My Little Boudoir

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“I made a promise to myself to be kinder to other people.” – Lena Horne

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“I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become.
I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” – Lena Horne

© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

“Always be smarter than the people who hire you.” – Lena Horne

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“You have to be taught to be second class;
you’re not born that way.” – Lena Horne

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“It [prejudice] is such a waste. It makes you logy and half-alive.
It gives you nothing. It takes away.” – Dorothy Dandridge

© Bettmann/CORBIS

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If you haven’t already noticed, the theme at My Little Boudoir recently is Tiffany & Co. So, what would be more appropriate than to feature Holly Golightly’s apartment in Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the monthly series called Thinking Outside the Boudoir. This is where I share my fascination of homes from the movies. While some may not be practical for everyday life, or represent my overall ideal decor, I would love to spend some time in them, even just for a night. In some it is the decor that I fancy. In others it’s the architecture or floor plan. And in some I think it’s my fondness for the characters.

Ok, for starters, who wouldn’t love to live in Manhattan? Perhaps you wouldn’t fancy it all the time or for raising children, but surely it would be delightful for at least a short while (or longer for gals like me). I would absolutely love to have a stoop, too!

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Now for the inside. Simple, a little mid-century and a lot fabulous! I love the trellis wall panel, the pink and fuschia sofa (I mean bath tub) cushions, and the vintage kitchen. When you’re living the the single city life like Holly, you even drink milk from a wine glass!

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There aren’t many items that scream boudoir like a sleeping mask. Being in an old building in NYC, the tassel ear plugs probably don’t hurt either.

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My dream boudoir will most certainly have a solid old black rotary phone like Holly’s.

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Now, what would a single woman’s apartment be if she didn’t have a bedroom vanity? It should also be complete (like Holly’s) with cosmetics and fragrance galore!

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And if you think that all make-up and perfume application occurs in the boudoir, you’re mistaken. A girl on the go must have a last minute option for touch ups.

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For all of you fans of the silver screen that live in California, or who can make it there lickety-split, there is a fabulous festival that you must attend!

(TCM.com/festival)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is putting on the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles, California from April 22nd to the 25th.

There will be a series of old Hollywood film screenings, including films like Casablanca (starring Ingrid Bergman), Carmen Jones (starring Dorothy Dandridge and Pearl Bailey), Sunset Boulevard (starring Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson), Pillow Talk (starring Doris Day), Cleopatra (starring Elizabeth Taylor), Some Like it Hot (starring Marilyn Monroe), The Graduate (starring Anne Bancroft) and many many more.

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What’s even more exciting is that there will also be discussions, Q&A sessions, expert panels, book signings and more. Such events include a wide variety of industry insiders, experts, and even some of the actors and actresses themselves (like Angelica Houston, Martin Landau, Nancy Olson, Tony Curtis and more).

Special Guests (L to R clockwise): Tony Curtis, Angelica Houston, Martin Landau and Nancy Olson

The festival events will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, The Egyptian Theater, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Mann’s Chinese 6. These are many of the same theaters and places that were frequented by the stars of these very films -and- where many movie premiers have taken place. Oh, to feel the glamour of old Hollywood in person!

Theaters (L to R clockwise): Grauman's Chinese Theater, The Egyptian Theater, Roosevelt Hotel and Mann's Chinese 6

The tickets range in price from $20 for a single event to $499 or $599 for a full pass. Visit TCM.com/festival for more information and to purchase tickets.

(TCM.com/festival)

This event would probably be the next best thing to actually having lived back then to experience it. Although, to have the true glamorous Hollywood experience, one must retire to a luxurious boudoir at the end of the evening.

Jean Harlow (loveyourplace.blogspot.com)

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“Bigger than life is not difficult for me. I am bigger than life.” – Rita Moreno

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“They’ve had to overcome a great deal – not as much as I did -
but it’s become OK to be Latino.” – Rita Moreno

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“No one can figure out your worth but you.”
- Pearl Bailey

“Everybody wants to do something to help, but nobody wants to be first.”
- Pearl Bailey

“I never really look for anything. What God throws my way comes.
I wake up in the morning and whichever way God turns my feet, I go.”
- Pearl Bailey

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I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite books. Her name is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. This book is perfect for a boudoir read. It is a classic, so many of you may already know how fabulous it is. But, for those of you who have not read it you’re sure to miss out if you don’t. Not only is it a great book, it also paints a detailed description of both the first and second Mrs. De Winter’s boudoirs and, even better, once you’re through with the book you can view them on the silver screen in the 1940 movie staring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier.

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Here is a brief synopsis of Rebecca (courtesy Amazon.com):

Rebecca is a novel of mystery and passion, a dark psychological tale of secrets and betrayal, dead loves and an estate called Manderley that is as much a presence as the humans who inhabit it: “when the leaves rustle, they sound very much like the stealthy movement of a woman in evening dress, and when they shiver suddenly and fall, and scatter away along the ground, they might be the pitter, patter of a woman’s hurrying footsteps, and the mark in the gravel the imprint of a high-heeled satin shoe.” Manderley is filled with memories of the elegant and flamboyant Rebecca, the first Mrs. DeWinter; with the obsessive love of her housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who observes the young, timid second Mrs. DeWinter with sullen hostility; and with the oppressive silences of a secretive husband, Maxim. Rebecca may be physically dead, but she is a force to contend with, and the housekeeper’s evil matches that of her former mistress as a purveyor of the emotional horror thrust on the innocent Mrs. DeWinter. The tension builds as the new Mrs. DeWinter slowly grows and asserts herself, surviving the wicked deceptions of Mrs. Danvers and the silent deceits of her husband, to emerge triumphant in the midst of a surprise ending that leaves the reader with a sense of haunting justice.

You may want to wait until you read the book, but if not, here is a nice clip from the film. Don’t worry, it doesn’t totally give it away.

WAIT, before you press play, scroll down and pause the music (click here if you need help).

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“Every time your picture is taken, you lose a part of your soul.” – Anna May Wong

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