A Salute to Red, White and Blue: Vicky, Dorothy and Me

On Friday, I shared some scenes from the 1948 film, "The Red Shoes" - and told you that it was my new favorite film. 

Well, maybe I spoke a bit too hastily during a moment of enthusiasm.  The "Wizard of Oz" has been #1 on my vintage film list for years, and I guess I'm not quite ready to boot it out of that position.

So for now, Vicky Page from the "The Red Shoes"...and Dorothy Gale from "The Wizard of Oz"...

...will have to share my top spot.

Did you notice that the women in my two favorite films have something in common? 

Their signature dresses...

...are White and Blue!

Plus, they both have blue bows in their hair...

and of course - RED Shoes!

I think both would be great costumes for Halloween.  Of course, the Wizard of Oz's Dorothy dress is already a standard.  But a Vicky Page costume could be really wonderful, especially if you replicate the dramatic ballet makeup used in the film...and smear the white tights with a bit of blood....

But I'm cheap.  So I really don't want to spend a lot of money on a costume store ballerina dress or a blue-and-white checked Dorothy dress - and I'm not talented enough to be able to sew them.

But...

I am savvy enough
to find great deals
at estate sales!


So, for just a
few dollars
I managed
to find
my own
red, white and blue
combo.

                                                                          

                  This is a vintage American Red Cross Volunteer dress.  Do you think that it suits me?

Yeah, I know - these aren't exactly ruby slippers, but they'll do.

Aren't these patches fun?  American Red Cross & local Ramsey County (St. Paul) patches on one sleeve...and Minnesota's Centennial 1858-1958 patch on the other.

 

So this dress was probably worn shortly after Minnesota's 1958 centennial...

Instead of a Blue Ribbon in my hair, I've got the little Blue Hat that came with the dress. 

I love it - it's got that vintage airline stewardess look.

So, now all I need to complete the Halloween costume is a First Aid Kit that can double as my purse.  I found this vintage kit in Good Buy Annie's Etsy shop that would have been perfect. But unfortunately it's been snatched up already.

I may have to resort to using my daughter's old Fisher Price medical bag.  It's a little silly, but that might add to the fun.

I'll also need some great makeup...  Maybe I could attempt to do up my eyes like Vicky Page's?

And last but not least...

I think it would make perfect sense for a Red Cross Volunteer to be a vampiress in disguise. 

So I might want to invest in some sexy fangs.

Oh, I forgot.  One small problem...

I haven't yet been invited to a Halloween Party.  Better work on that!

Beautiful and Haunting: "The Red Shoes" for Halloween

Now that I've publicly declared that I will be spending these coming weeks carrying out my mission of restoring Beauty and Order to my home - I'm firmly committed to following through. 

But yesterday was such a godawful day at work, when I got home I stumbled past all the chaos in a daze and headed straight for my computer/TV room with only one goal in mind:  zoning out on instant play Netflix films for the rest of the evening.

It turned out not to be a wasted evening at all...because I discovered my new favorite movie:  the 1948 classic, "The Red Shoes."

(warning: spoiler alert!)



I don't know how I managed to have missed seeing this wonderful film all these years. Have you seen it? It's both amazingly beautiful...and darkly haunting.

"The Red Shoes" is loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name, and features real-life ballerina, Moira Shearer, in the role of the enchanting young dancer Victoria Page.

Vicky is torn between the man she loves, Julian Craster the composer (played by Marius Goring)....

...and the man who has the power to help her realize her dream of becoming a prima ballerina - but can also take that dream away:  the Lermontov Ballet impresario, Boris Lermontov (played by Anton Walbrook).

I'm not going to attempt to write a review of "The Red Shoes." Many others who are far more capable than I have already done that. Take a peek here.

One reviewer described the film as a "feast for the senses." I thought I'd give you a little taste of that "feast" through these photos that I took directly from the film as I was watching it. (For those of you who have never done this before - it's a great way to get to know a film intimately.)

"The Red Shoes" has everything that makes this vintage-loving girl's heart sing!
Gorgeous ballet...

Intriguing characters...

Fabulous fashion from the 1940's...

Lots of wonderful train scenes...

...and handwritten letters.

Plenty of romance and intrigue...

and DRAMA...

Dark, Dark DRAMA...

...that turns to TRAGEDY...

For those of you who have a tradition of watching a haunting film on Halloween night - but are sick of the typical blood-and-gore horror films, "The Red Shoes" might be just what you're looking for.

And...if you had fancied the idea of being a ballerina when you were growing up...and you still look halfway decent in a tutu and tights...why not consider dressing up as Vicky Page for Halloween?

All you need is a dress like this...with a pretty blue bow for your hair...

A pair of red, red lips - and dramatic eyes lined in black and red...

And most important of all - red ballet slippers, preferably handmade by the Shoemaker himself.

But at the end of the night, after you come home from the costume party...

and are ready to go to bed...if you discover that those red shoes simply refuse to budge from your feet...

...don't say I didn't warn you...

.....hehehe, cackle, cackle..................