Lit & Lamé

Much as I adored Audrey, I didn’t have a very clear idea of who she was off-camera; I knew nothing of her experiences during the Nazi occupation in Holland, the dashed dreams of being a ballerina, the two divorces and numerous miscarriages which ravished her lifelong vision of a traditional, cozy family life. Learning about all of these things, the unspeakable moments of sadness and hardship in the life of a woman who had brought to me nothing but smiles, joy and amateur impersonations of Sabrina elegantly cracking an egg (“It’s all in the wrist”); it all seemed so unfair. But then, Audrey proved what her true gift was: the act of overcoming, enduring and always, always having hope.

Audrey & I: Personal Reflections on the Influence of an Icon

5 Lessons in Style I Learned from Adele Adkins

“I’m not good at future planning. I don’t plan at all. I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow….I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future.”
- Heath Ledger | 4 April 1979 - 22 January 2008

I’m actually rather dull for all I do is relax.  I was an idiot until I was forty — an actor, a bore, wrapped up in myself.  Everyone tells me I’ve had such an interesting life, but sometimes I think it’s been nothing but stomach disturbances and self-concern. —Cary Grant

(Source: mattybing1025)

…something else that fascinates me about Cary Grant is the way he was simultaneously elusive and friendly. I’ll always remember reading about Audrey Hepburn’s first meeting with him at a restaurant before filming for Charade began, their first and only film together. Audrey was nervous and told him so. He responded, “Don’t be…I’m thrilled to know you. Here, sit down…Put your hands on the table, palms up, put your head down and take a few deep breaths.” When Audrey put her head down she spilled a bottle of wine all over Cary’s cream suit. She was mortified, of course, and Audrey later recalled that he “nonchalantly removed his jacket and pretended, very convincingly, that the stain would simply go away.” The next day he sent her caviar and a note telling her not to feel bad, as she had apologized profusely since the incident. She also said that Cary gave her a simple piece of advice during their time together, and by sharing it with her I think he was sharing it with the world: she said, “He laid his hand on my two hands and said, ‘You’ve got to learn to like yourself a little more.’ I’ve often thought about that.”

From a post I wrote last year on The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower ~ Cary Grant: Style Icon.

“Cary – such a lovely souvenir in my life. Unlike some people might think, he was really a very reserved, very sensitive, very quiet person, very philosophical, rather mystic in some ways. And had enormous empathy for other people. He had me down flat the minute he met me.” - Audrey Hepburn

Happy birthday, Cary Grant!

The Man with the Dancing Eyes.

The World (and Fashion!) of Downton Abbey