E is for Elegance

I took a personal day from work yesterday in order to get a lot of move-related stuff taken care of (Saturday being the Big Day). And as I bustled around, I kept movies playing in the living room just for the noise.

The last movie I put on was "It Happened One Night", which has been in my instant queue on Netflix for a long time. I love being able to just pick a movie and stream it to my computer (which is hooked up to the TV so it basically serves as a huge monitor). But that's not the point. The point is that I sat down to watch the end since I was wrapping up my work at that time. And as always, I nearly fainted over the beautiful wedding gown worn by Claudette Colbert. I can't find a picture that does it justice, but here's one:

The cut of this gown kills me.  And the train...oh, the train...which is obscured by the lovely veil. I shiver when I see it. And it flows like water. But I digress.

Maybe it's the former theatre major in me, the one who sewed costumes night and day, but everything about it screams "Elegance". 

And that got me thinking.


What ever happened to elegance?

I guess that's why I'm drawn to old movies.  There's just no elegance anymore.  Glamour, maybe.  But no elegance.

Rarely anymore is anyone referred to in terms of their refinement, a quality in which they carry themselves.  It's all about money or looks or who can be more outrageous.

I guess that's why I'm drawn to old movies.  There just isn't anything, anymore that makes me sit up and go "woooooow" in an hushed tone.  Unless it's CGI or something.

I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone in the spotlight today who holds that quality.  You know, a real class act.  Someone who wows without being too flashy.  Who still knows what it means to be a star.  And forget films.  Back in the day it was all about escapism.  Escapist films today are mostly effects-driven, and that's okay, it has its place. 

But still, just give me one modern-day Cary Grant or Grace Kelly or Fred Astaire.

What do you think? Can you think of anyone who has elegance today?

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