Week 4: Bridal. TOP 10 Movie Weddings

Aren't we all guilty of comparing our own lives to the ones we see on the movie screens? Especially when it comes to relationships and, of course, to ridiculously fun, romantic or just simply lavish and extravagant weddings! Although, real love is always better than the one you have to fake, we still can get inspired and take a note or two watching our favourite film characters tying the knot.

Top 10 Film Weddings

1. Gossip Girl

I still remember how impatiently I was waiting for every episode of Gossip Girl, and even though I am not a fan of re-watching TV Shows (unless it is Game of Thrones!), I sometimes have an extreme wave of nostalgia and an urge to watch this most fashionable show ever. 

Blair and Chuck, Serena and Dan and Blair (again!) and Louis. Who knew the show about school gossips, loaded mean girls and teenage romances will have so many weddings after just few seasons?

2. MAMMA MIA

Even though the wedding did not quite happen, Amanda Seyfried makes a beautiful bride. A few golden details here and there, and you too can look like a Greek Goddess!

3. TWILIGHT

I have a love/hate relationships with the Twilight saga. I think it is a very silly, poorly written and badly constructed teenage fantasy romance story, BUT I still read all the books and watched all the movies. Bella's dress in the film, made by Carolina Herrera, is very elegant and beautiful. However, my attention is devoted not to Kristen Stewart's bridal look, but to the gorgeous decor. 

4. DOWNTON ABBEY

Hands down, one of my favourite shows. If you haven't watched it, start today! The show is filled with a romance, engagements and several weddings during six seasons of the show. Here are the ones I admire the most:

5. STAR WARS: EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Being a big fan of Star Wars, I cannot miss a chance to include this short, but breathtakingly beautiful ceremony of Anakin and Padme. The scene was shot at the Villa del Balbianello that overlooks Lake Como in Italy. Absolutely perfect wedding spot! 

6. EMMA

Jane Austen is an author every bride-to-be should read. One of my top bridal looks from 'Austen's realm' is Emma's! The role was played by lovely Gwyneth Paltrow. You can actually see this and other wonderful wedding dresses from films at the Fashionable Romance exhibition, at the Biltmore House in North Carolina. Plan to visit before 4th of July as that is when the exhibition will end. I am certainly determined to travel to North Carolina now!

7. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING

Ok, let's admit that this wedding dress is a little bit over the top. But if you want a good laugh before your own marriage ceremony, this is a comedy movie you should watch! Bonus? The sequel of this surprise hit movie is now in cinemas! 

8. REIGN

Adelaide Kane, who plays Mary Queen of Scots, in this absolutely NOT historically accurate TV show, is one of the most naturally gorgeous people I have ever set my eyes on. Seeing her in the wedding dress made my heart literally skip a beat. But brides can get inspired not only by that wedding episode. The whole show is filled with gowns to-die-for, thanks to Meredith Markworth-Pollack - the wonderful costume designer (who also follows me on Instagram! Yes!)

9. BRIDE WARS

A female oriented comedy focusing on two beautiful brides - Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson.

10. LA REINE MARGOT

La Reine Margot is not a film for for the faint-hearted, and certainly not a pre-bridal movie to watch. Have you heard of St. Bartholomew's Day massacre? It took place five days after Margaret's de Valois (yes, Francis' sister, if you learn about history only from shows like Reign) wedding to the protestant Henry III of Navarre. It is believed that marriage was planned by Catherine de Medici (yes, Francis's mother) to gather the most wealthy Protestants in catholic Paris, in order to brutally kill them all. And we thought the 'Red Wedding' was bloody!

Well, at least the Queen Margot played by Isabelle Adjani looked stunning in her red wedding gown. Can I have that headpiece, please?

Week 3: Cleopatra. Iconic Makeup

The last post of the extended Cleopatra Week is, of course, dedicated to her beauty look. You can dress up in the most luxurious Greek-style dress, wear heavy gold jewellery and even buy the black wig with bangs, but even then you won't pass as Cleopatra if you do not wear her iconic makeup!

Cleopatra's Makeup is as legendary as her story. Of course the most iconic feature in her look is the eye makeup with a gorgeous Egyptian cateye. You can go heavy and bold for the Halloween or a costume party look, or just add an extra dark winged eyeliner if you are going for something more subtle.

I am also a big cat-eye lover and always apply my black eyeliner whenever I want to look my best.  Just a little "Cleopatra detail" makes me feel 10x prettier.

