The stranger sang a theme, from someone else's dream. The leaves began to fall, and no one spoke at all--but I can't seem to recall when you came along, ingenue;

Suddenly having a large amount of time on one’s hands can open up avenues for projects that may have been either rushed or completely neglected otherwise.  It also allows me time to pull out movies that I would otherwise never watch–including one of my favorites, Great Expectations.

Mind you, I find the script to be rather dreadful, but everything else–the visual style, the art direction, the costumes, the soundtrack, the sets, even some of the performances–drew me in from the first time I saw it and compells me to revisit it on occassion to this day.  It was during that impressionable time in my life when I was watching some of the best of the Gwyneth Paltrow vehicles–Emma, Sliding Doors, The Talented Mr. Ripley–and it was when I was completely smitten with her and specifically her on-screen wardrobes.

I’ve mentioned before of my obsession with her characters’ wardrobes in various films, but I forgot how much of an impact that Donna Karan’s designs made on me as an impressionable 17-year old, and how badly I wanted everything she wore (well, once they reverted to the 90′s–that taffeta and white dress she wears during the incredibly erotic scene set to Chris Cornell’s “Sunshowers” is just not my taste).  The use of green–seen everywhere from the wild plants growing around Paradisio Perduto to the deep olive of that classic late-90′s staple, the sleeveless turtleneck and used so effectively to show greed, envy, naivite, the lush scenery of Florida and the stately austereness of New York–sparked an instant desire in me for clothes in various greens.  See for yourself:

(images from here:  http://www.gwynethpaltrowfan.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=151)

So join me in the next few days as I share with you some of my wardrobe inspiration and start playing with the contents of my closet as I figure out how to pack enough for a week and a half of outfits but stay under that troublesome 55lb limit.

Besides:  I’ve been meaning to go through my closet anyway–no time like the present, eh?