Fashion Intel: Game of Thrones 1.2

"The Kingsroad"

Starting off with a bang because this isn't a screenshot of fashion. But I couldn't resist capturing this because of the beauty and grandness of the shot. Game of Thrones loves to show huge scenes instead of pieces of the close ups.

I like Viserys' collar here. He is such a weirdo and stands out because of his hair. and while his outfit matches his surroundings, it does not match the Dothraki. He is so oblivious to everthing: he thinks he is the one in charge here, but he is just this weak link trying to throw around his name to gain power. He would do well to try to get along better with the Dothraki- especially since his sister is one now. Ser Jorah is dressed like he woke up thinking he was in Westeros. He has to be roasting in that outfit.

This is when Cersai goes to check on Bran who is still asleep after having barely survived his push from the tower. Her outfit (or lack thereof) choice here is interesting. Is she wearing the wrap to appear warmer to Cat, who hasn't left Bran's side? Is this her attempt at looking soft, like a mother should?

Breathtakingly beautiful.

 

 

This scene between Ned and Jon Snow is so hard to watch, now knowing what happens. Ned promises to tell Jon about his mother the next time they see each other. This is an interesting scene because it's right before they split in direction: Jon Snow to the North to join the Night's Watch, and Ned off with the King as his Hand. This is the beginning of what will be the show up until now of the Starks all being separated. Fashion-wise, this is the beginning of what is a high point in Jon Snow fashion as he begins to really cement his North look. 

This is another beautiful shot of the crew that's headed to the North. You can tell from their clothes (and the snow on the ground) that it's getting colder and they're almost to the Wall. 

I kind of want to move to the Wall. It's beautiful and cold. If Jon Snow could keep the Whitewalkers away, I think I'd be into getting a condo there or something. Maybe a small house or something. No wait, a condo because an indoor pool would be lovely. 

This is when Cat finally snaps out of her funk and turns into Nancy Drew. She finds a long, blonde hair and puts two and two together about quite a lot of things and comes up with a theory about what happened to Bran. Fashion-wise, she's finally back in a real dress and coat and she's paid some attention to her hair again. She looks ready to battle Cersai. 

This is after Dany's learned from her ladies about sex and how to please both herself and Khal Drogo. I love her hair here, with the braid, but I especially love her dress in this scene because she finally looks like she belongs. 

A lot of House Baratheon going on in this shot with the deer and crown sigil, but also a lot of House Lannister with the golden lion on red. The real reason I took this screenshot is because it reminds me of the Renaissance Fair in Maryland:)

This is the scene when Arya gets in trouble for hurting Joffrey and the solution is to kill Lady, Sansa's direwolf. Joffrey is a little punk, but you have to admit that he always looks qiuite regal. Robert, always the king, ahas a lot of embellishment on his outfit and sweet demure (HA!) again looks softer with her long, flowing hair, yet regal with her dress made out of a beautiful, rich material.

Not a ton of fashion in this episode as a lot of the story is a continuation from episode one. Soon, though, a lot of our major players are going to be on the move and that's when we're going to get some really great stuff!

True Detective 3.4

"Heads Will Roll"

The consensus on twitter seems to be: WHUT?

Vince Vaughn is still freaking out, but is also kind of morphing into a caricature of a criminal. Everything he says is Very Dramatic and has a double meaning. (Cavities, anyone?) He's going all around town trying to call in every favor he has (and doesn't have) to get some business going to bring in money. He even tries to bring Colin F into his new game!  And he's also having even more problems with his girl, mostly about her really wanting a baby. She suggests adoption, but VV so lovingly says that he doesn't want someone's responsibility. Basically children are just little bundles of burden and sin. Cute!

