most people think is non-sense. Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), a few months after the death of his wife, quits his job as a reporter and decides to move to a dilapidated zoo with his two kids, taking the challenge of reopening it to the public. The rehabilitation of the zoo is a metaphor to the rebuild of his life and his family’s. Benjamin is finding hard to bound with his 14 year-old son, Dylan, that is suffering more than his younger daughter Rosie that despite the sadness she is feeling - «Their happy is too loud», she says referring to a party in the neighbors' house, is thrilled with the idea of moving to a zoo. Benjamin hopes the zoo can bring the family together and happiness to their lives. He would end up by helping many other people that relied on him to recover the zoo.

                «Why not?»

                Love is what moves the characters. They suffer out of love for someone that is not there anymore and they risk in the name of love: romantic and family. The romantic side of the movie is vital, at least to me. The history of how Benjamin first met his wife is just perfect - «Why should an amazing woman like you even talk to someone like me?”, “Why not?”. This sentence would guide his decisions throughout his life and helps explaining why he is braver to invest in something risky.

The love between Dylan and Lily, a girl that works in the zoo, is also inspiring. It is the typical first love story but it is impossible to stay indifferent to the scene in which Dylan finds courage to confess his feelings for her, while standing in the intense rain.

         «Attempt to start over. Sun light. Joy.».

                The movie is full of precious details that make all the difference to make it profound: starting with the soundtrack that perfectly suits every single emotion and also the lightning. The way the sun light hits on  characters’ faces is one of the most beautiful things I have seen happening in cinema that actually do happen in real life, creating a sense of hope and possibility of happiness that move us. There is a particular scene when Benjamin finds courage to watch the pictures of his wife. He starts crying but then he starts to feel the happiness of those moments and he laughs. His wife is now playing with his kids enjoying life around him. His living room turns into a park. The sun light is absolutely magical. His imagination turns the memory real to him. This a turning point when he overcomes grief and seems to take his brother’s advice to attempt to start over. He understands he doesn’t have to forget but he has to let it go, to save it in a precious place of his memory, so that the universe can give him what he needs.  

                 «I like the animals but I love the people»

                What appears to be a movie about animals is actually a movie about people and relations. The animals are there to show us humans the simplicity of feeling. Benjamin does everything to save an old tiger from death until he realizes there is anything more to be done, he has to go. The tiger embodies his fearing of forgetting and moving on. Animals are basically a serene and cathartic element. They seem to be the ones that need to be helped but in fact they are the ones that help the humans. Contacting with nature brings happiness back to Benjamin and his children.

                «Literally, 20 seconds»

“We bought a Zoo” was first presented to me on a plain when I was returning from New York City and a few days later I watched it again in the theatre. I was immediately in love with the movie. I don’t think I can explain why it means so much to me but I think you will understand it better when I tell you my favorite line of the movie. It’s an advice Benjamin gives to his son and is something that I always try to keep in mind. I think we should all try. «Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it». 

                Just me

Elizabeth: The Golden Closet

                Surprisingly or not, the red shoes are not just into fashion. I thought they would be happy with a new fashion magazine, so I bought Vogue. Wrong. Then, I bought a beautiful black velvet skirt. Wrong, again! They are not that easy to please! Yes, they love fashion more than anything but they also seem to have dozens of other interests that I’m still figuring out. On the other night they wanted desperately to watch a movie. We sat down on the couch and watched “Elizabeth: The Golden Era”. I personally think it’s a great movie and they agree. But while I was totally absorbed with the plot and the characters they seemed to be emerged in Elizabeth’s dresses. As long as they give me power and confidence, I will do anything to satisfy them. That’s why I’m writing an essay on Queen Elizabeth’s dresses in the movie.

            I have to say that at first I didn’t want to do it. That was before I closed my eyes and pictured the movie in my head. I could see that every single dress was part of the intensity of each scene. Every color had a meaning.

                CRIMSON – THE COLOUR OF POWER

                Queen Elizabeth appears as a source of hope, power and elegance. She liked to dress to impress. The chaperones used to wear all the same tone so that Elizabeth could stand out in a different color among the court. In one of the first scenes the queen wears a crimson dress while the chaperones wear white and grey dresses. Red had the symbolic meaning of fire, power and importance during the Elizabethan Age and crimson was the luxury version of the color, worn by royalty, nobility and members of the Council. As a powerful and brave woman responsible for a great empire, I’m not surprised that she liked to wear crimson dresses.

