Comics

I grew up with a love for reading. When I was a kid I devoured Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, The Babysitters's Club, Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables and any book my mom gave me.

But I was especially fond of comic books. My favourites were Archie, Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin and Asterix. I would just read them for hours and hours and I fell in love with all the characters.

When I was a teenager and through most of my early twenties, I forgot about comic books for a while until I discovered the graphic novel; Fables, Watchmen, Batman, Y: The Last Man are just a few of the ones I am currently obsessed with.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the women in these stories; how they are represented, what they mean to me personally and how their clothes reflect women in general. I guess I've been thinking about it because I am considering getting a tattoo of James Jean's Sally Jupiter (from Watchmen.)


In Watchmen, Sally Jupiter is a strong, kick-ass babe who loves fighting crime and making sure her hair is set juuuust right. In her heyday, she goes through many challenges, including surviving a sexual attack, but she still manages to keep on fighting. Her costume is a deliberate tease; fashioned to fool criminals (and men) into thinking she is a diminutive sex kitten.

But it's also a deliberate statement that says she is in control, she is liberated and she is sexually free and in charge. She can be sexy and still catch the bad guys.

The portrayal of women in comic books (especially how they are dressed) has always fascinated me, if even it's subconsciously. The clothes are usually skin tight and revealing, and you would think that Cat Woman would have a hell of a time fighting crime in a leather bodysuit.

The clothes always seemed to restrict the women; just as women in real life have historically been oppressed by their corsets, their high heels, their tight jeans.

And sure, sex sells. Men make up a large comic book readership but I feel that women are gaining on them. And although the women in comic books still wear titillating clothes, their personalities and actions make the clothes stand as a symbol of female power; they are taking back their sexuality once owned by men and making it their own and controlling it.

And that is definitely something I can root for.

Here are some other favourite comic book characters and their amazing outfits.

Cinderella- Fables


Wonder Woman

Bat Girl

Cat Woman
Dark Phoenix

Skating in style

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics are in full swing and I have enthusiastically joined Team Canada.

There are a lot of winter sports I enjoy watching; snowboard half-pipe, speed skating and luge. But I have become obsessed with figure skating and I can partly thank American skater Johnny Weir for that (don't worry, I'm still Team Patrick Chan!)

I first heard about Weir when he skated to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" at the 2010 Nationals. He wore sequined gloves, had metal bits going up one arm and his face was painted black and blue.

Two days ago, Weir skated in the short program wearing a black corset with pink ruffles.

Skating is known for having ridiculous costumes (see Ukraine's "Avatar" inspired look) but Weir's get-up took it to a whole new level. An awesome level.

Not many male figure skaters would have chosen to wear a garment historically worn by women. It just shows that Weir is not afraid of taking risks sartorially and yes he is talented skater.

Unfortunately Weir is going through some controversy now because he wore fur on one of his costumes and brought PETA's ire on himself.


What really stands out is how unique and beautiful his costumes are. They could be cheesy but instead they're fun and creative.


Tonight is the men's freestyle program and Johnny will be going for the gold. But even if he doesn't get a medal, he is definitely the best dressed of the bunch.

So say we all

If you know me at all, you will know that I am a huge sci-fi geek; to be more specific, I am a Battlestar Galactica fanatic. I am still upset at the way the series ended but that's off-topic.

Anyway, the creators of BSG made a spin-off; a prequel called Caprica. The show takes place in the future but despite the high tech gadgets and gear, many of the characters dress as if they came just from the 1960s à la Mad Men.

The difference, however, between these two shows is that whereas the characters in Mad Men are flawlessly styled, the characters in Caprica come off as a bit more worn; they are not perfect. The jackets are a bit loose, the ties askew, the pants don't fit juuuuust right.

Take Joseph Adama (played by Esai Morales.) He is a civil liberties lawyer who came from a poor family and loses his wife and daughter in a suicide bombing. He wears a fedora hat with a wide brim and two feathers.


His suits are usually a bit loose on him but they look stylish, wearable and more importantly, they look like what a lawyer would wear; nothing too fancy but subtly beautiful.


And that's what I love about the costumes. They reflect the flaws in the characters and the dark mood of the show. So although they have style, they might not care whether their clothes are tailored to a tee. Still, it is wonderful to watch.

My favourite movie costumes

I've been watching a lot of movies lately; mostly period pieces such as Atonement, Brideshead Revisited (and for the record, it is excellent) and Pride and Prejudice. I realized that a lot of their allure has to do with the costumes and that I am a huge fan of clothing from the 20s and 30s.
If I hadn't chosen journalism as my profession, I think I would have liked to be a costume designer for movies (If I had the talent of course.)

My mother bought me the book Dressing a Galaxy last Christmas. It provides the history of all of the costumes used in the Star Wars trilogy (the new one) which I find fascinating. It made me appreciate how much work goes into picking costumes for actors; and not just the leads, but for the potentially dozens or hundreds of extras. It made me realize that the costume could make or break the experience for a viewer. If the costume fits; the viewer will believe the actor playing a character and will be transported to that world. But if the costume doesn't work; then the whole movie fails.

I picked out a few movies which I enjoy and happen to have my favourite costumes.
In no particular order:

1. Marie Antoinette
I think that the main reason I love this movie is solely based on the costumes. They are so extravagant and regal that I could just stare at them for hours. They really transport me back in time to 18th century France.

2. The Duchess

I posted about this movie a while ago before I saw the movie because I was excited about the costumes. Watching the movie made me love the costumes even more when they came to life. It's probably no coincidence that the time period is exactly the same as Marie Atoinette so many of Keira Knightley's dresses are in the same style as France's queen; however there are several clothes, such as the one pictured, which are more masculine. The tailoring and the details are exquisite.

