Category: fashion

Movie inspiration: Makeup from the “Flowers of War”

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I’m not very political.  Well, not from being shamefully ignorant of current everyday world matters, but by choice.  I am individualistic, and things that move me are personal and internal.  But I recently watched a movie called The Flowers of War, which came out in 2011 about the atrocity that was the Japanese occupation of China in 1937 during WWII in the city Nanking. There was a lot of violence and rape during this invasion, and the Japanese Imperial Army was painted as sub-human, and most heinous in this movie, attacking the innocent civilian women of China with dehumanizing rape and murder. Any female was a target, even school children… The premise of the movie is that women from the two most farthest social groups: school girls 13 years of age and prostitutes from the red light district, are thrust together while hiding out in a Swiss Catholic Cathedral, trying to keep their lives, while being led and aided by an American posing to be a priest.  It’s based on terrible events, but one that needs to be heard.  My family background is Chinese, and it hurts me deeply to learn about how savage the attack was on the city of Nanking.  Without putting too much blame on the Japanese, I still can’t believe how one Asian nation can rape and pillage another Asian nation with such ferocity and dis-compassion.  I will forever be scarred knowing this war actually happened.

But politics aside, I really loved the fashion and make-up in this movie. The actresses playing the prostitutes in this film really “brought it” in terms of vintage Chinese make-up and fashion.  The times were sad, but the visual feel of these glamorous women were not.  If Western culture is guilty of objectifying and overly feminizing Eastern cultures in the past, this movie totally justifies it.  So many beautiful Chinese actresses, so much wonderful fashion and make up looks.  I examined the looks in this movie and was inspired to create my own modern day Chinese prostitute make-up to beguile and enchant here in present day North America.

The hookers were well spoken and smart in this movie, without sacrificing their femininity.
The hookers were well spoken and smart in this movie, without sacrificing their femininity.  Look at their gorgeous make-up palette!  Minimal, but so striking.
Ni Ni as Yu Mo in The Flowers of War (2011).
Nothing dreary about the colourful fashion of the times. The star actress Ni Ni wears this vintage dress with the confidence only a real lady can possess.

How I made my version of the look:

1.  Thin eyebrows. Vintage Chinese make-up had the thinnest eyebrows possible, lined to perfection.  Update it by perfectly grooming your brows, a bit on the skinny side.  Not a hair should be out of place.  Line and fill with brow shadow.

2.  Thin and exaggerated black liquid liner on the top eyelid.  Make it fluid, make it thin and as pointed high as you can go, without looking too pronounced or prostitute like.  After all, we want to be inspired, but we don’t want to look like a 1940’s hooker.

3. Lightly line the bottom eyelid or skip altogether.  I still want to line the bottom, even though in the movie, the bottom eyelid looked bare and bright.  I think bottom lining is important to make your eyes pop.  But lightly line so that the star of the show is the top lid’s liquid liner.

4.  Minimalist eye shadow.  This is important…because the star of this make-up is the exaggerated liquid liner, the eye shadow should be barely noticeable, but still important, to create a look of polished elegance.  I used a slightly tan shadow on my top lids to give warmth while staying true to this vintage look.

5.  Red, red lipstick. Or tinted red lip balm.  Whatever you are comfy with!

6.  What do you think?

This is my take on this movie inspired make-up.  Not as amazingly stunning as Ni Ni’s, but passably pretty for day to day?

My mother had 30 pairs of black pumps…the obsession continues…

~ Emmie Reve ~ 2 Comments

Women and shoes.   Forever together, forever a slave to each other yet a fashion MUST–is this a good thing?  I myself try hard to stay away from obsessing over this fashion item.  I mean, I like shoes, but I don’t own fifty pairs of them, that’s for sure.  There is something about fussing over shoes that connotes a certain feminine shallowness about it.   I understand women’s interest in finding great footwear, but throughout my life, I have always fought its grip to be able to be seen as a thinking, creative woman (maybe even for feminist reasons).  Why should we justify spending half of our paychecks on a fashion item that on most days, is not practical enough to wear?

Take from culture: Carrie, a character from the tv show Sex and the City.  She was a role-model I had during my late twenties.  An independent urban spirit with a designer shoe addiction, Carrie was still able to hold her own; career-wise as a writer, and socially with her group of friends.  This is only on tv, but then I see how girl friends of mine collect shoes, and remember how my own mother had around 30 pairs of similar looking black pumps, and I wonder now if this image of women finding self-esteem and worth from fabulous footwear is actually closer to reality than I thought.

