Over the Rainbow

Last night I went and saw Oz the Great and Powerful with Bri, Charissa, and Sarah. It'e been a long time since the four of us had a just us hang out night so it was much needed! We grabbed some dinner and snacks (I feel like you know you're a grownup when you order coffee at the movie theatre) and talked and laughed... It was a pretty great night! I did a small homage to The Wizard of Oz (which is my absolute favourite movie if you didn't know!) in my outfit. Red shoes, Braids, a little red sparkle, and some Scottie dog jewelry. I was hoping to find a brooch that represented each of the main characters, but apparently my jewelry collection is lacking in the Wizard of Oz department.

Hairbow- Target

Earrings- ? probably F21???

Brooches: Ruby Slippers- Gift from Gracie, Yellow Scottie Dog- Vintage!, Sterling Scottie Dog- Vintage, gift from my parents

Cardigan- Target

Blouse- Thrifted

Skirt- Me Made

Shoes- Keds

This skirt! I was going to dedicate a whole post to it's construction, but I feel sort of silly doing that with a basic black skirt. But why are basic black skirts so stinking hard to find!? This one really is perfect! I used Butterick 5285 . I usually don't use a pattern for this kind of skirt, but for some reason I did this time. The pockets are done in a pretty pink Broadcloth because, well, because I can. I also did the hem with pink hem tape. It's like my private little secret that gives me a ridiculous amount of joy. There's a vintage metal zipper at the back and this pretty vintage button that I only had one of and have no idea where it came from. I've used this pattern a few times before and them hem is just a little to shallow for my liking. I cut this one about an inch and a half longer than the pattern so I could get a nice deep hem. I really love the fabric too! It's %100 cotton that is just a little heavy in weight. I think it gives it a really nice drape, while still being lightweight.  I have another just like this one in brown to make up next week. So that illusive perfect black skirt is finally mine!

I edited the heck out of this so you can see the button detail. Isn't it pretty!!

As for the movie, I adored it. There were moments, and only a few, that I felt were really unnecessary, mostly gags that just didn't work (there was one in particular that I just thought was totally stupid and it felt like it stalled the movie at a really pivotal point.). That was really my only complaint (aside from a zipper up the back of an 1890's dress, but whatever). I thought the cast did a phenomenal job, and the animation was stunning! I actually gasped a few times and think they did an excellent job of capturing the magic of The Wizard of Oz. And the China Doll was so stinking cute and beautiful! I also appreciated that they kept the story light. One of the things about Disney is that they take often dark tales and make them lighter, but in recent years it seems there has been a trend to do the opposite. I understand that sensibilities have changed, but I feel like this story in particular doesn't need that. On the flip side, I really appreciated the fact that they did keep modern taste in mind. While The Wizard of Oz is magical and charming, making a film like that today just wouldn't work, not with modern actors and CGI, and fancy effects, it just doesn't have the same feeling. Modern musical Munchkins singing with lollipops don't appeal to a modern audience. We love the old movie because it is old and charming and all the sets are handmade, but if you were to do that in a modern movie, it just doesn't feel right to modern audiences. So I think they did a fantastic job of keeping all the things we love about Oz, but updating the way it was made.  I also really appreciated the references to the old movie. There were a lot of small things that as a fan of Oz brought a big smile to my face.  I read a few comments online about people thinking that somehow making up a new story was dishonouring to the original stories, but I disagree. L. Frank Baum was constantly reinventing the stories and often forsook consistency for a good tale. Furthermore the original Oz movie isn't the book. So I really have no problem with either films because I do feel they hold true to Baum's own tradition of reinvention. So I definitely recommend the film! I laughed and cried and smiled and really felt like I was getting the chance to experience the magic of the original Oz film.