"Jackie" (2016)

 

Just like JFK's beloved Camelot, Jackie Kennedy's life was a show, with all the salty tragedy necessary to create her  triple-strand Princess America pearls.

She wore his head on her sleeve after JFK's death, but was a secret smoker, and hid all-seeing eyes behind dark sunglasses. 

Reviewers are gushing over Natalie Portman's portrayal of Jackie but I found it to be caricature-like and too thickly frosted. 

The film's recreation of Jackie's White House tour was a highlight as it showed the artiface of her image and the great trouble she went to to appear so poised. I rewatched the original tour and, as I suspected, her speech was not as cartoonish as the reinactment suggests. 

Mica Levi's dramatic soundtrack, coupled with Portman's bold portrayal, painted this film as almost pantomine but much more watchable than the standard cookie-cutter biopic. 

 

(my tea towel, handed down from my Aunt)

Preppy and imperfect

Prepdom projects an image of slender athletic brunettes with ready-for-lacrosse sartorial ease. It is easy to be intimidated by willowy WASPS and nary-a-hair-out-of-place perfecto petites. 

Being plus size, preppy labels don't want me as a consumer, as I think they see my size as unsophisticated. Yes, I can buy the accessories but I do feel slightly uneasy about supporting a business which doesn't support me. 

This paucity of product sees a chink in my armoire so you can imagine my glee when Lilly Pulitzer for Target came out with extended sizing. I couldn't get anything from the website as it was busier than its playful patterns. I managed to get a lovely Lilly off Ebay, months later, in all its pink and green glory!

First lady follicles elude me: I'm more Janice Joplin than Jackie Kennedy. I abhor getting my hair cut so I usually wear a lazy ponytail or bun. A snazzy bow, headband, or tartan ribbon, may attend but this is a casual event: strays welcome. When the mood strikes me I get a bob but as soon as this is long enough, comfort demands a hairtie.