Anita's Dress

A reader asked us via Facebook to find a proximity to the dress Anita wore in West Side Story. In order to stay awake through this whole thing, this post will be in real time. The things I do for you. And no, I don't care for Romeo & Juliet either.

I am currently sitting on the couch being annoyed by skipping gang bangers in tight pants. Their fighting looks like homoerotic wrestling, and I find myself unable to take this movie seriously.

Oh, look, now they are being the picture of nasty by throwing rotten food.

Hoodlums indeed, officer! You give it to them for their yucky food fight.

Anita, where are you?

I don't understand turf wars. We certainly have them here halfway between Chicago and Detroit, but it all feels like a waste of life and youth.

Yellow jacketed Jet has a questionable voice.

Oh, the buggin' street. Now that's tough guy talk.

I'm fairly certain I would like enjoy this more if I liked the vocals that were popular in the 60s.

Girls! Hi, Anita! You're sassy, and I like you.

Foofy skirts!!!!

Nerdy dance announcer guy, you are also okay in my book.

The guys are wearing so much color in this movie. Was it the 90s that made men afraid of colors? The clothing is like candy!

I assume the dress you want to know about is the purple one she wears to the dance. It's a pretty basic dress -- drop waist, shirt sleeves, square neck, full skirt. The key to the look is getting similarly tinted crinolines to fill out the skirt. Unfortunately, I can't find anything similar in that color. I did, however, find a few dresses with the same elements. This Trashy Diva halter has the full skirt and a squarish neckline, but no sleeves. It's the cheapest version at $34 and comes in four colors. Stop Staring! made a Swiss dot dance dress that comes pretty close to fitting the bill with tiny cap sleeves and a skirt that begs for volume. It's $139.95 at Daddy O's. The most similar dress I found was this taffeta "Wonderland" gown from Isaac Mizrahi. It's a pricey $725 at Net-a-Porter.
Hubby and I really need to resume our dance lessons.

Bernado's suit is sweet sassy.

Maybe believing in love at first sight would help me like this movie, and most Hollywood love stories, as well.

Cool stained glass French doors! I have to do that in my house.

Wait. I thought this "America" song was from An American Tail? Oh, no, that's "There Are No Cats In America." Now I want to watch that movie and relive my childhood.

Maria and Tony are singing "Tonight" and all I can think is how much I love modern musicals like Moulin Rouge (my favorite fashion movie), Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog, and Glee. Maybe I should blog my Moulin Rouge thoughts, which are basically "Pretty! Pretty! Ooh, sexy! Pretty!"

I want to know more about the girl who wants to be in the Jets. She kind of breaks my heart. She doesn't seem too into the song about the guys' home lives.

Racist cop is racist. There are so many heavy social issues in this movie, but the tone messes it all up for me.

Natalie Wood's fake accent is annoying, but fan dances are always welcome.

Anita, why the house coat at work? You're the whole reason I'm watching this movie and you can't dress better during the day?

You don't have magic! Magic will not save you from the ugliness of the real world!

Okay, I can't bear this anymore. I'm going to pause and finish painting my bathroom. becca, you're on musical duty from here on out.

What are your thoughts on the movie and its fashion?

Comments

kylsie said…
Actually, now I want Anita's dress too.
becca said…
This may be one of FMF's best posts ever!
rehana said…
Indian Top's are just perfect for summers. I recently bought some from the site kaneesha.com they have amazing collection of trendy Top. I will say worth visiting the site http://www.kaneesha.com/tops/index.html
Bettie Rage said…
I saw this at the Hippodrome recently, and when my friend told me at intermission there were two hours to go, I nearly started a riot. He also told me it started out an opera, but Bernstein et al. were told to make it a musical, as no one would watch an opera with guys in jeans and sneakers. Explains a lot, eh? Your post is pretty much what was going through my head while watching, but I do so love the dresses (and the dancing). I've been trying to come up with a similar design, but there is no way I can watch even parts of the movie, even on mute.

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