Carrie Bradshaw is considered a fashion icon in terms of heeled designer glam. But she paid steeply for it in many ways...
Carrie Bradshaw is considered a fashion icon in terms of heeled designer glam. But she paid steeply for it in many ways…

On this note, I have a pair of black stiletto pumps that I have been trying to “break in” for a year now.  Why do high heels have to be such a pain to wear?  It’s not my first pair of heels, but this is my first stiletto pump.  I’m used to clunky heels on boots, but stiletto pumps are a totally different animal.  Buy pumps with room for your toes and the back heel slides off.  Get a pair that are tight, and your toes feel like they are being murdered when you walk.  I got a size smaller because the salesman said that leather only gets bigger when it stretches, and the smaller size was the only one that didn’t lift in the heel when I walked.  He said I would have to break them in…and that was a year ago.  Til recently, these pumps have mocked me when I looked at them, they were so difficult to break in.

These pumps nearly killed me. They hurt so bad in the toe area. They are about a three inch heel!
These pumps nearly killed me. They hurt so bad in the toe area. They are about a four inch heel!

And guess what?  I actually conquered them! It took me a week of pain, but when the event I wanted them for came, I wore them all night beautifully, without any pain at all, and they went great with my outfit.  I must say black pointy pumps are a fashion staple.  But have I been converted to a shoe junkie?  Do I see shoes as an obsessesion worthy piece of fashion?  Well, let’s just say I’m now a slight believer, yet I still advocate for a modest shoe collection, if possible!

How I broke in my leather pumps:

1. It is true, leather stretches.  Which means getting a pair of pumps with space to move can be more hazardous to wear when it stretches and keeps slipping off your feet.  You can buy heel huggers, but they only work on tight heels anyways…so buy a snug size, and try to break them in yourself.

2.  What I did was use rubbing alcohol on the shoes.  I applied it many times with a cotton swab, inside and out. And them I wore them around the house to stretch them.  This was probably the most uncomfortable part of breaking them in.  It took me several days of doing this at night time whenever I was home.

3.  Condition and re-condition with coconut oil:  I noticed when leather is “dry”, it doesn’t keep it’s stretch.  So after using rubbing alcohol on the shoes to stretch it, unwind the leather by applying a bit of oil on a cotton swab all over the shoes.  Consesquently, you can also focus on areas that are still too tight, like I did with the toe box.  Mine were still too tight, so I repeated steps 2 and 3 a few times over the course of a week.

4.  Wear them outside for a practice run:  Bring back up shoes in case they irritate you in a way you didn’t expect them to while out.  I test ran my pumps while having lunch with some friends.  It was a good idea, because apparently, I had to practice walking in stilettos.  It is as hard as it looks! I had nearly wiped out twice! 🙂  But all in all, enjoy your great shoes, but don’t obsess!

 

Spring floral prints are in…

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I hear a lot about prints these days in fashion.  Whether it is on the runway, or on the street, everyone knows that wearing them instantly make a statement about who you are.  Leopard prints, cat prints, polka dot and graphic prints…it’s exciting, that’s for sure.  But I’ve always had a soft spot for floral prints.  Floral clothing are feminine, without being “sissy” or overly girly.  Easy and pretty, being funky without trying too hard.  And they imbue a certain youthful vibe about them.  Certainly wearing a tasteful floral printed dress screams spring, and with that season fast approaching (thank goodness winter is on it’s way out), there is no excuse to not sport one item of clothing in this print.  Let’s celebrate nature, the return of the sun, in the most obvious way…a flowery tribute to the pagan earth gods that allowed this return!

Even if you’re not a pagan, it seems these days, a lot of stores are peddling florals.  From jackets, to skirts, leggings to dresses, purses and wallets, everything has some pop of petals and colour.  I wanted to highlight a few items that are in my wardrobe, that happen to be floral and show some of the ways I wear this busy and in demand print.

After a whole winter of bundling up and wearing thick boyish pants, it’s so nice to shed it all off and reveal a more girly side.  So in comes my sweet skater dress!  (pictured below) The print is a bit different than other florals, because the flowers are big and cool tones of purple and blue green.  A little twist from pink or red florals.  I call this cut of style a “skater dress”…I don’t know, but I read on another site about how certain dresses make you feel like an figure skater.  This one with it’s fit and flare, and high collar does that for me!

This dress is a "skater" dress. High collar with an open back and flow-y short skirt!
This dress is a “skater” dress. High collar with an open back and flow-y short skirt!

Now to go from an athletic open back dress, to a romantic and nostalgic long skirt.  I got this really long skirt from Forever 21 (below).  Long skirts are very in right now, but this one caught my eye because of the cut, (billowy and frilly), and also the floral panel insert that gives it an extra feminine and vintage vibe.  This is a great way to wear florals, because if this print was the whole skirt, it would be garden-y over kill!  I was almost too short for this floor touching length, but I pulled it off.  Pair the skirt with cute chunky heels, the length will be perfect.  This is the only way to wear long dresses or skirts during this trend.  It has to be very long, almost to the floor!

bohemian feel and frills keeps this long skirt from looking too matronly!
a bohemian feel and frills keeps this long skirt from looking too matronly!

What are your favourite ways to wear floral prints?  What spring trends have caught your eye this year?