Casablanca: 75th anniversary and timeless fashion inspiration

Today, the three-quarter century anniversary of the film Casablanca is a cinematic celebration around the world, commemorating its world premiere that took place back in November 26, 1942. Becoming one of the most beloved Hollywood classics, this romantic melodrama has transcended generations with its incredible settings, complex characters and fascinating storyline. Personally, this film ranks in my all-time top 5 favorites in no other than place number one.

Casablanca wasn't actually released until January 23rd of the following year. The film was nominated for eight awards at the 1943 Academy Awards, out of which it won three: "Best picture", "Best director" (Michael Curtiz), and "Best adapted screenplay" (Howard Koch & the Epstein brothers). Moreover, in 1998 the American Film Institute selected Casablanca as one of the movies in their "100 years, 100 films" list, featuring 100 of the greatest films of all time, and setting Casablanca in the second spot.

This film's plot perfectly combines action, drama, history and romance, taking us on an exotic voyage to the bewildering city of Casablanca. The characters have amazing personalities that entwine throughout the story, and you have pretty much everything you could expect from a movie: Beautiful scenery and costume design, good guys and bad guys, thrills and excitement, love scenes, scapegoats, a great soundtrack... You name it! The melody of "As time goes by" has been playing in my head all month long just thinking about those 75 years of the world being blessed with this movie.

While Rick Blaine is mysterious and captivating, it's easy to develop a love-hate relationship with his counterpart Ilsa Lund, essentially because of a frustrating feeling for what she did to Rick, and for how she approaches him throughout the film. However, she's still quite a charming woman, with an impeccable taste for fashion. Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish actress who portrays this character, did a wonderful job bringing Ilsa to life, but she was also able to deliver her a sense of elegance and poise. Not only are her outfits delicately chosen; (I'm surprised the film wasn't nominated for "Best costume design"); they are exquisitely flaunted by Bergman's enchanting figure. Below you can find a selection of Ilsa's beautiful wardrobe from several scenes pictured in Casablanca.

Taking her outfits as inspiration, and honoring one of my all-time favorite films, I put together a couple of ensembles to recreate Ilsa's divine and adorable looks. I am wearing a vintage white button-up blouse paired with a dark gray skirt and a black belt. I also added a head scarf, a gray-ish hat and a black trench coat (by Exotik) to complete the look and encompass a broader glance at her style. Also, following the black and white pure aesthetic of Casablanca, the photos were taken with B&W selective color. I've wanted to do a Casablanca homage since a long time ago, so what better moment to do it than today?

If you want to join the celebration of Casablanca's 75th anniversary, remember to tune TCM during November for TV screenings of this timeless film. If you haven't watched Casablanca yet, today's the day! I promise you won't regret it.

Come back later for more posts about fashion, crafts, and other curiosities! 

Cinderella goes back to her castle

"Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom..."

Lots of little girls dream about walking into Disney's Magic Kingdom, all dressed up as Cinderella, and live the story themselves by visiting the beautiful castle in the middle of the park. Sadly, we (grownups) are not allowed to enter the park in costume, but this time I decided to do something about it.

Right before the release of Disney's live-action Cinderella film, Hot Topic (always so avant-garde) presented a collection inspired by this romantic Disney classic. The collection consisted in five items: a peasant sweetheart dress, a striped knit top, a high-waisted skirt with graphics, a Victorian waistcoat, and of course, one of the garments was an adaptation of the iconic blue dress worn by Cinderella herself.

The dress has a marvelous construction. It has a semi-boned corset bodice (with a functional lace-up back) attached to quite a full skirt, which is lined with two layers of thick tulle. The light blue fabric is soft polyester sateen, delicately stitched with a shiny damask print that features two memorable details: the glass slipper and the pumpkin carriage. This garment is incredible soft and light, making it super comfortable to wear.

The dress also has two chiffon sleeves, which you can wear on or off-shoulder. The volume and movement of this dress make you feel like you're sporting your very own small version of Cinderella's exquisite ball gown. Naturally, strolling around Cinderella's castle and Fantasyland's attractions was a must for this outfit.

Nowadays it has been discontinued, and it's only available in plus size.

Undoubtedly, this has been one of my best catches from this store. Hot Topic has been among the top 5 in my "favorite stores ranking" since a very, very long time ago. They have such a magnificent array of merchandise, but this particular dress definitely raised the bar!

My next stop is Hot Topic's Belle Ball Gown, inspired by the new live-action film Beauty and the Beast.

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Did you know? #1: The Great Movie Ride

Lights, Camera, Action!

A glamorous Hollywood marquee awaits guests inside

For all of those film enthusiasts who live wishing they could recreate some of their favorite moments from the motion picture history; this is definitely the ride for you.

Located at the Disney's Hollywood Studios (originally named MGM Studios; which was changed in early 2008), The Great Movie Ride was opened to the public on May 1st, 1989. The ride's exterior was built to resemble Hollywood Boulevard's famous Graumann's Chinese Theatre. Once inside, guests can appreciate real movie costumes and props displayed throughout the queue line in glass cases. They can also enjoy a looped video featuring extracts from several classic film trailers, which is projected in a small movie theater right before stepping into the carts. After enjoying the few film displays, guests are loaded into vehicles (with capacity for 34 people) driven by a cast member who will guide everyone through a memorable Hollywood film trip.

The original Great Movie Ride poster read "A spectacular journey into the movies", which is exactly what this wonderful attraction delivers to its many guests. Featuring scenes from movies such as Footlight Parade, George Of The Jungle, Mary Poppins and other huge classics, this 22-minute interactive ride sums up a true history of motion pictures in a fun and adventurous way.

Gene Kelly sings Singin' In The Rain on a light post

In addition to this, Disney has recently announced that the Great Movie Ride will be getting a revamp powered by the new partnership between Walt Disney World and Turner Classic Movies, which means TCM will be sponsoring the ride and financing the update. This could mean the removal or replacing of some of the film scenes pictured through the attraction. On the other hand, the queue line will be upgraded with digital content and several other treats. The new and improved ride is expected to be ready by spring of 2015. You can read more about it HERE.

Although I don't want to spoil the ride for those who haven't been on it, here's a link to a video showcasing the whole attraction from a POV in case you don't get to ride it before the upcoming renewal: Disney's: The Great Movie Ride.

You can also learn more about this ride visiting the DisneyWiki page.