How To Be Lovely

It is a fine gentleman caller who understands that watching Funny Face makes for an ideal Sunday evening. Yes, Audrey Hepburn is lovely, but...

There are two stars in this movie. One of the stars never speaks a word: the wardrobe that Hubert de Givenchy designed for Hepburn, and especially the hats. We need oversized hats.

The second is the amazing Kay Thompson. Her portrayal of a Vreeland-esque fashion editor (she does a song and dance about a pink edict that references the Vreeland quote, "Pink is the navy blue of India," that further references Vreeland's propensity to dictate color choices to designers...literally deciding what would be available for American women to wear. Not recommending, but deciding.

But I'm supposed to be talking about Kay Thompson. Background: any of you who know little girls or remember being one, will know the character Eloise who lives in the Plaza hotel. Thompson created Eloise.

Thompson is fabulous in this movie, the most electric presence on the screen. She's kind of an elegant steamroller. One should watch it for her pink cuffs in one scene and her red coat with a back swing in another. Gloves!

Did I mention the hats?