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A Billie Holiday playlist, last month’s issue of French Vogue, haute couture runway shows on YouTube… all things I’m more likely to turn to before I turn on the television. I find TV time dangerous. It’s like a sinkhole. Once the TV is on, it’s likely to stay on until I either leave the house or go to bed. With a busy boutique to run and a home (that I affectionately refer to as my mini-five-room-Versailles) to manage, I have very little down time and, therefore, am quite selfish with it.
Still, I enjoy the occasional afternoon on the divan with a plat de fromage to quiet the chaos in my head. What I don’t enjoy, ever, is channel surfing. If the remote is in my hand, I’m tuning in to something specific. A haute show that has been recommended, a network series that has become all the buzz, or an interesting film that I never found time to watch in the theatre.
My guilty pleasure is crime (not committing them personally, but getting into the heads of the people who do.) Give me 60 minutes with a serial killer and a chilled sauvignon blanc and I’m happy as a clam. No surprise though, my passion is fashion and that’s usually what I gravitate toward. Old black and white movies with buxom broads in peplum suits and red lips so fierce that they can be seen through the black and white film. Period pieces with Jane Austen heroines hurling harsh words like “vexed” and “headstrong, defiant girl” while they stand perfectly upright in delicate, eyelet trimmed gowns and straw bonnets.
On the chance that you, too, find yourself with ample tv time these days, these are my top 10 “style binge” recommendations. Pink bubbly, bon bons, and a lap dog are optional.
The Vintage Voyageur (Amazon Prime Video) #2 on Amazon Editor’s Pick List and must-see tv for the vintage enthusiast. Extra special to us as Allison Maldonado, the host and creator, filmed a season 3 episode at Maison Marcellé that will air later this year.
Versailles ’73 (Amazon Prime Video) A documentary with original footage of the 1973 runway show that saved Versailles and changed the course of American fashion. Fascinating!
Dior and I (Hulu) Raf Simons takes over the iconic house of Christian Dior and navigates the pressure of presenting his first collection in this couture house.
Sex and the City (HBO) The legendary Patricia Field has a ‘field day’ dressing 4 single women searching for love in NYC. Fashion is the 5th character.
A Stitch in Time (Amazon Prime Video) Amber Butchart is clever as she explores the historic fashion in museum art, AND the last episode stars Marie Antoinette.
Making the Cut (Amazon Prime Video) Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn reunite in Paris with a team of global designers who compete for $1M. Four episodes in, I’m hooked.
The Devil wears Prada (On Demand) It just never gets old for me.
First Monday in May (Hulu) A private peek into Anna Wintour’s who’s-who-in-pop-culture Met Gala production.
Marie Antoinette (On Demand) Sofia Coppola puts a rock and roll soundtrack over the sexy-chic madness that was life at the Court of Versailles.
Funny Face Fred Astaire dancing to George Gershwin with Audrey Hepburn in vintage Givency … in
Paris. My version of heaven.
