... Wannabe, that is... Which I guess makes me a wannabe of a wannabe.. Oh crap. If we break this down, there actually needs to be one more wannabe in there. Ok woah. Let's start over.
I want to tell you about my longstanding admiration for a movie character and well, the actress behind the character, the movie featuring the character and basically the entire time period in which the character "lives." So here goes, my confession: I have an incurable girl crush on "Penny Lane" from Almost Famous... I am a certifiable, cult-level aficionado of this film and a die-hard devotee of Kate Hudson herself.
So, let's get into it, shall we? I had been convinced for longer than I can remember that I was born during the wrong era, but the first time I saw Almost Famous, I knew for certain that an egregious mistake had been made. I had been born too late! How?! Why?! (I am still searching for answers to these questions). In an attempt to live with this knowledge, I cultivated my love affair for this nostalgic movie and character, with an aim to live vicariously through this depiction of what I believe should have been my life (Man, I would have made a great "band aid" during such times..).
Ok yes, perhaps I am inflating my dedication a bit.. As you hopefully believe, if you've read my blog even a smidgen, I do carry on a "normal life" for the most part and my obsession hasn't crossed the border towards unhealthy just yet. However, I do have a firm belief that the movie, in addition to its cinematographic appeal, has some life nuggets that are worth a second thought. Such as:
How could you not be inspired by those profound words? True wisdom. What's cooler than being cool? Being uncool. That's what!
Equally deserving of mention is the woman behind the star... If you've seen the movie, then I ask you, do you not concur that Miss K. Hudson plays the 70's "manic pixie dream girl" trope to a T? "Penny Lane" is just the kind of hippie I strive to be.. Bubbly, auspicious, mysterious and free-spirited BUT still remains glamorous and groovy at all times. Plus her taste is music is stellar! :) All this is revealed through Kate Hudson's marvelous performance, which always makes me wonder a little. Did the character make the actress or did the actress make the character? Since I will never know the answer to the question, I've decided that my infatuation extends to both character and actress.
Did you know I saw her once? It was from afar, through binoculars, while she was backstage at a concert (a Black Crows concert, in fact, the band in which her er ex-husband, Chris Robinson, is the vocalist). How coincidental that I saw her in a "band aid" position during my one sighting. When I saw her.... a tear or two of starstruck-ness may or may not have eeked out of my duct... but, that's really a story/debate for another day.
So anyway, that is more or less the explanation of how I became a fan of a groupie of a band that is "almost famous" - thus making me a "third string wannabe." Yikes!
Here are some choice screen shots from the movie, which will finally lead me to the point of this post:
Hey Zooey!
"If you never take it seriously you never get hurt, if you never get hurt you have fun all the time!"
Hi there, Anna Paquin!
So, the actual point of this post - is about Free People. Haha yep, bet you didn't see that coming! You see, it seems that Free People seems to have jumped into this love affair of Ms. Penny Lane and her fellow "band aids" right along with me this season as their current line has got "vintage bohemian" with hints of Almost Famous written all over it! Some examples for your perusal...
Clockwise from left to right: Novella Royale Border Print Bell Bottoms | Lou Buttondown Dress | Smocked Bike Shorts | Technicolor Vegan Fur Coat | Long Sleeve White Lace Dress | Black Floral Kimono
And now, after all of that, I am left with only word that comes to mind: SPREEEEE! (Who's with me?)
*ALSO, my friend and renowned blogger, Alex Kaehler, wrote the nicest post about me today on her blog, A.K. Studio. Check out the article and especially her blog, before you do anything else :).
