Last night I did something I’d never done before…I wore a 20s dress.  Why? Because I had one, and I was going to The Great Gatsby.  More on that later…right now, let’s just focus on my amazing thrifted 20s silk velvet gown.

I don’t do the 20s for a several reasons… one being that it’s far too scarce and thus expensive.  The other being I simply do not find the cuts and styles flattering on me.  Even this dress, as elegant as it is, I don’t care for all that much.  I simply dislike the lack of shape that the 1920s produced.  However, even with that being said, I am by no means going to get rid of this beauty.

And now maybe the topic a lot of you have been waiting for…the film itself.  Director Baz Luhrmann has been under a lot of fire lately from the vintage community regarding the film.  People are up in arms over the costumes and the music.  Calling the costumes horrifically inaccurate and the music (which features artists such as Jay-Z and Jack White) disrespectful.  I don’t care, and nor should you.  Why?  Because it’s Baz Luhrmann.  Luhrmann has only five, count ‘em, five major motion pictures under his belt and they are all the same. And by that I mean they are all in the same vein of each other, which is a hyper-stylized depiction of the time and events taking place.  Luhrmann’s films are like paintings, works of art.  Each one shows his influence, his brush strokes, his style. They are flashy, garish, yet beautiful and completely over-the-top on nearly every level.  He produces pure escapism and entertainment with doses of historical bits and pieces (such as the Bohemian movement in Moulin Rouge! and the Stolen Generation in Australia).  The two films that he directed which took place in the time that they were filmed, Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Romeo + Juliet (1996), hardly reflect the time in an accurate manner.  They both suspend reality, and make the ordinary extraordinary!  It is because of Luhrmann’s resume that I am able to overlook the extreme exaggerations of the roaring twenties and the music.  And I feel that this is how every person going to go see this film should view it as well.

And I loved the film. I loved every second of it.  I love the insane headdresses, over the top dancing, huge champagne bottles and inflatable zebra pool floaties (need to get me some of them).  The cast was top notch too.  Leonardo DiCaprio is Gatsby.  He portrays the role with such kindness and emotion that you can’t help but feel for Gatsby and his pain and longing.  I can’t wait to see it again.

Outfit
Dress & Shoes: Thrifted
Brooch: Belonged to my grandmother
String of Pearls: Belonged to my mother
Bracelet & Earrings: Don’t remember…
“Headband” (Actually a choker, I know, I’m brilliant) & Dress Clip: Gifts
Pearl Clutch: Antique Alley, Portland