Style Crush: Robert Taylor

Style Crush is finally back this week and it's featuring one of my favourite old Hollywood actors and crush in general...Robert Taylor.

I remember the first film I saw Robert in.  It was Waterloo Bridge and I fell madly for him.  He had a charm that was palpable through the screen and made me feel deeply for his character and the struggles he faced.

The next film I saw was Camille.  Poor Robert played yet another character that wasn't the luckiest in love.  It furthered my love of him and I began to watch every film of his that TCM aired.

He's able to pull off the looks of so many different characters.  He can wear the casual tennis jumper and then change into a tuxedo and look just as dashing.  I love the men's fashion of old.  It was just such a put together, polished look.  The fedora, the three piece suit, the wingtips...  There's just something about a well dressed man that makes a gal swoon a bit...

My Week According to Instagram

This week was pretty good, though it didn't end on such a positive note.  I came home from work last night after midnight and it was quite cold in my flat.  I looked at the thermostat and it read around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  I turned the hot tap on and it just ran cold.  It was a miserable night's sleep.  Smudger and I were all bundled up in bed and still couldn't sleep well.  When I woke up this morning it cooled down to about 50 degrees (which is quite cold when the wind is howling)!  It was too much to bear.  Poor Smudgie was shaking like a leaf so we packed a few things up and went to my mum's house until the landlord refueled at our flat.

Thanksgiving ended up being quite nice, although a bit hectic.  Mum and I spent all day cooking and baking (me being the genius that I am, did it in high heeled booties).  It was really fun.  I enjoy cooking and baking but don't do it that often myself since I live alone and also work second shift.  It was just three of us for dinner but then my brother, his wife, and my nephew stopped by for desert.  After they left Mum and I watched a bit of a film called Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I've seen it already and it's a really cute movie.

1. Adorable vintage looking hand mirror from the Dollar Tree.

2. Handmade Christmas gift tags available here.

3. Gone With the Wind marathon on AMC.

4. Mummy holding me when I was a wee lass.

5. Thanksgiving day outfit; soaking up the sunlight.

6. Five homemade pies: 2 pumpkin, 1 lemon meringue, 1 apple, and 1 cran-apple.

7. The apple pie I made.  I love the lattice work.

8. Lemon meringue pie.

9. Misty waking up from her nap.

10. Thanksgiving before the feast begins.

11. Thanksgiving outfit again, including the jumper and handbag.

12. My partner in crime, my mummy.

I'm so excited for my next day off on Tuesday.  I'm going to be spending the day decorating my flat for Christmas.  I love decorating for the different holidays or just in general.  There's a house a few minutes away that is selling boughs from their pine trees so I'm going to get some, put a red ribbon on them, and hang them under each window.  I also got a great CD yesterday full of old Christmas music from artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and others.

When do you normally decorate for Christmas?

My Week According to Instagram

Another week passes us by.  I worked all week except for Thursday.  I was rather productive that day.  I finally got my hair trimmed after not doing so for the longest time, I started my Christmas shopping, went grocery shopping, and did some sewing with my mum.

I am working this weekend, so I usually don't do much when I work.  I have off tomorrow but it's going to be another busy day.  I like having off a weekday each week, but then again at the same time it's not very relaxing if you try to cram too much in one day.  I always long for my weekends off when I can have two days in a row.

1. Pumpkin spice latte on the way to a flea market.

2. Vintage nails and a Singer light bulb shield.

3-4. The lovely Vivien Leigh.

 

5. Stockings and garter belt.

6. Gorgeous blue Orchids.

7. Handmade Kindle case.

8. Battle wound from Smudger.

9. Lee Pace in Breaking Dawn Part Two.

10. Exploring Maine in July.

11. Hitchcock time.

12. Lovely fabric I need to buy.

13. Making an apron from this pretty fabric.

14. Saving the eggs from spoiling.

15-16. Stunning Waterfall furniture.  I desperately want the wardrobe on the right.

17. The third piece at the thrift shop.

Vivien Leigh

99 years ago today, on 5 November 1913, Vivian Mary Hartley (most famously known as Vivien Leigh) was born in Darjeeling, India.

I can remember the first film I saw with Vivien Leigh in it.  It was Waterloo Bridge.  This was also my first Robert Taylor film.  I fell in love with him instantly and adored her straight away.  It was such a magical, bittersweet story.

Vivien and Robert Taylor in Waterloo Bridge

Touching up her makeup on the set of Waterloo Bridge

Vivien and Laurence Olivier

Vivien with Maureen O'Sullivan and Robert Taylor

Clark Gable and Vivien in Gone with the Wind

I have since then seen subsequent films that Vivien has been in.  And her talent never fails to amaze me.  She is a delight to watch.  I have only had the pleasure of seeing a few of her films.  They were Gone with the Wind and A Yank at Oxford (co-starring Robert Taylor again).  But that's a problem that I seriously want to remedy and am able to do a little bit today.  TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is having a marathon of some of her movies which I am recording to watch later.

Vivien is definitely one of my top 3, favourite old Hollywood actresses along with Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth.  What are yours?

Happy Birthday to the stunning, always glamorous Vivien Leigh.