Those Movie Moments

Because it’s Academy Awards time, I’ve got Oscar’s fashion and movie magic on my mind. Today, I’m talking about the fashionable moments on film and television, The Carrie Bradshaw Moment or the Pretty Woman Effect, whatever you want to call it, seared into our collective minds and hearts. Like when Carrie Bradshaw lived out all of our romantic notions of what Parisian life should be in Chanel tweeds, stripes and mounds of tulle. Or, when Julia Roberts’ Vivian made them all eat their words, and preconceived notions, in a gold-button suit-dress, and then again in that iconic red, floor-grazing gown; a 360-degree fashionable turn, worthy of Rodeo Drive and Richard Gere’s heart.

While the fairytales and stories we grew up with where the girl’s ultimate quest is to get the guy may not be very 2019, (lets not mention turning prostitution into something glam), the storylines and images make their mark less for their clear depiction of the world we live in, but win out in our minds for the shots they take at escapism, wish-fullfillment and a world that is superficially, well, a little more fun. We continually borrow from the movies in fashion-magazine spreads and see the pages of Vogue play out in films like SATC and The Devil Wears Prada, in a cycle where one clearly informs the other. So why not borrow a little sartorial movie magic into our lives and wardrobes? Life imitating art. It’s a tale as old as time, Beauty.

But what if we took these fashionable dream sequences to make something bigger happen for ourselves? You may have always had some version of the Cinderella story for your wedding day. And now you may get FOMO from the highlight reels shown on Instagram. But if you’re like me, just a regular single girl, you may wonder if you’re fashion fantasy will ever come true. So, it begs the question one should always ask oneself about all of life’s moments we are waiting on: why not make them happen yourself? I moved to Los Angeles after experiencing a lot of personal loss to finally live out some dreams as a creative and start my own business.

For me, and many, Los Angeles not only represents moviemaking magic with all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, but also a place you journey to where dreams can happen. (Read more on my journey and how the city inspires me here.) Starting my style blog in Los Angeles has been a personal achievement for me professionally, creatively and even spiritually, if you want to call it that. I’ve found the confidence and tools to turn desires into real-life experiences.

How? I often talk about Artfully’s mission to show you how fashion can inspire us in big ways and recently talked about how it allows me to express myself in powerful ways. My desires to work in fashion, perform, act, write and make art, all happens during shoots, through styling the clothes, choosing themes and an editorial point of view and writing about the clothes and the process. In short, what I realized in the process is that this blog and fashion was helping me to live out my dreams. I now believe fashion is a tool to see yourself in a new light and shape-shift your reality. It brought me to California to live out my dreams and create new ones, some still to be realized. That’s what I want for you. To dream big, chase those dreams and manifest them into real-life scenarios.

So, why am I wearing what is essentially a wedding dress just off of Rodeo Drive in the real-life Beverly Hills? Is it because I wanted to know what movie-magic feels like? Because I want to create a blog that is high-fashion and editorial? Because moving 3000 miles to know what creating here feels like has always been a dream? Because I want to share the creativity behind styling a head-to-look worthy of magazine spreads with clothing made of the finest materials to make an artistic statement with a message behind it to inspire others? Definitely, maybe. 😉 How about yes, yes, a thousand times yes, to all of it.

I’m not saying go out and buy a Marchesa gown or drop your paycheck on Jimmy Choos. But to think about what you want and how your clothes can practically help you feel how you want to feel. Start small and think actionable steps. Borrow from Carrie, or Charlotte or Samantha, not to live out some “type” of other self but to access other parts of yourself you want to express.

If you want to go to Paris, you can for a day, with your outfit, like I did here. Or, start weaving French style into your wardrobe as you take a few months to plan an itinerary, or pack a suitcase full of Breton Stripes tees, ballerina flats and take the next red-eye. Slowly your life can start looking like just how you want it to on a deeper level. It’s a metaphor to try on something bigger than you thought was possible. A role perhaps you’ve always felt destined to play but not sure how to make it happen. So make some movie magic, make some art. Try it in on, see how it feels.