Kings & Queens Shower Gel in Queen Isabella (Cinnamon & Orange), $9 at beauty.com, Body Butter in Queen Nefertiti (Honey), $15 at beauty.com, Body Scrub in Aztec King (Vanilla Pear), $11 at beauty.com: King & Queens is actually made by the same company that makes Korres, so there's a similar eco-friendliness going on (no parabens or mineral oil here), but with slightly edgier packaging. There was the epic annual sale at Fred Segal today, and they even had makeup on sale for 50% off (LOVE), so my mom and I snapped up some of these. I love the concept behind this line. There are 11 fragrances, each associated with some famous monarchy/ruler, and a couple different formulas (body butter, shower gel, body milk, body scrub, etc). The scents are: Sultan of Grenada Lemon Flower, Caspar Myrrh, Tsar Peter Tobacco, George III Lime, Queen Isabella Cinnamon Orange, Nefertiti Honey, Emperor Akbar Mango, Aztec King Vanilla Pear, Chinese Princess Jasmine, King of Sumatra Pepper Bergamot, and Queen Elisabeth Sugar. I smelled almost all of those, and they smell freaking awesome. Korres has very organic, clean scents, whereas these are more complex and layered. My favorite is the Nefertiti Honey. It smells exactly like honey, but not in a sickeningly sweet way. And obviously I will use anything that implies that I am royalty in the brand name. Hehe.
Stila Smudge Pot Collection, $32 at sephora.com, C&C California Kimono Cashmere Cardigan, $245 at candccalifornia.com: I also snapped up this Stila Smudge Pot sampler for $16, which was an epic deal. You get the equivalent of 2 full size smudge pots, which cost $20 each so at the very least you're saving $8. I haven't tried these yet, but I've only heard rave reviews about them. The shades are Black (matte black), Kitten (sparkling champagne), Starry Night (shimmery navy), and Violet (bright violet with shimmer). The included brush is worthless, but overall this is a really good deal, especially if you like purple. The purple shade isn't in the regular smudge pot line. I also picked up this C&C California cardigan (love sales) in black. I've wanted an open-front, slightly longer in the front cardigan FOREVER. Specifically this cardigan, actually, so that was fun. I'll post some pics later when I take pics with my new Frye boots (!), but I love this sweater. It's 100% cashmere--so it's warm but not bulky, it hangs perfectly but looks great belted, and is equal parts edgy and classic. It's all sold out, but there's a similar style still available at Shopbop.
On to the main event. I saw The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus a few days ago, and um, can I say love? For full disclosure, it's a very weird movie. No one else I saw it with loved it. If you like movies that have linear, logical plots and endings that tie up loose ends nicely, you will hate this movie. It's Tim Burton (twisted/dark) meets Louis Bunuel (surrealist) meets Baz Luhrman (glamorous drama with undertones of decay). Even if you hate all those directors, it's worth a watch for Lily Cole, Heath Ledger, and Andrew Garfield. That's a lot of pretty condensed into one movie.
So I wanted to create an outfit about that movie. But a large portion of it is in CGI-land, and that doesn't give me a lot to go off of. So I'm combining that inspiration with inspiration from Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet. That may seem random, but there's a similar feeling of intense grandeur covering up something dark and sinister, and somehow rundown. If you haven't seen Romeo + Juliet (young Leo is reason enough), here's the trailer and a few pics.
So, I tried to put together an outfit that mixed baroque, luxurious touches with a hint of surrealism and a dash of seedy underworldness.
Camilla and Marc Blindfold Dress, $450 at shopbop.com, Mason by Michelle Mason Cable Blanket Coat, $572 at shopbop.com, Marc Jacobs Night in Rio Swarovski-studded Clutch, $895 at net-a-porter.com: I wanted the base of this outfit to be a dress because that's basically the go-to piece for when you get glammed up. I chose this dress because the cut is very simple and chic, but the zipper detailing is subversive and little bit punky, so it unites the baroque and edgy/dark elements perfectly. The clean minimalism of this dress also ties into the '90s setting of Romeo + Juliet perfectly. I'd throw this sweater on top of it because it's the exact opposite of what a rational person would do. Pairing an oversized, almost bathrobey sweater with a sleek little LBD adds a surrealist vibe to the ensemble and makes that nighttime dress into a totally daytime appropriate piece. This sweater has high drama, but it also sorta looks like something a homeless person would wear (in a good way?), and I don't want to ruin Parnassus for you, but that totally fits into the film. I love this clutch because again, the combination of the black and the sheen of the crystals is simultaneously glam and somewhat over the top, nightclub seedy. The oversized shape and the lock floating at the bottom adds that perfect touch of whimsy.
Noir Jewelry Cosmic Cluster Necklace, $330 at shopbop.com, Kenneth Jay Lane Panther Ring, $54 at shopbop.com, Charlotte Olympia Maxine Sandals, $825 at net-a-porter.com: The key to jewelry with this sort of look is either piling on a ton of simple, little pieces, or going all out with a few weird, dramatic pieces. I particularly love the latter. This necklace is crazy over the top, pushing the surrealist vibe again, and the combination of the chains and crystals hits that high-low look that I was going for. I'm a sucker for a panther ring, and I LOVE this one. It's gold-plated and has crystal eyes (very chic materials), but it looks like an alien panther that's giving you the evil eye. Perfection. These shoes top everything off perfectly. I couldn't do a look inspired by a Baz Luhrman movie without adding in some color. I kept the color in the shoes because I used a lot of strong pieces, and I didn't want the overall effect to be overwhelming. Because the rest of the outfit is neutral, you can go crazy with the shoes. Hence the purple and fuchsia--both very whimsical. The odd shape of the platform and the oversized tassel detail make these heels even more little girl fantasy, but the luxe suede and satin fabrics used bring the glamour component back in. These shoes remind me of a circus. Which reminds me of a Luhrman/Terry Gilliam movie, so they're perfect!
Kings & Queens showergel: beauty.com, body scrub: beauty.com, body butter: beauty.com, Stila smudge pots: sephora.com, C&C California sweater: candccalifornia.com, Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus pics: movies.yahoo.com, Romeo + Juliet trailer: videodetective.com, Romeo + Juliet pictures: screenrush.co.uk, screenrush.co.uk, image.guardian.co.uk, Camilla and Marc dress: shopbop.com, Michelle Mason sweater: shopbop.com, Marc Jacobs clutch: net-a-porter.com, Noir Jewelry necklace: shopbop.com, Kenneth Jay Lane ring: shopbop.com, Charlotte Olympia heels: net-a-porter.com.
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