Grey Gardens
So we here at Pitch! looooved Grey Gardens. From the eccentricities to the fabulosities the HBO movie pulled you in and held you until Little Edie sashayed back on that stage for her final bow.
It’s movies like these that make you immediately want more information on its subjects, fashion and overall era.
I can’t say if the mother-daughter-duo and their delusion were more disturbing or the brothers’ disgust and effortless abandonment of them. What I can say is: Drew deserves countless statues, as does Jessica. But in addition to the stellar performances, fashion deserves a Best Supporting nod for its pivotal role.
The Edies’ high-waisted trousers, sleek skirts, slim bodices, silk charmeuse bias dresses, maillots, hats, gloves and stockings had us green with envy and reminiscing about the days when getting dressed meant getting ‘dressed’ and clothes and accessories were created to flatter the female form, not exploit it. The less you showed the sexier it was (note to Britney, it still is.)
Which got me to wondering…what would happen, if we as a society eased up on the pedal and went back to the sensible formalities of the 30s, 40s and 50s? Don’t get me wrong; I’m one tough, strong, independent, forward thinking woman. But really, I think if we could get back to a slightly more civilized time, we’d have less road rage and more patience for one another.
Maybe it was the three martini lunches that made the world a mellower place back in the day. Who knows? But a few more ‘yes sirs’ and ‘hello ma’ams’ combined with a ‘thank you’ or holding the door, couldn’t hurt. Kill ‘em with kindness has always been my motto.
What do we have to lose?
It’s a hard call. America seemed more genteel back in the yester-years, but was it really? I saw Milk the other night and was heartbroken at how outright horrible people were allowed to be to other people who they deemed “different”. And don’t even get me started about how America treated blacks, Latinos, hell, WOMEN in the work force back in the 50s, 60s, etc.
I understand the sentiment of wanting to encounter a kind soul who will allow you to get on the freeway instead of trying to run you off the freeway and then giving you the finger as they blast past, but it seems for all the manners America used to have, it seemed to be just surface.
Just found your webblog on technorati today and I have to say I like it! Bookmarked this and may be returning to check it out more later.