Happy Birthday Audrey!

The very lovely Audrey Hepburn would have turned 85 today. Those who know me well also know that I've had a soft spot for everything "Old Hollywood" since I was a little girl. On Sundays I would watch the 4 o'clock matinée with my parents and the first movie I remember seeing was "Roman Holiday." The story line and the Hollywood universe impressed me so that I recorded the experience in my journal. I was 9 years old!! So today it's only right to raise a glass for this lady extraordinaire who bedazzled us with her looks, style and kindness. 

As someone who likes to travel to see exhibits featuring certain Hollywood ladies I had the pleasure of seeing two exhibits about Audrey Hepburn in respectively Berlin (2009) and Rome (2011) curated by her sons Sean and Luca Ferrer which made them very personal and touching. It was a joy to get a peek inside her life and see her personal belongings alongside her Givenchy creations which have become legends on their own (red coat and black dresses from Breakfast at Tiffany's, mod dresses from the 60ties, large sunglasses etc.) You weren't supposed to take pictures - so of course I did! :-)

She lived an extraordinary life, though way too short, and she was the epitome of class that you rarely see today. 

 

Poster for the exhibit "Audrey in Rome" 2011

Weekend Inspiration #26

It's Spring - finally!!!

The city is blooming and shaking it's old feathers - and so am I for I have longed for warm weather so badly and now it's finally here. I find myself being quite appreciative of the small things these days getting many smiles from passers by. I don't know what it is but spring does something to people.

Visiting Milliner Susanne Juul

Today I ventured out to get my first soft-ice of the season and my walk brought me to "Bredgade" which is quite a grandiose and impressive street boasting magnificent buildings, mansions, churches (the Russian Church among others) and squares. Besides the architectural splendor you'll find art galleries, art- and antique dealers and Danish design furniture shops. And then there is the shop of milliner Susanne Juul. Susanne Juul is very respected in the Danish design industry as she is one of the last milliners left in the country still in business.  

It was actually her knitted hats that caught my eye so I had to peek inside. Besides me and the sales lady, a woman was trying on head pieces and I must admit the atmosphere and the simple, yet very elegant setting intrigued me. "Nothing bad can happen to you at Tiffany's" says Holly Golightly and this is exactly the same feeling I had in that shop, too. I tried on the knitted hat in a bright burned orange (mildly annoyed it wasn't fall so I could wear it right away) and to my enjoyment the sales lady promptly adjusted it so I sat just right!! I mean, you don't enter a bonafide milliner's shop for nothing. 

We all started talking as I, without shame, looked in upon the woman trying on the head pieces. All of a sudden the very kind sales lady, who had an air of joie de vivre about her, said to us "come on, let's go in the next room and try on some hats" and so we did - and I was once again reminded of why quality exceeds quantity and that I must dare to take a few style risks in my life. I also learned we all have hat heads but it's about finding that exact hat which both fit the shape of your head and face, match your personality and thus compliment your overall style without making you stand out in a weird way. 

I loved what followed - trying on hats, hearing about the trade and how Susanne Juul makes the hats, why women in the 40ties wore smaller hats (there was shortage on fabric due to the war so women's hats were made of men's old hats. They would be worn out when brought to the milliner so the only fabric usable was the crown of the hat and thus the style of the women's hats became smaller.) Susanne Juul works with both wooden and metallic molds. The metallic molds she uses today are original ones used during WWII as wood was used solely to fire up.  

I was surprised to learn that the "conservative" looking hats do nothing for me whereas the "daring" ones with bended brims and dramatic shapes in material like leopard, fur or felt works really well. But the winner was definitely "kasketten" - the Cap - made in a light woolen fabric with green, yellow and navy blue sparks. I LOVED it and felt very comfortable because it did just that: complimented my personality without making me feel awkward. 

I am going back to get it!

Milliner Susanne Juul