Required Reading

The fall season is synonymous with the word new -- new entries in theatre and film,  television and of course, the September fashion issues that weigh more than Oliver, my Maine Coon cat. And it also means new books. Below are a few of my movie-related must reads and be sure and scroll down to Bookperk for a few book related goodies. Now turn off CSI or the Housewives of Beverly Hills and read a book. And don't forget to Tivo.

Movies From the Silent Classics of the Silver Screen to the Digital and 3-D Era
Phillip Kemp
Universe
October 4, 2011

1,000 stills can be found in this illustrated book making it the ultimate cinephile's delight (that would be me). The book traces the evolution of cinema from the Golden Age to film noir to 3-D and films of every genre. Can't wait to order here on Amazon.

Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Official 50th Anniversary Companion
Sarah Gristwood with foreword by Hubert de Givenchy
Rizzoli
September

Has it really been 50 years? And does it get any better than this? And will I ever hear Moon River or see Cat being tossed out of the cab without crying? Enough said.

This book has it all - behind the scenes photos, costumes, script, poster art and everything for the ultimate fan of this timeless classic. Available now on Amazon.

Then Again
Diane Keaton
Random House
November 15th

Not just the typical star biography, Diane Keaton's memoir includes the story of her loving yet complicated mother Dorothy Hall. The Academy Award winning actress of Annie Hall, Something's Gotta Give and Reds fame (just to name a few) culled through Dorothy's eighty five journals for a portrait of mom, daughter and an American family that spans four generations and the lessons learned. You can pre-order on Amazon here. And no word yet if she spills the beans on Woody Allen or Warren Beatty.

The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History
Gregory Paul Williams
BL Press
October 1st

800 vintage photographs from the author's personal collection accompany the stories of   stars and the land of broken dreams and how Hollywood transformed and revolutionized society with the entertainment business. Available on Amazon.

The Garner Files
James Garner and Jon Winokur
Simon & Schuster
November lst

For those of you too young to remember, James Garner was the Robert Pattinson of his generation. He shared the screen with everyone from Doris Day (Thrill of It All and Move Over Darling), Steve McQueen (The Great Escape), Julie Andrews (Victor, Victoria)  and enjoyed a long run on the small screen in Maverick and The Rockford Files. Devastatingly handsome, he was and is one of the nicest people in Hollywood. His bio is available on Amazon.

Spencer Tracy: A Biography
James Curtis
Knopf
October 1st

The bio of one of the cinema's most prolific actors covers his twenty six year partnership on and off the screen with Katherine Hepburn and his work from Broadway to Inherit the Wind, Boys Town, Woman of the Year, Captains Courageous and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Available on Amazon. And quite a cool cover.

Harry Potter: Page to Screen - The Compete Filmmaking Journey
Bob McCabe
Harper Design
October 25th

For those of us who cannot get enough of all the machinations of Hogwart's and everything Harry Potter, it's all here. Behind the scenes stories and the artistry of the making of the Harry Potter series is featured in this 500 plus page compendium. Many images are never before seen photographs from closed film sets. You can pre-order here on Amazon.

From the clever marketing department at Harper Collins (and my publisher I might add) comes Bookperk, a site that offers all sorts of books (many of them autographed) with perks in the form of merchandise and sold in a timely flash sale fashion. Below are a few of the items on sale:

What's Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak was made into a movie that premieres on Friday, September 30th. Purchase by October 4th and receive a free signed poster by actress Ana Farris.

In this economy, it may be the only/last Chanel bag you own/buy. Tote bag available with purchase of Justine Picardie's book Coco Chanel: The Legend and The Life. Available through October 3rd here.

Fans of Susan Lucci and/or mourners of the deceased soap All My Children will want to jump on this deal immediately -- an autographed copy of Susan Lucci's All My Life: A Memoir by La Lucci herself. The deal expires October 7th and you can purchase here.

You can sign up for Bookperks newsletter and see more deals at their website.
Happy Reading!

Photo Credits: Rizzoli, Harper Collins, Harper Design, Simon & Schuster, BL Press, Random House

Cinema Style Christmas Wishlist

Dear Santa,

While a trip to St. Barth's, world peace, tickets to this week's Paul McCartney concert on Sirius, a leopard Valentino bag and film festival tickets would be wonderful in my stocking, the following is a list any stylish film buff would be happy to receive:

The Audrey Hepburn Muse Collection

Seven of Hepburn's best films including Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, Paris When It Sizzles, War and Peace and Funny Face highlight some of the best fashion moments in her career. Available for 70.99 on Amazon.

All Posters

A great site for unique film posters -- think instant art for the wall. You can see the collection at allposters.com. I love the different take on Sunset Boulevard.

100 remastered top hits from obscure films -- and I bet you never knew Billy Paul's Me and Mrs. Jones was from the film Beautiful Girls. MP3's available from Amazon for a mere 0.99 here.

Movie Posters 2011 (Universe Publishing)

Twelve iconic films from the National Film Registry from Blazing Saddles and The Graduate to Sabrina and A Night at the Opera. It beats a year of cute puppies anytime. 12. 59 on Amazon.

