I know some of you divas were waiting for me to post a date night ootd, but this weekend my hubby and I decided to have our date night right at home. We decided to take the whole weekend to order takeout and watch our favorite movies. Since any healthy relationship includes compromise, we decided that if I sat through his action packed, kung fu, and suspense movies, he would in turn sit through my romantic, musical, and scary movies. It was a blast!
The two movies that really stuck out to me, that I've watched multiple times are: Dreamgirls and Lady Sings the Blues. These two movies encapsulates to me everything DIVA; from their story line, to the fashions, to the glamour, to the music.
Here are some of the images from these movies that I absolutely love and am inspired by.
Dreamgirls
Before I take you to some of the visuals from the movie, I must first and foremost pay homage to the original Dreamgirls.
(Lorretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Holliday)
Look at those dresses and the hair and makeup. Everything is screaming DIVA.
I loved the fashions of the 80s. I remember looking at my mom and thinking wow, she is so pretty with her big hair, blue eyeshadow, pink cheeks, tiny waist, and shoulder pads (lol). Back then it was less about skin and more about silhouettes.
Ok, Now for the parts that inspired me (whether in fashion, hair, makeup, and/or aura)
The Dreams
I loved the dresses in this scene so much, I actually had a wedding dress custom made for me based on this design. I never wore it for my wedding because I went with a more elaborate theme, but I still absolutely love my dress. I feel like a 'Dream' every time I try it on. (Maybe I will post pictures of it at a later date if you're interested).
Diva Attitude!
When I first saw you, I said Oh My, Oh My that's my dream....
I loved this part in the movie. All the looks that Deena wore were absolutely beautiful.
I absolutely love this picture of Deena. Very minimalistic, but retro mod at the same time.
"Deena is beautiful and she go'ng always be beautiful, but Curtis I got the voice"- Effie White
She sure did. In my opinion 'Effie' played by Jennifer Hudson, had the most pivotal moment in the entire movie. When she sang, "And I am Telling You" my whole body had chills. In that moment I felt her pain. The pain of losing the man that you love because of your looks. You felt her desperation, anguish, and abandonment in that one moment.
Lady Sings the Blues....
This movie is loosely based on the real life story of the legendary jazz singer Ms. Billy Holiday.
Although it was panned by critics, I absolutely loved it. I feel like Diana Ross brought every scene to life. She transformed into Billie Holiday.
If you've never seen any of these movies, run to your closest video rental store and take a look. One will absolutely leave you hopeful and like you can accomplish anything (Dreamgirls), while the other will show you that although you can make it, you must also watch out for pitfalls that come along the way (Lady Sings the Blues).
And here are just a few pictures of some Divas that have inspired me.... Enjoy :-)
Dian Ross (The Boss)
Although she is completely toned down and minimal in just jeans and a t-shirt, this is one of my favorite pictures of my favorite Diva, Ms. Diana Ross
Cher
Anyone can say what they want about Cher, but in my book back in the 60s and 70s she represented what a diva was. She was fashion forward, risqué, and entertaining.
If given the opportunity and the right occasion to wear them, I would most likely wear a lot of the outfits that she wore back in the day (lol).
Ms. Tina Turner
Simply the Best...
When she finally made the decision to leave Ike, she really stepped into her own. She became dynamic, daring, and fearless. Who else do you know that stepped out on her own at the age of 40 something, and became a rock 'n roll icon.
Grace Jones (The Rebel)
Last but not least...
When I first discovered Grace Jones, I was a bit confused. I was very young and ask my mom if she was a boy or girl. My mom laughed and said she was a girl. I remember thinking to myself, she's not very pretty; and how come she doesn't have long hair, and doesn't wear dresses? I knew nothing about androgyny. As I grew older, I started to appreciate her for who she is. She is someone that loves to push the envelope and go against the status quo. She helped to show a different form of beauty.
I truly appreciate her for showing that there is beauty in diversity.
