Happy Weekend!

Hooray for the weekend! Hope you've had a fun week and have said goodbye to the January blues. My week started off with a fun brunch with a friend, and was majorly productive in many ways! My weekend will be spent working on several big projects and watching the first games of the Six Nations!

Whatever your plans are this weekend, here are some interesting links for you check out!

Styling your Valentine's Day table: I'm really excited to be contributing to the Lorfords blog. I hope you'll check out my first post with tips on how to style your table for Valentine's Day!

Is imposter syndrome a sign of greatness?: a fascinating article focusing on the imposter syndrome. Many of us suffer from this, but is it a sign of greatness?

How well do you know The Parent Trap? this movie! I used to watch it on repeat when I was younger. Definitely a quiz for the real fans amongst us!

Rear Window in miniature

Rear Window is one of my absolute favorite films, and one which I probably rewatch every other month!

I always get that 'Rear Window' feeling when I'm in New York, and even in other cities (notably Toronto) when you're looking out on the world and people going about their daily business all from the security of one room.

So you can imagine my delight when I learnt that Hitchcock's Rear Window had been made into a prize winning installation by D. Thomas Fine Miniatures! Renowed anthropologist and artist Louise Krasniewicz created the replica of the main movie set in 1/12th scale for inclusion in 'Celebrating the Movies' at the 2015 Philadelphia FlowerShow. Her creation achieved First Place and Best of Show, and it is on display until November 25th 2015 at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in Hastings-on-Hudson.

Every fine detail of the movie set is present from the lonely woman's dinner party to the precarious ladders Lisa (Grace Kelly) climbs up to find out the truth about the man in the apartment opposite. It's like stepping into a different world, albeit one which you may be very familiar with if you're a fan like me!

Louise Krasniewicz

For further details on the Rear Window miniature visit Louise's website.

W.E.

The story of Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII has always fascinated me. Power, passion and scandal, there are many layers to this tale that will never be forgotten.

I recently rewatched W.E., the 2011 film directed by Madonna. Dissatisfied with the way her own life is playing out, New York-based Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) becomes obsessed with the romance between American divorcee Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough) and England's Edward VIII (James D'Arcy) when Sotheby's holds an auction of the royal couple's belongings. Wally is especially drawn to Wallis' side of the story, and as certain events transpire in her life, the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur.

The film captures your attention from the get-go, and it has reignited my interest in the auctions of the Duke and the Duchess of Windsor that were legendary. Almost all of their items were purchased for way above their asking price, and each had a special tale to tell. Interestingly, in the movie, Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels provide reproduction pieces of some of these iconic pieces, and some of Madonna's own jewels are also used.

The film is like my dream world for everything fashion. From the amazing Schiaparelli evening gowns downed by Simpson, to the sensible workwear attire of Winthrop, almost every costume dream is covered. I could spend all day looking at the various jewels, handbags and shoes! The set design too is amazing, and I love how the auction was recreated to the finest detail- what I would have given to have viewed the items in person!

Whilst the film scored some pretty rotten reviews, I really enjoyed this piece of cinematic history. Don't let the words of critics put you off, give it a try and immerse yourself in the world of Wallis and Edward.

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The Magical World of Harry Potter

Earlier this week I took a trip to London to visit the Warner Bros Studios and the magical world of Harry Potter! It was certainly worth the 2.5 hour journey and was pretty much a look back at one of the highlights of my childhood.

Top tips for your visit:

• get there early for when it opens or two hours before it closes.
• fun to try Butterbeer but really not worth the price. (£4 for a small cup, and £5 for an ice cream!)
• if you are hitting the gift shop, pick a budget and stick to it. Some of the items are quite pricey.

Check out some of my photos below.

The amazing model of Hogwarts- it fills a whole room!

The super fun Diagon Alley.

Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore costumes.

Harry and the gang.

A sea of pink.

The stunning glass drinks table from the Winter Ball.

At the gates of Hogwarts!

Check out all my photos here.

What is friendship?

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A few nights ago I re-watched The Women. Based on the hit play written by Clare Boothe Luce and the 1939 movie, this version from 2008 follows Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) as she learns her husband is cheating on her, and the reactions and support from her group of friends. This movie is fun to watch and has a great cast, great clothes plus gorgeous locations across New York and Connecticut.

The group of four friends form the strongest part of the film, and their relationship got me thinking about the friendships in my own life.

I'm closest to my friends with which I have the most in common, whether it be professional interests or the same tastes in culture. You'd like to think that friendships can and will stand the test of time, but in reality, this doesn't happen. As life moves on and new challenges appear, friendships can fizzle out and simply disappear. I think we've all experienced this situation, and how you deal with it and move on will make you stronger.

I have friends that are my own age- ones that I was in high school with or met in university. I also have friends who are a little older than me and these are perhaps my strongest friendships. They're the people that I turn to for advice, a second opinion, and importantly laughter.

For me, a real friendship is with someone who you may not see for months or even years, and you just pick up where you left off. When I catch up with my friends on the other side of the Atlantic it's just like we were hanging out yesterday.

What's evident from The Women is the different types of friendships that the characters formed at the different stages of their lives and careers. The strongest friendship is that between Mary and Sylvie (Annette Bening.) It's not forced, it's fun and even when a big disagreement separates them, they get back in touch with other. Whilst there are some friendships that I don't wish to rekindle, this dynamic has brought me the benefit of hindsight and how you can only learn through experience.

Have you seen The Women? What do you think of the friendships portrayed in the film? Has a movie made you think about the friendships in your life? Let me know in the comments. 

The Gone Girl House

I first read Gone Girl last year. The story gripped me from beginning to end, and like many fans, I was excited when I heard it would be made into a movie.

I watched the film a few night's ago, and was impressed with what I saw. Whilst you can't fail to be hooked by the story, I was really taken with the Elliott-Dunne house! Dubbed a 'McMansion' by many, the house is quintessentially American. The exterior is actually located in Missouri, whilst the interior was built on a sound stage in Los Angeles.

The designers took the complete floor plan of the house on location, and adjusted it for the story and the camera angles. The decor is muted tones of beige (perfectly echoing the dark tones of the plot,) and the characters clothes also reflect this side of the story.

Whilst some people may say 'there's no color' I actually really love this elegant style of decor, and everything looked pretty perfect- especially the walk in wardrobe!

Have you seen Gone Girl? What do you think of the Elliott-Dunne house? Let me know in the comments!

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Grace of Monaco

Biopics are one of my favourite types of films, so I was really looking forward to watching Grace of Monaco. Starring Nicole Kidman, the film focuses on Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity as Princess of Monaco during the dispute with President Charles de Gaulle in 1962. It also reveals her struggle whilst considering a return to acting in Hitchcock's 'Marnie.'

Whilst the film was interesting, it was at times slow, and it has not been received well by Kelly's children, who criticised the script as 'glamourised and historically inaccurate.' Kidman was good in this role, and the scenery, set decoration and costumes were brilliant. It was also great to see Robert Lindsay reprise his role as Aristotle Onassis, and see many 'legends' of the era brought to life on the screen.

The film is worth a watch, and got me to dig out my books about Grace Kelly! (She was so glamorous!) Check out my Pinterest board dedicated to her role as a style icon!

Follow Laura-Emily Dunn's board Grace Kelly on Pinterest.