Fashionable in the Badlands

I recently went to see the fantastic film Badlands at the BFI and walked out feeling so satisfied. I can’t remember the last film I watched in the cinema that was really good. Everything was great about Badlands. It starred a very young (Virgin Suicides-like ethereal beauty) Sissy Spacek and a dashing Martin Sheen. The first time the two meet has a great an impact as when Romeo and Juliet meet. Holly is twirling a baton outside her house and is sunbleached. It looks timeless.

Essentially a road movie, the cinematography in this is beautiful and the little dialogue in it funny.

I walked out feeling inspired by the 1970s prairie, ruffle shirts. Holly is on the run, but her wardrobe has inspired me for the autumn months. Longer-sleeved ruffled blouses. Victorian blouses. Paired with jeans, this is going to be my new look.

So obsessed that I’ve been scouring vintage sites looking for these blouses. I am also pining for this ruffled, tartan Naf Naf blouse my mum bought me when I was about 13. I’m hoping it’s sitting somewhere at the bottom of the wardrobe back home because it would be perfect.

Analogue Fun in a Digital Age

Amelie remains one of my favourite films, mainly because of Nino’s obsession with collecting discarded photos of strangers from photo booths.

I have always been a big fan of the past and the future. The present somehow does not hold as much appeal. Prior to my little trip to Berlin I was excited to hear that there still exists analogue photo booths in the city. I did my research to find these spots and wrote it in my little notebook of addresses that I wanted to seek out.

Imagine my surprise and happiness when on our first day of properly venturing out in the city, we stumbled upon a booth that was not on my list. Not far from the East Side Gallery, we followed the people ahead of us and walked into Bar 25 (also on the list) by turning a corner and going through a side door. We found ourselves in this little spot of treats. An old, disused dodgem sat on a platform, a couple of swings hung from the branches of these huge tree and an old fotoautomat booth. 

I have always been a big fan of analogue photos but due to the cost of processing, I forgot the joy in taking photos on film until this trip. Sometimes the beauty in the waiting time is that you forget what photos were taken and when you collect them, it is a surprise. And just as surprising is taking photos in an old booth. The sound of the flashing going off and the gentle whirr of the booth while it processes your photos. This is what I’ll hear when I think of Berlin.

Recently, at the Tate Modern, I saw an exhibition of Seydou Keita’s photographs. A studio photographer from Mali, I thought of how having your photograph taken was such a big occasion. I love his portraits of these people who stood, posing with their props against a patterned background.

                                                                  

I’d love for them to bring back the old fotoautomat booths. While it is nice to have the option to get a really decent photo of yourself in the digital booths, they lack the spontaniety and romantic sense of the analogue booths.

The joie in ordinary objects

It was a rare weekend treat for me to have one of the weekend days staying in. I thought that my summer-long hiatus from the kitchen was to come to an end. I was going to rediscover the joys of cooking and baking. I looked at some recipes and decided to bake some muffins (choco-banana and pecan) and cupcakes (carrot with orange frosting).

And always, when baking I would use the little egg whisk that I inherited from Sarah when she moved to NY.

This little egg whisk is by Joie. They design some cute little kitchen utensils and gadgets. I love how giving character to ordinary objects can colour an otherwise mundane job. I was reminded of the little bins we spotted on the way to the Spice Market in Istanbul. Or the little bird clothes pegs  and swallow paperclips I’d spotted on Day-Lab. I looked at my elephant watering can sitting by the fireplace and am reminded that even gardening can be design-oriented.

I can’t think of an easier way to encourage people not to litter. And I can’t think of a better way to make staying in such a pleasure.