If you’re looking for something to do on a quiet afternoon (those of you who are NOT into the whole Grey Cup fiasco) and happen to love fashion, history, and inspiration…. look no further and make a beeline for the TIFF Lightbox.
I’m talking about the The Eye Has to Travel, a film that captures the life of legendary fashion icon Diana (pronounced Dee-on-ah…yes, I was corrected) Vreeland.
The film captures Diana’s family life, love affairs and most importantly her professional career—what she ultimately lived for. The mixed media style of film is rather captivating; there’s a variety of interviews with family members, dialogue from Diana’s personal interviews and scenes from various milestones in her life.
What’s important to keep in mind is that Diana learned everything from the working world, and wasn’t big on higher education—at one part in the film she’s asked what her credentials are and admits to not having any formal education. It’s quite comical when she’s giving an answer to a reporter and asks, “Is that a verb? I don’t know much about grammar.” (LOL)
Though the entire film was filled with insight, I want to share with you SIX of my favourite Diana lessons:
1) Trust in the universe—Diana talks about encountering numerous adversities while growing up, but believes that these should be cherished and learned from because one day down the road everything will come together.
2) Turn criticism into motivation—Diana’s mom called her the ‘ugly’ duckling in the family, but instead of letting this get her down she took the criticism as motivation to stand out in some other way. Fashion was what she channeled her power through. Diana introduced the idea of playing up one’s ‘flaws’ and turning them into something beautiful.
3) Being successful is CHIC—What I love about Diana is that she did NOT fit the traditional cookie cutter wife mold—Diana wasn’t concerned about learning how to make pie, she was concerned about making women stand out, being outlandish and showing the world that it’s actually quite CHIC to be a working lady.
4) Beauty vs. attractiveness—“You don’t have to be born beautiful to be wildly attractive.”
5) Meaning lies beyond the garments you wear—“A new dress doesn’t get you anywhere; it’s the life you’re living in the dress.”
6) Follow your dreams—“There is only one really good life. And that’s the life you know you want and make it for yourself.”
So how can you mimic a similar life of fabulousity? According to Diana, you should arrange to be born in Paris.
The Eye Has to Travel is showing at the TIFF Lightbox at various times.
Have you already checked out this fabulous flick? I’d love to hear what you thought about it! What were your favourite lessons?
Until next time, hope you have a sunny Sunday and enjoy what remains of this chilly weekend!
Much love,
B
Le Bon Vivanteur 