Downton Abbey Prequel

DA writer Julian Fellowes has said he hopes to write a prequel to the series following Lord Grantham and Cora's courtship. He says it will wait until the series is over and might be in book form before being adapted for television.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19755983

If they do this I hope they get it right. I think once upon a time I figured out that Mary was 28 by 1920 so she was born in 1892 so we're looking at the early 1890s for the story. Push it back to the 1880s? Pretty please? Interested about casting. Probable filming in America, pretty please with sugar on top?

The King of Cool

Sometimes you just gotta Google image Steve McQueen and feel your life get exponentially cooler. Just let it happen.

car chase from Bullitt, SO good:

First Video!

It's kind of small, isn't it? I'ma work on this...by getting a Mac someday.

Vlogging & Manor House

So I have a fancy new iPhone and think I should post some videos on here, and mostly my rants are much funnier in motions. So what would you like me to talk ab if I were to post of video of me talking ab something? Lemme know, I'm in  a major funk and need distractions.


Also, I've been re-watching Manor House which is basically the reality version of Downton Abbey 10 years before Downton Abbey. You'll hear a lot of the stuff that's in Downton ab footmen and maids in the dining room etc. I just can't help but think that a house of the size in Manor House should have more servants, but that's the issue right? I still think the 19 year old groom Tristan is oh so so dreamy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DlV54l62g
http://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/

2012 Primetime Emmy Awards

I've never watched the Emmys before bc frankly I have never really cared. I stopped watching TV in the middle of high school and really didn't pick it up again until last year, but I'm with my sister for the weekend so I actually had a TV for to watch the Emmys on. So here's the rundown. I will say overall I was impressed as I was appalled at the informality of last year's Oscars, mostly in hairdos. And I didn't watch much pregame, so I'll only really be speaking to the fashions during the show...aaaaand I'm really not "in the mood" but this was a request, so here you go!

Tina Fey wins the prize of my heart, always. She's my hero and I want to be her minus the acting part...but maybe? She's just great and is always a hit with me in the dressing department. She's classy and appropriate and simple, but always with a little something special.

I can't get over Julia Louis Dreyfus' dress. It was special and classy and the skirt was just to die for when you saw it on screen.

Hayden Panettiere's dress was much more special than this straight on. It was very interesting and while I dunno if I'd wear it it was something great.

My sister and I couldn't get over how great Claire Danes looked! Of all the yellow at the show (and it was everywhere!) I liked hers the best. We bet it's the maternity glow that makes her looks so great. But really, she was stunning, and oh Hugh Dancy, you could have had me!

Jane Levy. I dunno who this girl is, it's amazing how much TV I have no idea about, but I like her styling and the color and the dress overall. Nothing incredibly new, but just really nice all the same.

Ok...here are some iffy ones...

Lucy Lui. This dress is amazing and she looks amazing, but it confuses me and reminds me of the princess during the pageant of The Swan Princess that's from where they make all the armor and she has shields all over her face...

Julianna Margulies. I appreciate a print, and I actually don't mind this one. It filmed a lot better and was metallic and I don't mind the 60s upholstery look. I am confused abou t the center front seam though...Jury's out on this one.

I've been rewatching 30 Rock and when I saw Edie Falco on the red carpet I was like "Hey! It's CC!". Turns out she's also Nurse Jackie....anyway, I don't have anything against this dress, I'm just pointing out US Weekly had a spread last week of 5 other girls wearing it too, wah wah. One week too late!

photos from http://skyliving.sky.com

Les Mis--extended first look

Behind the scenes video explaining how the film is SUNG and recorded LIVE!

yes!

I love this, I love this so so much. Watch this, I was weeping/sobbing/dry crying by the end, AGAIN! This film is going to murther me!

also Russell Crowe.

favorite pictures: my view from Cedar

I took this photo last week on what was the first autumnal like day of the year. I LOVE AUTUMN! The view from my porch (minus the hooligan apartment) is pretty darn nice. When the sun sets the red rock turns pink and now that it's more fall-ish the air is cool on your face and you can just taste pumpkin and see the rainbow leaves and anticipate the scarves and sweaters!

The best days are coming!!!

It's time for fall ya'll

Fall, yes! The weather isn't cold enough yet, but I'm willing it to be autumn. My fam has always joked that I'm a librarian, where ever would they get that idea?

glasses: random ones from the shop
cardigan: gift from friend Jack
shirt: the Gap (in London!)
skirt: vintage from a thrift store here in Cedar
boots: BCBG from my sister :)

For the ambiance of the picture I buttoned my collar. If I'd thought harder I'd have worn my amber and wood chunky necklace and gold earrings.