While investigating, Colin F tell Rachel McAdams that she's made the mayor and his buddies angry and should be careful. She is all about the case, though, and keeps on truckin' with her leads. They follow the mayor's (?) daughter to a hookah bar and find out that 1) her mom was schizophrenic and killed herself, but had a shady doctor and 2) her father is a bad man. The detectives get even more info while questioning Rachel's dad again. It turns out the mayor, Caspere, etc. had all been visitors at the hippie place when younger. Not sure what that means, but how convenient that the dad had a lovely group photo of them all. After that, Rachel and Colin head out towards Fresno following the lead of the soil sample reports they had found in Caspere's place. They make some circles on the map and an expert let's us know that those areas are all high in lead and other dangerous stuff. Looks like the land sucked!

Meanwhile, Taylor K has had quite the adventurous night and wakes up at his buddy's house with no recollection of the night before. Things become a little more clear when his buddy embraces him and pretty much says to let himself go and that it won't be that bad. Taylor races out of there and takes a cab back to the seedy part of town where he had been investigating the night before. Of course, his motorcycle has been stolen and while he is busy yelling expletives in the road, a bunch of reporters run after him to ask questions. Colin F ends up saving the day and picks him up. I think Taylor K is really good in all of these scenes where he has to cry. He has a lot of emotional baggage going on, but Colin tells him to get some Pedialyte and it'll all be okay. Later on he meets up with his girl and it's very not romantic when she says she is pregnant and then he proposes. I definitely groaned when that happened. But Taylor does get a good lead on a potential suspect by tracking down a pawned watch that had been stolen from Caspere's and they put out an APB on the pimp.

Rachel checks in with her boss and finds out that there's a sexual misconduct complaint against her for banging a subordinate. She straight up asks if the mayor of Vinci had anything to do with it and says if she was a man this wouldn't be happening. I groaned when she said that, for sure. I guess she was desperate and freaking out. So she's on leave, but can still work on the state case, which is good because they have a lead on where the pimp is!

So they get a big group of cops together and go sauntering down the street with their bulletproof vests on. It's kind of weird how out in the open they are (while a protest is going on nearby) but then they stealthily get into place to enter the warehouse. None of that really pans out, though, because someone starts shooting at them from the third floor. And like, machine gun shooting at them so it's really scary. It turns into a car/foot chase and then another shootout and pretty much everyone but our leads dies. It's a massacre.

I don't understand it, but I think our biggest clue this week is that all of the power players had been at the hippy place years ago. Also, Colin Farrell is the best part of this show. Hands down.

Friends Review: 1.6: TWWTB

The One With The Butt

•  I love when we get to see Joey's acting. It's always a treat. 
• Ross is so the friend who doesn't get the sublte hints to look at a pretty girl. *sigh*
• Wow, the girl Chandler hits on has on such a good outfit because it's timeless! Classic, all black with a statement necklace. 
• Supposedly Joey's play was terrible. I'm glad he finds his groove later on with General Hospital.
• Oooh, this is when Joey gets his agent, Estelle! 
• The NYC shots from above look like they were done with a first version drone.
•  First intro of Yemen?? Love it. Is that why Chandler later in the series tells Janice he is moving there?
• So Chandler's date is married...and has a boyfriend. Wowza!
• This brings up one of those classic discussions among the friends when Monica poses the question to the guys of whether this is their dream scenario too. 
• Oh boy, Rachel cleaned up. Hello to Monica's OCD. She is so weird about things. I love how casual Rachel is about everything.
• Phoebe does a little motion from The Shining to show how crazy Monica is. Good job on a reference! 
• Ross points out that Monica is their mom. Not what most 20-somethings want to hear. (I would- my mom is awesome!)
• Joey got a part in the new Al Pacino movie! ...As his butt double.
• So, I find it really gross that Chandler is sharing his new girl with several others. 
• At Joey's gig, he messes up the shot because he keeps trying to read too much into the part;)
• Chandler does end up having a problem with sharing his girl-thank goodness! 
• Man, Rachel loves the mom jeans in this episode. 
• Aw, Monica can't handle leaving her shoes in the living room. A problem I have never had.

This is an okay episode. It's more about Joey and Chandler than I would like. I prefer the ones that have Ross and/or Rachel with the main plotline. OCD Monica can be funny, but when she is too crazy about things, it's annoying. 