                THE PURITY OF WHITE

                White, a color that she also wears mostly in the beginning of the movie is perhaps the one that illustrates the best the cult that emerged around her as the “Virgin Queen” which is still celebrated in portraits and literature. Only the wealthy could wear white, as it was expensive and difficult to produce, as well as hard to keep clean. White symbolized purity and virtue, contrasting with the dark colors worn by Philip of Spain and her cousin Mary Stuart, the queen of Scotland. While these Catholics are depicted as obscure, as people that are too affected by emotions, unhappy and somehow fanatic and insane, Queen Elizabeth is portrayed as a rational person, as a  source of enlightenment/ elucidation. This contrast is more visible in one of the last scenes when Elizabeth appears with a simple long white dress resembling an angel and Philip seems almost like he is possessed by the devil in his dark clothes, although he is more religious than her. The movie clearly shows Elizabeth’s perspective regarding the conflict with Spain. We can relate more easily to her than with Philip that represents the enemy.

                THE COLOUR OF THE OCEAN

                One of the most remarkable scenes of the movie is the one when Sir Walter Raleigh is giving Elizabeth a speech about his trips across the large ocean, about the magic of discovering and landing on the new world and freedom. She is wearing a stunning light blue dress. Blue symbolizes tranquility and eternity and in this specific scene, of course, the ocean as well. This dress is one of my favorite in the movie (sorry Red Shoes but I also love the red one!).

                SILVER, GOLD AND YELLOW
              Throughout the movie, the queen uses a lot of jewels and accessories with pearls which are another symbol of virginity. Most dresses have silver and gold applications and embroideries. Gold represents majesty, divinity and wealth. Silver is another rich color that can also be related to power and strength. Queen Elizabeth wears a silver armor in the battle when she appears confident speaking directly to her army - «Let them come with the armies of Hell, they will not pass!». The yellow dress she wears when she yells at the Spanish servants of the king - «I, too can command the wind, sir!» - also intends to symbolize courage. The color can be a symbol of revitalization, positivism and hope as well.

                TURNING POINT

                Love and emotions are basically the source of every problems/conflicts in the movie. Philip tries to invade Spain because he believes that’s God’s will, out of religious love. Elizabeth loses control and finds it harder to deal with conflicts when she falls in love with Sir Arthur Raleigh. When emotions almost take control of her life, her clothes change. When she is betrayed by her best friend, Bess, and the man she loves, Raleigh, and she is forced to condemn her cousin to death, her dresses become simpler and heavier. The colors also change. She starts wearing darker colors such as purple, dark green and dark blue (or indigo, also known as “royal blue”), reflecting her sadness and seriousness. Purple represents the change of something and it is supposed to combat fears and bring peace. The only people allowed to wear purple during the Elizabethan Era were the members of the royal family.

                After this difficult period of her life and after England wins the war, Elizabeth returns to the grandiosity of the white color, rich and elaborate materials and dresses, showing that her mind is clear again and that she was stronger to conquer the difficulties. England won the conflict due to her mental strength, due to her ability to control emotions. When she loses control the same happens to her country and when she becomes more rational again the conflict is solved.

THEY WERE RIGHT, AGAIN

Well, I must confess that I enjoyed writing this text. I learned a lot about the importance of  color during the Elizabethan Era. Different colors represented royalty, status, wealth and position. In the movie, as I have already referred, its symbology is extremely important to the intensity of each tension and conflict. A clear example of that is the scene of Mary Stuart’s execution. She is wearing an intense red dress that represents the blood that will soon be shed in the war.

I guess from now on I won’t question the red shoe’s ideas again. They seem to know me better than I know myself. (Firstly, they made me travelling in time and now this!). I’m impressed and they seem gleeful. Now is just like I’m walking barefoot. Again, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant… They just feel more comfortable now, they suit me better. Since we are going to work together for at least a year I suggest we can be nicer to each other. Oh, they look as if they agree! Great, so how would they feel if I bought one of those magnificent necklaces that remind me of the Golden Age that are in stores right know? Would they like it? No answer. I think we have to work on communication but if you are trying to guess, yes, I’m already prepared for another trip. 

Red Shoes