Columbia Best Picture Collection

It's all here -- 11 Best Picture winners including Kramer versus Kramer, Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and It Happened One Night. 65.99 on Amazon.

Scene-It

Bored with Scrabble? Try this interactive film game where you watch film clips, test your knowledge and perhaps humiliate yourself at parties. 18.49 at Amazon.


Bob Willoughby's Audrey Hepburn Photographs 1953-1966

If money is no object, Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby's collector's edition of "The Tiffany Princess in a Little Black Dress" is wonderful. Behind the scene shots from Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady and many more. And only 700.00:) Available from Taschen.

Happy Shopping!

Photo Credits: Twentieth Century Fox, All Posters, Taschen

Edith Head, Fashion Icon

Long before Fashion Week, Project Runway and designers ordained as rock stars, there was Edith Head.

Head enjoyed a lustrous career  as a costume designer in Hollywood, designing wardrobes for over fifty years. She began her career as a sketch girl at Paramount in l924 (where she stayed for 44 years) and on to Universal Pictures where she remained until her death. At a time of male domination in Hollywood, she became the first design head. Nominated 35 times for the Academy Award and winning a record eight times, it's often said "Gowns by Edith Head" is one of the most noted screen credits in movie history (a record of 1100 films). She also is noted for one of my favorite Hollywood quotes, "I have yet to see one completely unspoiled star, except for Lassie."

A favorite of A list stars Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, Head designed for films such as Sunset Boulevard, Vertigo, Marnie, All About Eve, A Place in the Sun, Roman Holiday, To Catch a Thief, Funny Face, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Sabrina...and the list goes on. A favorite of Alfred Hitchcock, the director played an integral role on costume development. Head notes, "He has a complete phobia about what he calls 'eye-catchers,' like a scene with a woman in bright purple or a man in an orange suit. Unless there is a story reason for a color, we keep the colors muted because Hitchcock believes they an detract from an important action scene."

Sketch for Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief and finished product below

Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief

Sketches  for Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

Natalie Wood in Inside Daisy Clover

Sketch for Dorothy Lamour in Road to Bali

Her large blue lens glasses, Dutch boy haircut and tailored suits became her trademark (critics often wrote it disguised her age) and a look adapted for modern times by certain fashion editors. Head's later years found her writing books (The Dress Doctor and How to Dress for Success) and as a fashion commentator on The Art Linkletter Show. Her last film was the Steve Martin 1981 comedy Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and Bette Davis gave the eulogy at her funeral.  All very fitting.

Sketch for Bette Davis in All About Eve

For more on her extraordinary career, I recommend the following books. Also check out the website Silver Screen Modiste for more on Hollywood costume designers.

Coming soon--Edith Head: The Fifty Year Career of
Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer by Jay Jorgensen
Available for pre-order here

Edith Head's Hollywood by Edith Head and Paddy Calisto
Available on Amazon

Photo credits: Universal Pictures, Silver Screen Modiste, Edith Head's Hollywood 2,

The Hollywood Collection

I wanted to share with you Trowbridge Gallery's limited edition photographs called The Hollywood Collection. Black and white archival photos of none other than Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Newman, Cary Grant, The Rat Pack and Fred Astaire just to name a few. 

Marilyn Monroe of course

Cary Grant in the Rain

Audrey Hepburn at Golf

                                                                        Grace Kelly

                                        
                                                                      The Rat Pack

And speaking of Fred Astaire, I always think of his dance number for the film Holiday Inn when I think of the fourth of July. Happy Fourth!

Photo Credits: Trowbridge Gallery

Sixties Cinema Style: Lisa Perry

One of my favorite fashion designers is Lisa Perry. Her look is contemporary yet Jackie O with a twist and reminds me of one of my all time favorite design periods in film history, the sixties.

It's as if Perry channelled Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn,  a touch of Julie Christie in Darling (1965), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)  and a dash of Faye Dunaway in Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Her interiors and color palette personify sixties mod in every sense of the word and notes people often remarked  "This is where Barbarella meets Austin Powers" of her 2002 NYC apartment.

Perry's Dining Room interior, 2002

Perry's beachfront house, present day

Simple yet bold colors are the hallmarks of a Perry interior

Her sixties inspired room complete with shag circular carpet

 Saarinen inspired sets from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey

The Chicago native is said to be an aficionado and collector of sixties vintage couture (particularly Courreges, the iconic designer whose look was a mix of couture and sci fi) and grew up in a house filled with Saarinen and Marimekko. Schooled in textile technology -- and no doubt osmosis as her family owned a textile company --  the fashion designer has completely modernized the crisp primary colors and three dimensional shapes of the sixties into a timeless collection for our closets as well as our homes. 

Perry's  Block dress

and Op Art A line from the 2009 collection

Style icon and legendary actress Audrey Hepburn

Givenchy's sketches for Hepburn in Charade (1963)

Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Doris Day and Rock Hudson in Pillow Talk (1959)

Julie Christie on set with director

John Schlesinger in Darling (1965)

Perry's flagship store in New York's Soho

For more on Lisa Perry, check out her website here.

Photo Credits: Lisa Perry, Vogue Living Houses Gardens People, Margaret Herrick Library, 

MGM, United Artists.