I have selected the best YouTube tutorials on how to apply Cleopatra's Makeup for you. Share your Cleopatra Looks with me via email or tag me on Twitter or Instagram: @uliaali 

Bonus: Check my Pinterest Board for more Cleopatra inspiration:

Follow Ulia's board Cleopatra on Pinterest.

Week 3: Cleopatra. Books

You already know my love for literature, and that every week I post relevant to the chosen theme books. Today I wanted to give you a list of the best publications about Cleopatra, both fictional and history books. Let's start with the classics!

The Classics

1. 'Antony and Cleopatra' is a beautiful tragedy written by W. Shakespeare. It follows the romantic relationships between Cleopatra and Mark Antony up until their tragic deaths. The Shakespeare's play is an origin of belief that Cleopatra was bitten on her bare breast by an asp, even though classic sources say that the poison spread to her body from the bite on the arm. Regardless of the historical fact, the Shakespeare's vision of Cleopatra's death was quickly popularised by the artists and filmmakers.

2. 'Caesar and Cleopatra' is a play written by another famous playwright, George Bernard Shaw (you probably know him for the 'Pygmalion' play that was made into the film 'My Fair Lady'). However, this play is nowhere romantic and Shaw wrote it to prove that Cleopatra was not in love with Julius Caesar, but used him for political purposes. In his work the Roman occupation of ancient Egypt is a some sort of a symbol of the British occupation during his time.

Other Fiction Novels You Will Love

TOP PICK: Lets start with 'The Memoirs of Cleopatra' by Margaret George.

Best fiction about Cleopatra

It is extremely fascinating read and I enjoyed reading it very much, imagining it was indeed Cleopatra's diary. The richly detailed saga tells us the story of the Egyptian queen in her own voice. I was highly immersed into Cleopatra's world, and even though the Margaret George's work is indeed very long (my edition came in two thick books), at the end I felt I had undergone an exciting journey with the Egyptian Queen, from her younger years till the last breath. The research Margaret did for the book is phenomenal, and I can guarantee that it is one of the best fictional novels about Cleopatra written to these days.

2. 'Antony and Cleopatra' by Colleen McCullough. 
I absolutely love how Colleen McCullough writes. Her knowledge of Roman history is very detailed and extensive, and all characters come alive when you read it. Antony and Cleopatra is a timeless tale of passion, politics and power.

3. 'When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra' by Colin Falconer.

Just For Fun: 

There are also bunch of very emm.. peculiar books about Cleopatra, where she... gets kicked out from Hell by Satan to our modern world, fights or make love with Egyptian Gods(!), vampires(!!), werewolves(!!!) and, of course, there is a bunch of soapy erotic stories featuring our favourite Egyptian Queen. 

The 'Cleopatra's Return' by Eve Langlais seems to be one of the brightest examples of such books as it contains almost all the above mentioned elements.

History and Coffee Table Books

Week 3: Cleopatra. The Egyptian Queen's Fashion Legacy

I apologize for being absent for few days, but I had a very good reason for that. Ben and I were in Los Angeles and then drove to his hometown, Santa Barbara, where on 21st of March WE GOT MARRIED! Our secret ceremony was beautiful and I cannot wait to show you all the photographs and share our story. Also I am already starting to plan our Big Wedding that will take place next summer.

As the last week got a little bit interrupted, I wanted to continue The Cleopatra Week. I still have interesting posts to share with you!

The image of Cleopatra has not only been exciting minds of artists, writers and filmmakers. The Egyptian Queen has an incredibly recognisable fashion legacy. Designers and women all over the world draw an inspiration from the legendary female pharaoh. Today, I decided to share the best of Cleopatra inspired looks with you, with some bonuses including Top 10 Cleopatra Halloween Looks and my Cleopatra party look.

TOP 20 Cleopatra Inspired Celebrity Looks

20. Sofia Vergara 19. Hayden Panettiere 18. Nicole Kidman 17. Beyonce 16. Olivia Palermo 15. Irina Shayk

14.Carrie Underwood 13.Laura Dern 12. Rose Byrne 11. Naomi Watts 10.Shriya Saran

9. Kim Kardashian 8. Jennifer Lopez 7. Kylie Jenner 6. Nicole Scherzinger 5. Katy Perry

4. Taylor Swift 3. Nicki Minaj 2.Giuliana Rancic 1. Bar Rafaeli

TOP 10 Halloween & Photoshoot Cleopatra Looks

It was hard to choose the best Cleopatra looks as so many celebrities channeled their inner Egyptian Queen in the music videos, the photoshoots and at the Halloween parties. But it is not a surprise that the winner of the best Cleopatra Halloween Look goes to Heidi Klum, who is famous for her amazingly detailed, unique Halloween costumes.

