Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) (celebrity) Inspired Fringed Bag

As anyone who follows fashion magazines/blogs may have noticed, there has been a rise in the popularity of fringed bags…

But…I believe the trend was started in 2008 by Woody Allen’s costume lady for Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). As a firm believer in the adage ‘accessories maketh the lady’, Maria Elena would have looked like any other lady on the streets of Barcelona, if it were not for her awesome fringed handbag...

Notably, the item that made the biggest impact on me during the entire movie was that handbag…and also as support for a fellow etsian, I finally succumbed to the urge to get one for myself, in a beautiful dark chocolate suede….

https://www.etsy.com/listing/129379532/free-shipping-leather-fringe-purse?ref=shop_home_active

Crocheted Flower Shawl/Cape and Scarf

Following finding that crocheted flower tutorial on youtube a while ago, I realised I had some silky grey wool sitting around that I got from charity, so I decided to use it to practice making flowers. 8 flowers later and turning them into a scarf seemed like a good idea….

I’ve also always been fascinated with the idea of wearing capes/shawls to keep warm – instead of wearing jackets. It turns out that women were wearing capes during the 1930s rather than coats (as mentioned by Anais Nin in her diaries). So I thought I’d give making a crocheted flower cape a go…

Maria Elena / Penelope Cruz Style

When it comes to movies, I have a soft spot for anything that is beautifully shot with highly picturesque scenes. So it’s a bit of a no brainer that I have something of a visual and sartorial crush on Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

More specifically, with each re-viewing, I fall more and more in love with Maria Elena – especially in the sartorial sense.

One thing I find really great is that clothes-wise, she is a girl after my own heart as I love to wear clothes in similar styles and designs to hers - especially the dresses in the summer. Many of my dresses are actually in a similar design to the one in the pic where she is fighting with Juan Antonio...

Too bad re my yellow-based skin tone as I would love a pair of those orange loose pants to lounge about the house in - although it does mean that I tend to wear more black lace than white.
I do regret the fact that my feet get cold easily or I would totally love to own a pair of her nude sandals.