Fashion Intel: Game of Thrones 1.1

Game of Thrones is a show known for its attention to all details. It's a huge endeavor each and every episode to bring to the screen such large and intricate sets to portray George R. R. Martin's story and the costumes are a big part of that. Since episode one, which you will see below, they have excelled in the wardrobe department. I am so excited to dig into this show and to share which costumes I've enjoyed the most. It's a little different when analyzing a show that doesn't take place in modern day because (as much as I'd be into it) they aren't the type of outfits you or I will be wearing in our regular lives. But even in fantasy shows we can find fashion inspiration.

Robb, Jon Snow, and Bran in one of the earliest shots in the show. They all look so young! Remember, they're supposed to be pretty young (Robb and Jon at 17, and Bran is about 10) and with no wars occurring at this point in the series, they're clothing is mostly about warmth since they live in Winterfell, which is a northern area. What I love about these outfits is the kilt inspiration. There is no use of tartan, but the idea is still there yet combined with leather vests and shirts.

Eddard Stark and Catelyn, the Lord and Lady of Winterfell. While Catelyn is pretty basic in this shot- just wearing a pretty basic long blue coat, Ned is totally rocking a huge leather coat with fur collar. He is pretty much wearing an animal as a scarf here. PETA of yore would have a fit.

This shot has little to do with fashion, but it's beautiful so I wanted to include it.

Another gorgeous shot! Ned has set his scarf free and looks much more svelte in just his leather ensemble. These all leather outfits seem like the casual version of chainmail. We also get a better look at Catelyn who is wearing a fairly matronly blue dress and coat. This would be the mom jeans version of a dress in Game of Thrones- comfortable, not too form-fitting, and not something you'd see someone younger wearing. 

I appreciate the detail on Catelyn's coat (cloak?). And her hair is very pretty here. I like the Game of Thrones style of super long hair. This is the moment in the show when the King and Queen have arrived so everyone is dressed to the nines to receive them. Sansa (on the left) is super into the whole ordeal so it surprises me that she would show up with kind of frizzy hair and a light blue dress. Girl, you look better in dark colors, but I guess you won't realize until season five. But when you see the camera pan across the Starks, you notice how...drab they all look. The House Stark symbol is a grey direwolf, but if that's what they're going for, they did it in the most boring way ever. While their looks stand out, their clothes all seem to be more about function than fashion. They're far enough away from Kings Landing to not be influenced fashion-wise. In this lineup, even Sansa's boring dress stands out.

And there is Joffrey. Regal as f***. From head to toe he looks like a prince: burgundy cloak, burgundy leather, and a fur something or other that probably doesn't still have the head on it.

Ummm, so I'd wear this now. This outfit is kind of everything. A tailored red dress and a richly embroidered coat set her apart as the Queen of the land and are also symbolic of her being a Lannister with the use of red and the lion mane-like fur collar. Later in the show she often wears her hair down, but this seems to be her more regal style for their arrival.

Cutting across houses and lands to Daenerys Targaryen who, in her first scenes on screen is wearing a very loose dress in a pale pink color. Surprisingly her creepy brother doesn't make her wear something more form-fitting, but I guess he just checks things out with his hands whenever he wants to -EW! Dany looks very young and innocent in this toga-like dress.

Not sure why Dany chose this dress to meet her future husband. It looks like the lining of another dress, but I guess it's serving it's purpose because it certainly doesn't leave much to Drogo's imagination. I do like the addition of the dragon pins, though.  Also, her brother is a punk and his outfit and hair just make him look more obnoxious.

Khal Drogo is hot.

HOT. A man who can wear eyeshadow. Also love his paint on his body that looks so great against the sea in the background.

I love this shot because it really shows the differences between Dany and Drogo. She is the virginal, young girl on her perfect white horse while Drogo is a savage warrior on a dark horse with a long braid signifying how long it has been since he has lost a fight. I do like her dress here, though. It's a lot more stylish and fitted, probably to signify her new stage of life as a Khaleesi. And huge props for being staged above her brother in this shot. He sucks. He thinks he is in control, yet has no idea! It also must be noted that her white horse  has an epic mane. 