Meanwhile look how thick my hair looks! CHOP CHOP!!!

New Dress: Stripes

I want to get one more dress made before I leave USF for the season. I also want o finish Little Women, use up my baking supplies, get my portfolio figured out for Korea, and get a good start on grad school communications.

But you just want to hear about the dress! I brought a couple of fabrics to Cedar, two of which I've had for probably 5 or 6 years just waiting for the perfect project and I've found it!

The stripe is going to be the dress with probably the neck edges etc piped in the blue. Here's what I found on Pinterest that made up my mind for me:

The stripes of the fabric are actually printed crosswise so the waist yoke'll be on grain, the bodice will be crosswise and I'm hoping I have enough yardage to get the skirt on the bias bc I LOVE matching chevrons a la Oscar de la Renta...

The neckline is up in the air, opinons? I think the dress will end up more summery than I want as I have probably one fall/winter dress, but oh well. I'm terrible with sleeves, but I could do a short straight sleeve with a blue cuff or something, or I could just do a short kimono...

 I'm also trying to decide what stripe variation I should do for the waist...(blogger flipped the photos, stripes will be horizontal)

normal

solid flowers

two flowers, one white

two flowers, one white, one flower etc

three flowers one white

Depending on the stripe choice I'll either have covered blue buttons or the print in a way that's unique, or I might just get really earthy wooden buttons or something. I'm super tempted to do bound buttonholes in the blue....

Let's see what this project ends up as!

Leopard Dress and Cross Over Party Dress

Alright! Here they are! The dresses I've told you about but which I've never actually shown you the finished products of...was that good English?

Anyway, both of these dresses have had their debut, but I was too lazy or whatever to take proper shots of them at said debuts.

 Leopard dress was originally opening night dress, but it got bumped for the 1940s crepe loveliness. Its debut was at the Masquerade Party which was I think much more appropriate. At the party I had a black domino mask and was super foxy, ask anyone. The foxiness does still come through w/o the mask though...

My cross over party dress was originally going to be a repro of a Balenciaga dress, but it was too expensive and I waited too long so I made this little beauty out of some fabric I brought with me. The dress is a basic two dart bodice with petal sleeves and a gathered and flared skirt. The neckline is what I like to think of as leotard neckline, so fetchingly scoopy in the back. I wore this to church today with a green cardigan, such a Sexy Sunday.

I love my cross over party dress because the shoulders and hip a-symmetry are fixed perfectly!

Overall the issues I have with both dresses are very minor. I'm getting better and better at this!

The Ruperts...

because I always get confused.

Graves

Everett

Evans

Grint

Friend

New bridal designs

I was talking to a friend recently ab my dream of having a bridal boutique in London and realized I haven't been designing in awhile! So here you go, I've been working hard. As always I'm not in love with them all, but there are a couple I could see myself in!

The first of course is my opening night dress as a wedding gown. I have very little to say about most of my bridal decisions as that's a long way off and I'm not a psycho, but I've thought for awhile that silk faille would be my fabric. The first dress makes me seriously consider silk crepe....

And yes, all of them have my body and some of them have my face.

Which do you like the best?

Official ball gown photos

These are the official photos of the ball gown I made for the beautiful and fantastic Elizabeth Telford in Les Mis, designed by Kevin Alberts. Wig styled by Brittany Hartman.

Time to get serious about this haircut

Ok, so as some of you may or may not know I've been growing my hair for 5 years to donate. I started with a pixie, so five years of growth and trims is going to get me about 13". The original plan was to cut my hair for my Tom Baker Doctor Who Halloween costume, buuuuuut...I'll be traveling on Halloween so that's waiting for next year, boo.

I was still going to lop off my hair in October, but as South Korea approaches I think it wise to wait until that is over seeing as traveling with hair product to maintain a bob is not conducive to happy Shelby. I can get my hair up and fabulous with three bobby pins (one if pressed) straight out of the shower. That's ideal for international travel.

So, mid November seems to be the new chopping date. Now, the style!!!

I'm so excited! I love planning major hair cuts, they're basically the only kind I get and I've been ACHING to have a real hair style again as I cut my hair to one length in April and it's killing me.

Right now I'm projecting having 13" if I cut to mid neck. I love bobs for my hair. The last time I had one I had no idea the natural finger wave potential of my hair...but now I do! So, we're going for a bob that I can finger wave naturally or with curlers. Here are some options for the cut and what I'm looking to grow it out to. I'm thinking I'll keep it neck to shoulder length for awhile. Ok, that was a lot of words, time for pictures!

I'm most excited for Sunday hair like this!

Don't tempt me...