Friday French Film: Potiche

(image taken from Je Suis Belle)

Friday evening, the filmmaker and I ventured over a few towns to see the French film Potiche, starring Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, and Fabrice Luchini. Though at the core of the narrative and the subsequent character development are the labor and gender politics at play in France during the 1970s, the film merely grazes these topics superficially and comically, a sort of caricature, bombastic touch of the issues pushing forward the plot, character dynamics and evolution. For Deneuve fans, this film will surely evoke her earlier work, Les parapluies de Cherbourg and Les demoiselles de Rochefort, in its candy lollipop colors, its bright music, its cheerful tone, even when confronted with the vile atrocities of humanity and society: infidelity, promiscuity, rioting. Though the film was not as substantial as I initially would have thought, having read the brief introduction and synopsis, it was entertaining and silly, which makes for a nice conclusion to a long work week. Deneuve, Depardieu, and Luchini are in fine form, as usual, and as is to be expected; Madame Deneuve in particular looks quite cheerful and svelte, having maintained a sort of youthful feminine buoyancy even in her older age.

For my casual evening out on the town with my man, I chose a simple dark navy American Apparel double scoop dress; I have featured this cut a number of times, and am sure to again in the future, as they are supremely versatile and come in a plethora of hues and shades across the chromatic spectrum. Navy is starting to slowly overrun my closet, indeed, it has a firm power hold on its own fiefdom at this point, but I am currently turning a blind eye. Especially in the summer, in the warm sun, or during balmy evenings, navy is a more subtle, more welcoming neutral alternative to black, though is, obviously, not a precise substitute.

These bronze ball and rod earrings originally had five dangling pieces; after a rigorous, sweat-inducing dance party while I was at university in Ithaca, where Madonna jams were pitted against Blondie's best tunes, one had lost some of the pieces. From time to time, I have been known to cut a rug, how to move, leave it in shreds, sometimes even burn it ruthlessly. Thankfully, my roommate and dear friend Katherine, jewelry maker and problem solver extraordinaire, was able to transfer still intact pieces from the other earring. They are both a unique color and structure, so I am eternally grateful she was able to help me out in a pinch.

While getting ready for the outing after work, before my filmmaker arrived, I listened and danced around to Sleater-Kinney's The Hot Rock; incredible album, which had grown a bit dusty on my shelf. This time, despite some energized syncopation on the drums and waves of strong guitar, there were no earring casualties.

I do not frequently carry this particular vintage clutch; it is rather long, and can be a bit awkward to carry, depending on the occasion. Since I adore the cream paired with the warm caramel brown, however, I feel I will be more likely to throw caution to the wind in the near future and parade about with my impractical handbag.

These Betsy Johnson leopard print tights originally had feet; alas, once again, the plague of wildly long legs haunted me, maddeningly and aggravatingly long, so much so that these tights were completely uncomfortable and almost unwearable. They sat, idle and forlorn, in my bureau drawer for awhile, receiving admiration yet little action or true attention, until I finally realized I had only to snip the bottoms a bit for them to work properly. As it turns out, the new style is more than perfect, since the pattern is rather ostentatious, the smaller surface area calms some of the feline ferocity.