3. Pride and Prejudice
Right now this is my favourite movie. The beautiful piano music, the lush scenery, the obvious love between the cast and of course, the costumes, make it a joy to watch.
Keira's Elizabeth Bennett wears simple yet elegant dresses. They are very floaty and look comfortable to wear. Very pretty. And I love Mr. Darcy's high collared and stiff coats.

4. Vertigo
I love Hitchcock films but I think Vertigo is in my top three. I love this suit. I love how it flatters Kim Novak's hourglass figure, I love the neckline and the front pockets. It's formal but sexy.

5. The Devil Wears Prada
This is an obvious one. There is so much eye candy in this movie. Costume designer Patricia Field could have gone really crazy a la Carrie Bradshaw here and thank God she didn't. This is my favourite outfit in the movie. Those high leather boots and that schoolboy blazer make me die.

6. The Great Race
I just bought this on DVD because I haven't seen it for 10 years and I remember how much it used to make me laugh. But now I can appreciate the clothes! Natalie Wood makes many costume changes; from equestrian to outrageous ball gowns; it's a real treat to watch.
Tony Curtis' 'The Great Leslie' also has great sartorial moments with white suits.

7. The Godfather

Ok I'm just going to come out and say it: Michael Corleone looks damn hot in this suit.

8. Gattaca
The characters in this movie aren't supposed to be fashionistas; they're all trying to fit in and look the same and so the costumer put them in black suits for the men, and high-collared, black jackets and pants for the women. These clothes only enhanced the emotions of the movie and the characters; very stiff, formal and clone-like on the outside, but really they are putting on a mask. Love this movie.

9. Casino
Al Pacino's Sam Rothstein stole the show. Correction: his clothes stole the show. He got to wear very flamboyant suits; lots of bright colours like pink and yellow; stripes and checkers. It was really fun just watching all the cool suits he got to wear.

10. Titanic
Say what you will about the film but Rose got to wear freaking awesome clothes, even if she could barely breathe in them. This one is my favourite. I love the buttons and the diagonal cut of the skirt. It's a little nautical but completely regal. Love the hat.

11. Brideshead Revisited (The TV series and the movie)


Before I saw this movie I blogged about my excitement over the costumes. I just finished watching Brideshead Revisited the movie and I loved it. It's hard to watch it without comparing it to the much-beloved mini-series, but it definitely suceeded. And the costumes are gorgeous. The movie went all out with exotic clothing for Julia Flyte (see the Oriental dress) and put religious Lady Marchmain in furs. Sebastian in both the TV series and the movie is always wearing a well-cut suit with a dash of something saucy- whether it be a spotted scarf, a colourful tie or a flower in his breast pocket. Charles Ryder wears beautiful suits; very English and very proper.

Cheers to beautiful movies!

The Duchess costumes

I just finished reading the biography about Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, who died in the early 1800s. The movie doesn't seem to be anything like the book but that's ok because the costumes make up for it. In the book, Georgiana is portrayed is being a major influence on English politics; this was during the time of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette so there was a lot of political turmoil, revolution and war. Georgiana was also seen as the most fashionable woman in English society. She set all the trends; when she wore her hair up high with feathers, every woman copied her. The book also talks about her relationship with her husband, the Duke, and their ménage-à-trois with Georgiana's best friend, Bess. The movie producers and promoters are hoping that viewers will relate Georgiana to her great-great-great (a lot more greats) niece, the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Certainly there are a few similarities between the two women such as their love of being in the public eye, their love of fashion and the fact that their husbands weren't faithful. But that's where the similarities end.

I am excited to see the movie mostly because I love period pieces and the costumes. I expect similarities in dress to Marie Antoinette, the movie with Kirsten Dunst, as they are from the same time periods. Georgiana wasn't a royal but she did dress with a lot of flair in magnificent gowns.

Check out photo stills from the movie


I'm not an advocate for fur but I love those fox tails on her hat. I wish women wore fabulous hats like that in Toronto. Nobody wears majestic hats anymore. I'm tired of toques and berets.







This dress does not look comfortable at all. I can't imagine what a pain it was trying to walk around, get in and out of carriages, sit on the toilet, etc. in these restrictive frocks.


Was Georgiana the first woman who embraced androgynous dressing?

Fan Expo 2008 aka the highlight of my life because I met Edward James Olmos

Me and Rorschach!

So today I can die a happy woman because I met Edward James Olmos (Bill Adama from Battlestar Galactica) and Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek) at the Fan Expo in Toronto.
I attended three celebrity question and answer periods featuring Spiner, Olmos along with Aaron Douglas (Chief from Battlestar Galactica) and finally Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings.) It was beyond cool seeing my favorite TV and movie actors in person. I got to sit right up at the front with my borrowed press pass and took lots of photos. Brent even gave my friend props!
The great thing about these actors is that they are so personable and approachable and are really grateful to be there and truly love their fans.
After the Q&As I went to the autograph line to meet Olmos, and while I couldn't afford $60 for an autograph we did chat for a few minutes and he almost cried when we talked about the end of the series which made me almost cry.
Anyways, I took a bunch of photos of the people dressed up as their favorite animé/sci-fi/comic book/horror hero. Some of the pics (like one of me with Rorscharch) are on another camera so I'll be posting those later. The amount of time these people must have taken to put together their costumes is incredible because they were so detailed and true to the character.
(Photos copyright Chloe Tejada)


And even though this isn't fashion related, a couple of pics of my heroes for anyone who is interested:

Edward James Olmos

Aaron Douglas

Brent Spiner

Sean Astin



Update: Here's a video of Olmos speaking at the Fan Expo Q&A: