The Snow Queen
Seeing this gorgeous tree in blossom reminded me of Anne's dear Snow Queen in Anne of Green Gables. The "Anne" books weren't my favorite when I was younger. My mother loved the series and introduced it to me and my sisters when we were all young, we even visited Prince Edward Island one summer. But while I have the fondest memories of that summer and the clouds of lightning bugs that filled the fields near our relative's cabin, Anne wasn't my favorite. I never disliked her, but if I was given the choice between an Anne story and a story of talking animals or sword fights I'd often choose the latter. I could admire those lightning bugs and enjoy our quiet afternoons trying to stalk the shy beavers of a nearby pond, but when it came to stories I wanted grand adventures. I wanted to be swept away to magical realms of dapper mice, dastardly weasels (Redwall, anyone?) or girls masquerading as boys in order to become knights. Anne was too romantic, too fond of nature, too filled with simple, homey lessons about friendship and love. It's only now as an adult that I appreciate LM Montgomery's work to its fullest; that I appreciate her way with words and the way her books make you appreciate the beauty of the things around you. After re-reading a few lines from her books, I always find myself looking at the world a bit softer and kinder and noticing the beauty around me. I don't doubt Montgomery could weave poetry out of this tree and it would fill Anne with shivers of delight.
To celebrate the beauty of this tree I wanted to capture a few romantic images with it. I wore an old favorite dress and my new floral crown from Les Couronnes de Victoire (or Victory Crowns). It's made with real dried flowers. It attaches to your hair with a few combs and the shape can be adjusted and it's just simply lovely. I'm always a fan of headbands and crowns, but this one made from real flowers but preserved to last forever is truly a dream.
“One evening, when the orchards were pink-blossomed again, when the frogs were singing silverly sweet in the marshes about the head of the Lake of Shining Waters, and the air was full of the savor of clover fields and balsamic fir woods, Anne was sitting by her gable window. She had been studying her lessons, but it had grown too dark to see the book, so she had fallen into wide-eyed reverie, looking out past the boughs of the Snow Queen, once more bestarred with its tufts of blossom.” -LM Montgomery
Emma (2020): directed by Autumn de Wilde this is a frothy confection of a film. It's a visual delight (just look at the above costume and scene--that's a chestnut tree in blossom) but the visuals aren't just empty imagery; both the costumes and set design are used to further the story and illustrate the relationships between characters. Emma's outfits and home often border on ostentatious and doll-like, which is also a representation of her status in the community--compare her wardrobe to that of humble Harriet or modest Jane Fairfax. The film did a good job of playing justice to the complexity of Emma's character (even Jane Austen herself wrote that Emma would be a character unliked by many)--she is obsessed with perfection but is far from perfect. Most films focus on humbling Emma, which this one does as well, but it also I think fleshes out her character and relationships better as well, for one thing you can feel her loneliness as she bids goodbye to Mrs. Weston. The relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley is also especially good in this adaptation (I might write a whole blog post about that one day). One critique I did have for the film was the sound was a bit flat to me; I found it less immersive than it could have been as there wasn't much ambient noise throughout--for example when they're picnicking where is the birdsong? But that's a fairly minor critique for a film I enjoyed so thoroughly on so many levels.
Austenland (2013): This film is truly one for the Austen fanatics, since it stars an Austen fanatic who would rather daydream about Mr. Darcy than date and books a vacation at a Jane Austen theme park hoping for storybook romance. What she doesn't realize is that she booked the poor, orphaned relation package and instead of getting to play Elizabeth Bennet for the holiday she's stuck being Charlotte Lucas. But she's determined to not to let her situation in life get her down and fights to be the heroine of her own story. It's hilarious and endearing and full of little moments of "oh my goodness that's me" many an Austen fan can relate to. (It's also the movie that inspired me to hunt down 
Love & Friendship (2016): This comedic period piece is based on one of Jane Austen's less known works, namely her novella "Lady Susan" which Austen never submitted for publication. Her title character is a unique figure in 19th century literature--she is unscrupulous, selfish, scheming and brilliantly brought to life by Kate Beckinsale in the film. Throughout the movie she flirts, insults, plots and acts like no Jane Austen lead you have ever seen before. The character Lady Susan might have been based off of Jane Austen's neighbor; a beautiful woman who treated her daughters rather heartlessly and on-screen Susan is very cold to her daughter Frederica. As an American it was quite funny to hear an Austen character throw some verbal shade at my homeland with lines such as "Americans really have shown themselves to be a nation of ingrates, only by having children can I begin to understand such a dynamic..."
Northanger Abbey (2007): Northanger Abbey was the first novel Jane Austen completed, but one of the last to be published. Reading the novel or film you can almost feel her youth in the writing through her protagonist--a young girl who spends too much time reading novels and daydreaming that she is a heroine in a Gothic novel. It's a light-hearted comedy that also seems to tackle what could be some of Austen's own early hopes and fears as a would-be novel writer given the social prejudices of the time; are novels just silly works of fiction suitable only for the entertainment of young girls without much sense? The film adaptation stars a young Felicity Jones who has never looked more wide-eyed and naive than as young Catherine setting off for her first season "out" in society. Fun fact: the Northanger Abbey in this film was actually Lismore Castle in Ireland.
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (2016): This movie (and book) asks the eternal question, what if the Bennet sisters had to battle zombies and social pressures? The film didn't do well in theaters, but it's actually quite a hilarious blend of zombie lore and the Regency Period; a dinner party is ruined by a zombie attack and a walk to Netherfield is wrought with more dangers than muddy hems. Far, far from a classic interpretation, it's fun to see some of the most well-known lines thrown about through a knife fight and brings some of the liveliness of Austen's novels to the screen in a very fresh way. Elizabeth was always a feisty protagonist, now she has the added bonus of a sword in her hands. I'm not really sure why Jane Austen fans were reluctant to see this film as it's pure fun.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012-2014): This isn't actually a movie, but 
I've been reading more about Laura Ashley's origins and one of her early inspirations was her uniform as a Wren in World War II; her goal when designing was to create pieces that could work almost as a fashion uniform. Timeless pieces that would last forever and that people wouldn't need to replace often. She said, "I don't like ephemeral things; I like things that last forever…" Which is just such a lovely sentiment and something she has achieved not just because her styles are popular once again, but because many of us are stalking her actual vintage dresses on resell sites. Her pieces have lasted quite a long time and are often still in excellent condition because of the emphasis on natural fibers and the quality of production; simply put they made clothes that could physically last many wears and washes. Looking at her classic styles and my own style repetition in the past year and I feel as if I'm inching towards my own fashion uniform. There's far less experimentation in my style these days, more repetition of silhouettes and colors, and I wonder if I have developed a fashion uniform. When I do a remix it tends to be the same dress worn multiple times, but not multiple ways--I know how I like to wear that dress, why try to be avant garde when I can be comfortable? We tend to picture uniforms as school dress codes or even military designs, but really what makes a uniform is consistency. A personal uniform can be as specific and personal as one desires. So perhaps this is my uniform: retro and romantic and rural.
