Fit for a Femme Fatale

I couldn't resist. I bought another evening dress from one of my favorite sellers: Roads Less Travelled Vintage. Tracy, the shop's lovely proprietress, has helped expand my vintage wardrobe. I've purchased quite a few dresses and vintage shoes from her the past few years. Okay a lot. She just has a great eye for fashion. 

I miss seeing her at the Alameda Antique Market and the Vintage Fashion Fairs, but I understand that it's a lot of work hauling the inventory across the bay and back. But at least she has her Etsy Shop open for business. And that's where I found this stunning evening dress. I love lace overlay and the draping over the main skirt. It fits just a bit snug, but since I have been trimming down, it won't be long before it fits comfortably. I will definitely be donning this dress at Noir City Festival 2016.

Dark Passage - Investigating Noir

I have always been a fan of the darker elements of fiction whether it is written or visual arts. As I contemplated a specific study for my future PhD program, I decided it was best to focus on my passion; Detective/Crime Fiction, Film Noir and the Wrong Man. I already have several ideas going through my brain, but I'm coming close to developing a thesis for my dissertation. So as I prepare for the application process, I have been re-reading some of my hardboiled collections and purchasing new ones. Then, as I was watching Turner Classic Movies, I saw a preview of the coming summer series Summer of Darkness: A Film Noir Festival. Every Friday, TCM will be airing 12-13 films noir. It's a good thing I have Fridays off. It will definitely be a day of lounging and film noir viewing.

In addition, TCM has paired with a free online course entitled: Investigating Film Noir. The course offers certificates of completion at the quarter's end. Yes, indeed, I signed up. I figured it would be a good start to my upcoming studies. Therefore, I've decided to start a new blog with a focus on Noir where I will critique and analyze films noir, art, and hardboiled detective novels. I welcome all who follow this blog to check out the art of noir.

Dark Passage - Investigating Film Noir

Noir City 13: Unholy Matrimony

It's that time of year! The Film Noir Foundation descends upon San Francisco's Castro Theatre for a 10 day film-fest of classic noir known as Noir City. I must say, though, the selection has been less than stellar. The movies are good, but I think the foundation can do a better job of selecting films that are true film noir. There is too much emphasis to fit the marriage theme more so than they did showcasing noir. Of the double-features I attended, only ONE is a true noir. The others were just melodramas that used few elements of noir; very few. Dark shadows and sharp camera angles aren't enough to sustain the mood required to be a noir. There are some true noir films on the bill, but unfortunately I'm not able to see those since:

     A) I have my rehearsal
     B) My first day of Portuguese class is this week
     C) I have double duty DJing and performing with my dance troupe at a private event.

Woman on the Run was a great noir film, though. The best one at the festival so far. What was even better about the film, it was set in San Francisco. Great to see how it looked in 1950, but a little disheartened to see that many of the places were demolished to occupy parking lots or really plain buildings today. The film maker cheated a bit too, by filming a few scenes in Los Angeles and passing it off as SF. Otherwise, it was great noir flick and Ann Sheridan gave a great, witty performance.

IF I decide to go back to the festival, it won't be until next weekend. But on the bright side, going to Noir City is all about the fashion show, and of course I am going to go all out.

NIGHT ONE

I went with my femme fatale look. I wore true vintage 1940s black dress and pumps. To finish off the look, I wore Cuban heel stockings. I must say that I really love my posterior in this photo (and, no pun intended, it's one of my best assets).

I kept my hair simple styling it only in a side part that was very popular during the 1940s. My make-up was subtle using only a bit of color on the eyes and cheeks, the cat-eyeliner and red lips. 

NIGHT TWO

I thought about wearing all black again, but I opted to go more traditional 1940s. I wore an early 1940s green dress paired with late 1930s ankle straps and milk glass earrings. Now the hair!

The hair! I decided to go big on the front reverse roll. Now I've done this style myriad times, but I decided to tease it up for more height and volume. After I was done, I had the "whoa!" look on my face. How long did it take, you ask? About a minute. Throughout the evening people were complimenting me on my hairstyle. Even as I was walking down Castro St., people stopped me to ask about my style. 

Between the two styles, I prefer the femme fatale. It's simpler yet far more glamourous. I always enjoy any opportunity to doll myself beyond the usual 50s daydress and pageboy hair that I wear to work.

It's a Bitter Little World

One of the best SF festivals is the Noir City Film Festival held each January at the Castro Theatre. This year's festival featured Noir Films from around the world; Europe, Latin America, and Japan. I missed opening weekend because I was in Los Angeles, and I was unable to view the original production of  Brighton Rock since I had a scheduled performance with my dance troupe. I was able to catch 2 double features on Friday and Saturday. So of course I adorned myself in 1930s true vintage attire and transformed into a femme fatale that was often the central character is noir cinema.

Friday's films were El Vampiro Negro and Le Sailare de la Peur. Both films were very well made. I was impressed with Vampiro's cinematography with its sharp lines and downcast shadows. The music enhanced the melodramatic atmosphere. The acting wasn't too over the top as most low budget noir films had been during its hey day. Le Sailare was a stark contrast. This film was indeed, suspenseful but I saw no elements of noir. In fact, more often than not, the mood was lighthearted. What I enjoyed, though, was the actors' abilities to code switch between four languages; English, French, Spanish and Italian. I'm fluent in English and Spanish with a good knowledge of Italian. I felt dizzy at times as I was trying to adjust to the abrupt code switching. The film also appeared to be a bit anti-American with its tongue-in-cheek reference to the U.S. obsession with oil (apparently it's something that has always been and will always be an issue). I laughed it off since I agreed with most of the sentiments. Apparently everyone in the audience did, too. 

The Outfit

Saturday's bill was two French films; Duex Hommes dans Manhattan and Du Rififi Chez Le Hommes. Both films were very well made. Duex Hommes brought some memories of my times spent in New York; usually spent roaming the streets at night because that's when you see real life in NY. That life was well represented on screen. Rififi is a heist film. It reminded me so much of The Asphalt Jungle and Heat; the organization,  implementation, and the aftermath of a successful heist. The best scene was the actual heist; 30 minutes without dialog or music which added to the suspense. Like Le Sailare, some actors code-switched between French and Italian so it was nice to hear some dialog without having to rely on subtitles.

I loved my hair; a la Rita Hayworth

After the showcase, I met with a friend (and fellow dance troupe member) where we discussed noir fiction. I'm a longtime fan of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy, and I've read all their novels. I'm looking into other authors and found a Gil Brewer pulp anthology. I never heard of him but I purchased it anyway based solely on the title Redheads Die Quickly. My friend also bought a copy. We had a good laugh since we're redheads (though she's a natural blonde and I'm a brunette). I also purchased a small book for my coffee table. A small book comprised of the greatest quotes in film noir cinema.

Though the festival lasted a mere 10 days, there is always a noir feature throughout the year. This Sunday will be a Rita Hayworth double feature: The Lady from Shanghai and one of my all time favorite Rita films, Gilda. 

Femme Fatale

I've always maintained an interest in detective novels. Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy are among my favorite authors in this genre. Its motion picture equivalent is Film Noir which was at its peak during the 1940s. There's just something visually appealing about this genre. So for my latest photoshoot, I chose to dress as the striking femme fatale. I'm amazed with the results. I never wear this much make-up such that I almost didn't recognize myself. Plus, I'm always smiling. Here are a select few.