So... have you all seen "Sex and the City"? I thought it was wonderful. As with everyone else, I cried and I laughed. As much as I loved the fashion, this movie was more about friendship... true friendship that you rarely see. And, it focused on how fabulous women over 40 can be!

Since I loved the movie so much, my wonderful husband picked me up the movie book and the soundtrack! The book is full of behind the scenes tidbits and fabulous glossy movie stills!

and my personal favorite,
Miranda

I am! Got my tickets a couple of days ago.

Acclaimed director Loïc Prigent (he also directed SIGNE CHANEL), is bringing more insight behind the scenes of the fashion world. This time it's with Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton. It comes on tonight at 7pm CST/8pm EST on the Sundance channel. In case you miss tonight, it repeats on February 18th & 28th.

PS. You can pre-order the DVD on Amazon.

and all through the house No sewing had been done (for days), not even a blouse! With all of the cake I have nibbled, And eggnog lattes, I may be changing my measurements If they've gone to my waist!

ROFL! How was your Christmas? Ours was fabulous. Saturday and Sunday, I ran around doing the last minute shopping. On Monday, I baked the Southern Comfort Cake (again)... this is turning out to be a family favorite. I also baked a fabulous Red Velvet Cake. I made Gumbo for Christmas Eve and started the prep work for our Christmas meal. Later that night, we utilized the wonderful cutting table and finished wrapping presents. By the time I got up Christmas morning, the kids were already up and it looked as if FAO Schwartz had exploded in the living room! We all got plenty of loot and we're very happy! Oh, my menu:

Standing Rib Roast Potatoes Gratin Green Beans with Shallots Gumbo Red Velvet Cake Southern Comfort Cake

We caught the 3:50 matinee for "The Great Debaters". This movie now holds the title for THE BEST MOVIE I've seen this year! How was your holiday?

Wow... one week and one day until Christmas! The kids' last day of school is Wednesday and they'll be out for their 2 week Winter Break. Everybody done with all of their shopping? HA! I'm not! I managed to send out my Christmas cards on time but I still have to finish up some odds and ends early this week. By Thursday I'll shop for Christmas dinner, make sure all the gifts are wrapped, and take some holiday pictures for the photo books.


This weekend was all about movies. I think by now, most of you know that I love CHANEL... it's my favorite haute couture house. I spent Saturday afternoon watching this FAB-U-LOUS documentary about what went into putting together CHANEL's Fall/Winter 2004 - 2005 Haute Couture collection -- "Signé Chanel" (Thanks for the link Carolyn). Karl is a genius at what he does but he is the least interesting of the group. The amazing seamstresses steal the show! Madame Martine, Madame Cécile and Madame Laurence, who cut and sew until their hands are literally bloody for the sake of getting a dress finished on time (You'll note that there is not a single sewing machine in their work room. All of those beautiful pieces are sewn by hand); and about 75-year-old Madame Pouzieux who, in-between bringing in bales of hay, makes the unique CHANEL braids on an antique loom in her farm house. Also, the fabulous André Leon Talley (Vogue's Editor-At-Large) makes an appearance. The film is in French but has English subtitles... make sure you have time to sit and watch because it's extremely addictive.

"I Am Legend" was a *different* kind of role for Will. The jury is still out of what I think of this. I may have to watch it again before I can fully digest it. It's kind of "Castaway" meets "28 Days".

The next one was:

"The Perfect Holiday" was a cute, family-friendly movie with a typical happy ending for all. Even the slime-bag character made amends at the end. At first, I was unsure about this movie. I thought it would be the Christmas version of Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls"... the white collar woman falls for the broke down, struggling man. None of that was ever addressed and everybody lived happily every after!

How was your weekend?

Let me start off saying that I am the biggest Denzel fan... since he was Dr. Phillip Chandler on St. Elsewhere! I will see ANY movie he's in so this one was no exception.

Denzel portrays Frank Lucas, a North Carolina born heroin kingpin from Manhattan in 1970s America, who is smuggling the drug into the country in the coffins of soldiers returning from the Vietnam War. Denzel (IMO) delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in this role. Even when their is no dialogue, it's written all over face. As equally fantastic is Russell Crowe (Gladiator is still my favorite Russell movie), who plays Richie Roberts, the cop out to get him.

The all-star supporting cast was superb! Josh Brolin portrays a menacing, money-grubbing, slimy, dirty cop. Chiwetal Ejifor (I love his ability to drop the English accent), plays Frank's brother Huey... he's an awesome sidekick. Ruby Dee is Mama Lucas... this lady still has it! I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Best Support-Actress nomination looming in the future. Other co-stars are Cuba Gooding, Jr., Idris Elba, rappers Common, T.I. and RZA.

Ridley Scott has brilliantly directed one of, if not, the best movie of the year. If you are looking for a shoot 'em up, bang bang mob movie (i.e. Scarface) this isn't it. This movie may not have a lot of hardcore action, but it has a very compelling storyline of the rise and fall of a drug lord and absolutely captures your attention.

Go see it!

This weekend, we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary (Oct. 14th). This year we decided to stay home and cook together with the kids since we had a big to do last year. It's always fun to cook with the kids. We prepared roasted cornish game hens with wild rice stuffing, sauteed green beans with baby portobello mushrooms, shallots and garlic and a nice bottle of white wine for the grown ups.
Saturday night, Michael and I went to the movies to see Why Did I Get Married. This was Ty.ler Per.ry's best effort by far. I've read different reviews and varying opinions, but we all really thought this was a great movie... very relatable for us married folks.

I did very little sewing this weekend, but after some household maintenance, I'm back at the cutting table. So, what did you do?

If you haven't seen this BBC documentary, you should definitely watch it. The Secret World of Haute Couture is a film that takes a look inside the "fairytale world" of haute couture and its very exclusive club members... there are around 200 worldwide. BBC journalist, Margy Kinmonth gains an exclusive entrance into this secretive world and gives us a guided tour on how this very small segment shops.

Haute couture is French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking"; refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions, made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.

I've often wondered what was so "special" about a garment to set a price tag of up to $100,000. After seeing all of the hours upon hours of exhausting HAND work (these garments are primarily sewn by hand, not machine), I can definitely understand. Also, another thing that puzzled me is when these garments come down the catwalk, I've thought to myself, "Who would wear that"?! I saw these very elegant and sophisticated women sitting front row at John Galliano... If you have ever seen his very dramatic work, you would understand my perplexity. One of the club members was asked this very questions and stated that they take aspects from the garment and have it constructed and customized for them (i.e. a little less sleeve, lower the waist, drop the hemline, etc...).

It took me a while to find this film. PBS in my area is not carrying it so I found it here. It's a free download. Enjoy!


Images courtesy of BBC

Yesterday, as I was beginning to sewing the lining into my jacket... I was dragged away from my sewing machine by my family. I have to admit, I did have fun... it was a welcomed interruption. Hopefully, I'll be able to make more progress today!

Saturday, I ventured to my favorite supermarket in the world -- Whole Foods (the only one in the state) and loaded up on organic produce.Yesterday, we started the day off by serving Michael breakfast in bed for Father's Day (he loved that)! We took him to the movies to see Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (great movie).