Just a note. While watching, I'm taking note of the fashion that speaks to ME. The screenshots that make me stop and say "wow!" so, I won't be including everything in these posts. A lot of costume choices are very on purpose and, while I'll touch on what I think is the intention, I won't be including every example of such sartorial choices.

VA Wimbledon Days 11 and 12

Nearing the end of Wimbledon, which makes me sad. I love these two weeks and while I have a lot of (in-person) tennis planned for August, it's a long run until the US Open. And my favorites lost in the semis so that's unfortunate.

I'm watching the Women's Final now, but if Serena starts to win, I'll turn it off. I just really don't like how she plays. I think she can be great off the court and usually gives good interviews, but her style just really drives me crazy.

I will definitely watch the Men's Final now and will be cheering hard for Djokovic. My friend asked me: "Don't you want to see Federer win just one more?" And the answer is NO.

Okay, so British food and drink...how have I done? Keep in mind that I'm not doing repeat photos so just know that I've had a ton of tea (YUM!) and chips and British biscuits and stuff.

The Lion candy bar originated in Fawdon, England according to Wikipedia. It was one of those crispy/caramelly types and it was good, but not as good as the Coffee Crisp.

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 9, 2015 at 10:23am PDT

Yesterday was pretty awesome because I started drinking Pimms at about 1130am...and it was delicious.

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 10, 2015 at 8:18am PDT

I think one reason why I love the US Open so much is that it's tennis ALL DAY...mostly because it's in my time zone, but also because of the night matches. So, while I've really been enjoying Wimbledon, sometimes it's over by 2 and I have the rest of the day to fill with non tennisy things. Like beer, I guess:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 10, 2015 at 7:06pm PDT

(That's a Boddingtons.)

Cheers!

VA Wimbledon Days Nine and Ten

Soooo much good tennis!!!

Soooo much good food!!!

Tuesday was filled with one leftover mens fourth round match and then all of the quarterfinals for the women. Not everyone I wanted to win did (Keys and Azarenka), but otherwise, I was pleased.

Today was for the men's quarters and I was obviously happy with Murray's win, but disappointed Federer got through (not a fan) and that Gasquet is probably going to be SO tired to take on Djokovic. Oh well, Murray can do it! Woop woop!

British food wise, I've done well:

Scones with orange marmelade:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 7, 2015 at 5:03am PDT

Abbot ale:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 7, 2015 at 3:58pm PDT

I made real whipped cream:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 8, 2015 at 7:26am PDT

Sticky Toffee Pudding beer:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 8, 2015 at 4:00pm PDT

Canachan, a traditional Scottish dessert:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 8, 2015 at 4:59pm PDT

I also had some Crabbies hard lemonade yesterday, which I was so into that I forgot to document on Instagram. Guess I'll just have to get some more. It was SO delicious.

Cheers!

VA Wimbledon Day Seven and Eight

Second Monday is known in the tennis world as its greatest day. Every single man and every single woman plays on this day and it is overwhelmingly epic! It's almost too much in a way because unless you watch matches after the fact via DVR, you are going to miss something awesome. Today I focused on seeing the following players as much as possible:

1. Murray
2. Azarenka
3. Wozniacki
4. Sharapova
5. Keys
6. Simon

Now, because of the scheduling, I saw minimal of most of those players except for Murray. I watched his entire match, of course. So, while waiting for Murray to come on the court, I watched most of the Gasquet/Kyrgios match and then almost all of the Djokovic/Anderson match.

It was a good day, though, because Murray won. YAY!


British food-wise, I did well again. I had a lot of tea, of course.

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 6, 2015 at 5:35am PDT

 ...but was especially excited for my first day of strawberries and cream, which was so good I was tempted to dive into my bowl.

