Fashion from Top Hat

As movies go, Top Hat definitely has its flaws. The plot is not exactly very believable, has a rather too satisfactory ending, the humour sometimes rather out-of-date and slapstick, but the dancing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is as ever, sublime. What I also love is the old school glamour depicted in the movie. Oh to be able to jet into Italy for a little break, to live in a time when ladies still wore hats and everyone dressed for dinner. Sorry, the screengrabs are a little fuzzy.


A sartorial discussion about the kind of tie to wear



Racing upstairs in her dressing gown to see who's tap-dancing and disturbing her sleep



In her nightgown



A smart riding outfit with the hat perched just so



Close-up of the outfit



Bows and glitz



What's not to like?



Even her friend Marge is a very spiffy dresser



Lounging about. I really love Marge's outfit on the left



Marge has on a very lovely evening gown



The gentlemen also look very smart. Natty is the only word to describe them.



Moving from bows to feathers.



They move about really nicely



Swish!



An elegant cloak to guard from the cold



In 'casual' wear



Detailing



Back to the sparkle - this is my favourite gown in the movie



It's got such a lovely skirt for dancing in



Twirl!



A clearer look at the whole gown



How to layer your eveningwear. Fred's greatcoat is very smart too.

Eating it up in Kamome Diner

One of the things I like to do when flying is to catch up on movies that I've never watched. It's also a great time to discover foreign movies that I wouldn't otherwise have known about while living in London. Kamome Diner is a charming movie that I caught on my flight back to London a few days ago. A Japanese movie that was filmed and set entirely in Finland - it revolves around Sachie, the sweet and welcoming owner of a Japanese diner, and the quirky characters she meets while trying to introduce good food to the locals.  I won't talk too much about the plot, but suffice to say food is a very central part of the movie. And oh, the food looks so good!


Dinner at home


Nothing like a home-cooked meal to warm the heart


Onigiri fusion-style


Trying out Finnish flavours (reindeer is one of them) in onigiri. 


Let's make cinnamon rolls!


Squishing them in the middle


You can almost smell them


We can't smell them, but these ladies do. Enjoying the freshly baked rolls


Shogayaki - pork with ginger. I also really like Sachie's cookware


Yum salmon


Deep-frying what looks like chicken karaage


There is a very satisfying crunch as she slices through the meat


Someone orders onigiri


Everyone is curious. What is that?


The movie is great for coffee drinkers too. Lots of scenes of brewing


Service!


A happy ending - a full diner

If you can get hold of a copy, go watch Kamome Diner. You'll love it. Here's a clip of Sachie cooking shogayaki and salmon.

Hats in Lover Come Back

Love the colours, fonts and cute drawings in the opening credits

Lover Come Back follows the same romantic formula as Pillow Talk, this time set in the ad world, which means Doris Day's wardrobe consisted of more office-type suits. This time round, I found myself utterly charmed by her numerous hats.

Doris Day's wardrobe in Pillow Talk

I'm really new to the wonderful on-screen pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, but am glad I've finally learnt about their movies. Pillow Talk was their first movie together, and it's absolutely a joy to watch. Besides the witty dialogue, I just adore Doris Day's looks in this movie. I wish people still dressed like this today - how lovely to wear gloves, hats, fur muffs(!) and to dress up for dinner. Here are some of her beautiful costumes from the movie: