bright, bright, bright!

J Crew Lucille lace dress, F21 necklace, Sam Edelman sandals

Yeah, it's, like, really hot.  We're now in, uh, day 4 or 50 of a heatwave.  I'm still pretty okay with it, since my apartment is kept just cool enough with a little AC in the kitchen, and of course the workplace is kept comfortably frosty (not too much fortunately!)  But it certainly means planning out your outfits-  airy cotton dresses are best, and it's fun to play with bright, hot colours, like this nigh-neon yellow that had everyone smiling the other day.

This yellow is so bright I had trouble getting the camera to even cope!  That's cool, because it's certainly that hot out in the bright, bright sunlight. I bought this dress in the middle of the winter doldrums- J Crew seems to clean out some warehouses of summer treats every January.  I'm not complaining!

citron yellow and cool celadon green FTW!

I was actually inspired by the bright contrast in this striking image from a film I watched on the weekend, Age of Consent (directed by Michael Powell), Helen Mirren's first screen role in 1969. The colours are saturated and rich, and the sun beats hotly on leafy green trees and soft sandy beaches.  I loved the lime green of her dress against the bright, bright yellow interior of the boat. She just bought that hot pink purse with her earnings- only 35 cents!

 
I really enjoyed Black Narcissus and the Red Shoes, early movies from Powell and Pressburger.  This is a different film in many ways, sort of fluffy and comedic, but the setting is absolutely beautiful.  Filmed on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, an isolated island is an idyllic getaway for a famous painter looking to find solitary inspiration. However it is a prison for Cora, a wild child growing up alone, caring for her crazy alcoholic grandmother.  The story doesn't take all the obvious routes, and has some great scenes of emboldened sixties sensuality. Oh the cool waters and hot sand...

Can you tell that I'm desperately dreaming of my vacation that starts next week?  Off to a not-so-isolated island on the east coast. yippee!  Now to find me a yellow boat...