 

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 6, 2015 at 5:03am PDT

Lunch was some banger rolls and croquettes:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 6, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

Day Seven was the traditional Middle Sunday of Wimbledon when there is absolutely no play. It kind of sucks, but I used my day to go see Jurassic World and to hit up Total Wine for British brews and then spent a fortune at Wegmans in their international aisle. And for dinner I made a very basic beef shepherd's pie and had a Newcastle afterwards. Yum!

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 5, 2015 at 3:44pm PDT

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 5, 2015 at 3:46pm PDT

I should also include my run in with a Scotsman while out picking up something at Barnes & Noble. Hello, Jamie!!!

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 5, 2015 at 11:08am PDT

Cheers!

True Detective 3.3

"Maybe Tomorrow"

It's okay and all, but still no idea what is going on. I get that Colin Farrell is playing both (three?) sides. I get that Vince Vaughn is freaking out and now going back to his old ways to make back the money Caspere died with. I think I get that Rachel McAdams is our most straight-laced investigator so far. Well, her and Taylor Kitsch, I guess.

Otherwise, here's what happened tonight:

So, Colin F is not dead. Which is good, because I like him. Rachel McAdams shows up to the scene and is pissed he didn't call her to enter with him. While Colin goes off to meet with the Vinci people and get cleared to work, Rachel and Taylor do some investigating on their own and learn that a lot of Caspere calls had come from the Vinci mayor's house. The mayor's house turns out to be party central and we get to meet his hot, young Russian (?) wife and weird son. Rachel does see some land surveying info before they're told to leave because they don't have a warrant. They also open Caspere's safe deposit box where there's more land info as well as blue diamonds.

So, I guess meanwhile, Colin meets up with Vince Vaughn and pretty much accuses him of setting him up at the house because who else knew about it?? Then he meets up with the Vinci people who are pretty pissed that Rachel and the others know about the Caspere house and that they were at the mayor's house asking questions. The mayor is especially pissed at Rachel. Colin tries to get taken off the case, but they're all "Yeah, right, bro." Basically everyone is angry with Colin. He's not even drinking to take the edge off at the moment, which keeps him angry. Lots of anger! The Vinci people tell Colin to lead Rachel towards something else.

Colin and Rachel later visit a film set because they had a lead on the car that Caspere was found in (I think.) The film set visit basically just confirms how deep all of the money stuff goes as well as the hooker parties. Taylor kind of takes over here (or is off on his own, I'm not certain) to ask around that part of town and at the seedy club to see if people had seen Caspere there, which they had. He also has an awkward moment with an old war buddy (?) and it seems like they had something happen between them, but Taylor freaks out when the friend brings it up.

Rachel and Colin stop by his house (is this her leading him on? him leading her astray? or just them making a pit stop) and in the biggest case of bad timing, his ex wife shows up offering him $10k to just GO. She tells him the state was by earlier asking her questions about money and revenge and stuff and warns Colin that it's a matter if when, not if they'll investigate more. He refuses the money (nice moment between them) and he and Rachel go off to question the driver of the film set car who had quit recently. While there and asking questions, someone torches their car and runs off while wearing a Scream-style mask. They chase him, Colin slowly because of his hurt ribs, and Rachel much faster, but the masked man gets away when Colin has to save Rachel from getting hit by a huge truck. Whoa! As a thanks, he asks her what the state has on him, but she says she doesn't know.

Vince Vaughn, while all of this is going on, is basically visiting past business/crime connections and demanding money and/or information on Caspere and his dealings. He seems very on the edge and on edge. He seems so close to spiraling out of control, but he's staying strong so far and he beats the crap out of one guy and it makes me wonder what his background is. He's also got some trouble at home and based on the long camera hold on his woman at the end of the episode, I'm convinced she killed Caspere;)

Oh, and Stan is dead, but I don't remember who that is.

(I'm terrible at recapping this show, but I don't care.)

VA Wimbledon Days Five and Six

Day five was my last day of work before a week of vacation and I closed so I was limited to tea for my Britishness for the day.