10. Rihana 9. Nicki Minaj 8. Marylin Monroe 7. Kim Kardashian

6. Anne Hathaway 5. Petra Nemcova 4. Angelina Jolie 3. Kristin Kreuk 2. Katy Perry 1. Heidi Klum

My Party Look:

The McKitrick Hotel from time to time hosts amazing SuperCinema dress up parties. Last month it was a Romeo+Juliet Film themed party, and one of the characters you could "play" was Cleopatra, and my husband (so strange to call him like that! :)) picked her role for me. I have already shared my Cleopatra Look in one of the previous posts, but for the party I had more costumey head-piece and more dramatic make up.

Here are some photos:

I hope you enjoyed this post and do not forget to check our Cleopatra Themed Shop that I am updating regularly!

Week 3: Cleopatra. Cleopatra in Art

Death Of Cleopatra painting - Achilles Glisenti

For centuries, the history and the myth of Cleopatra has been a great inspiration for artists all around the world. Cleopatra's praised beauty, seductive powers, love affairs with two most powerful men of her time and her tragic, but poetic death has been the theme in the works of generations of creative minds, including Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Salvador Dali.

It is important to note, that aesthetics and the canons of beauty undoubtedly change over time and place. Therefore, Reneissance's Cleopatra and Cleopatra depicted in the Gilded Age Era will be absolutely different, but at the same time the most striking for the audience of the time when the new image was created.

On following paintings, Cleopatra is depicted as a glorious, sometimes ruthless Queen in her prime years. She enjoys the romances with Caesar and Anthony, throwing fabulous feasts and lives a lavish life of the self-proclaimed Goddess.

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners by Alexandre Cabanel
 

Cleopatra Before Caesar by Jean Leon Gerome

Cleopatra's Banquet by Gerard de Lairesse

 Antony and Cleopatra by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

It is interesting that many artists disregard being historically accurate, and depict Cleopatra according to not only beauty standarts of their time, but also fashion styles. For example, on the works of Gerome, Cabanel and others, Cleopatra looks like an exotic oriental nymph. Lawrence Alma-Tadema, on the other hand, waived the oriental look in favour of more historically correct Hellenistic outfit.

It is interesting that many artists of Reneissance and 17th century were more likely to paint Cleopatra as a white skinned beauty with golden locks.

Cleopatra by Mose Bianchi

Cleopatra by John William Waterhouse

Cleopatra by Salvador Dali

But after 19th century, artists started to give a preference to more exotic looking, darker Cleopatra.

The Death of Cleopatra

The death of Cleopatra has inspired more paintings than even her love life and glorious days of the reign. It is believed that Cleopatra has used an asp to kill herself as she did not want to be presented as an Augustus' trophy and be a part of his triumph.

It is documented that the Egyptian Queen has been bitten by a venomous snake in the hand, however Shakespeare in his Anthony and Cleopatra play, wrote that beautiful Cleopatra pressed a snake to her body and let it bite her breast. The sexualised version of Shakespeare has been enthusiastically taken by other creative artists, writers and filmmakers ever since.

The Death Of Cleopatra by German von Bohn

Cleopatra's Last Moments by D. Pauvert
It was previously owned by Michael Jackson

The Death of Cleopatra by Patra Arthur

The Death of Cleopatra by Luca Ferrari

The Death of Cleopatra, Painting by John Maler

Two almost identical paintings of Cleopatra by Benedetto Gennari. One blonde and one brunette Egyptian Queen.

The Death of Cleopatra by Gyula Benczúr.

Probably one of the few paintings that depict Cleopatra as an old, suffering woman. Majority of artists prefer to disregard the fact that Cleopatra was 40 at the time when she committed suicide.

Cleopatra by Rold Armstrong.

During Art Deco, artists exploited the story of Cleopatra and transformed her from an important historical figure to the coquette, lovely seductress and femme fatale of the Gilded Age, Only little symbols and exotic clothing help to identify this new Cleopatra.

Hope you enjoyed the selection of my favourite paintings and sculptures depicting the legendary Egyptian Queen. In the next post you will be able to see celebrities and models of our time channeling their inner Cleopatras on the red carpet and runways. Prepare for the golden fashion galore, and don't forget to check our daily updated Cleopatra Themed Shop.