Day six, which was Saturday was much better in the day when I had more "fish and chips" for lunch and a delicious candy bar:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 5, 2015 at 2:36pm PDT

The evening was spent celebrating Independence Day at a friend's house, but I very "tongue in cheekily" brought some imported beer from England as my contribution:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 4, 2015 at 5:32pm PDT

When my sister and I were in Scotland a couple of years ago, we got a kick out of seeing a painting of the red coats from the perspective of Britain and not America. So, in honor of the 4th of July and America, check it out:



Happy 4th!!!

Cheers!

Red Reviews: July 2015

Time for July fashion mags!

Keep in mind that a few magazines doing June/July issues and won't be included.

9. This cover is fine, but it's just fine. The seemingly spread-eagle pose is a little weird, but her hair and makeup look amazing! 

8. This one was tough, because expression-wise, this is stellar...but those things on her dress are so distracting! I really like Cara Delevingne, though. I'm glad she is everywhere right now.

7. LOVE the color scheme here. So striking! I also like her outfit with the bondage-looking part peeking out from behind the all business skirt and shirt. I have little issue with Kim Kardashian, but I find her figure to be very distracting sometimes. (Not in an oogly eyes way, but because her hips/butt are always on display.)

6. This cover reminds me of American Hustle, which is very very awesome because I love that movie. This is such a tiny detail, but the yellow of allure is what keeps me from loving this cover. I wonder why they chose that color. 

5. This is such a model cover. Could anyone else pull off a white one piece on the cover? Probably not. In comparison to the Allure cover, the Elle in bright pink is what really pulls this cover together.

4. She has a little bit of a "OMG how did I get on the cover?!" expression here, but it seems so genuine. And while I'm not a fan of soft pink, this cover works really well. And, compared to the Vogue cover, the weird things on her dress are not distracting. 

3. I thought this was Robin Wright when I saw it in thumbnail form and even though it's not, the fierceness is still there. Spectacular colors, fresh outfit, and classy pose. I really love this. 

2. Not your traditional cover, but maybe that's why I like it. The colors are soooo pretty and I love how the background and dress are one and the same.

1. Maybe we should put Amanda Seyfried on every magazine since she's been in the top spot twice now. The dress, the pose, the expression, the colors...everything is working for me on this one! Ah-mazing!

What do you think? Let me know here or on twitter.

VA Wimbledon Day Four

Ugh, another tough day due to having to work. I'm sorry to report that I didn't have tooo many British things today. Just a delicious "English Fog*":

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 2, 2015 at 12:59pm PDT

And then a repeat of last night's "fish and chips". Very good!

Tennis-wise, I missed most of it. I listened to it this morning while doing paperwork, but then could only check scores here and there. I saw, on replay, some of the McHale/Lisicki match as well as the Kulichkov/Keys one. And can you believe Nadal lost!? Craziness.

Only one more day of work until vacation!

Cheers!




*London Fog, but with English Breakfast

VA WImbledon Day Three

Day three has been really good...and I suspect it's because I didn't work. It makes all the difference!

I got to watch tennis ALL DAY, which was so amazing and a good preview of my vacation next week.

Breakfast was tea and scones, of course, which I didn't document with photos since I've already taken care of that.

Lunch was fun because I had picked up a can of potatoe and leek soup from Wegman's the other day. The can says "Made in England"-legit!

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 1, 2015 at 9:09am PDT

In the early afternoon I took care of my postings and then headed to a nearby village to hit the bank and hopefully an ABC store. I definitely had luck:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 1, 2015 at 11:59am PDT

I had to laugh at myself when I deposited some checks and asked how many dollar coins the teller had. $15 worth! When I was in Scotland, I really loved the pound coins. I can't explain why, but it just seemed so natural to have that denomination in coin form.

After getting home and completing my tennis watching for the day, I put on some Bridget Jones and eventually got around to make my dinner of fish and chips...well, my version of it anyways:

A photo posted by Scarlet Rose (@scarls17) on Jul 1, 2015 at 4:18pm PDT

Only two more work days until holiday!

Cheers!