Style Inspiration: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

My recent sobriety has caused me to look all over for ways to kill time, and one of my favorite tried and true methods is a trip to the movies.  This weekend, that movie of choice was The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.  Dragging along my roommate, who was easily bought with the following: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, and Heath Ledger, we took in a matinee showing at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema.

I wasn't sure what to expect.  Being Heath Ledger's last film, I imagined clever rewrites, great performances, and difficulty watching the screen.  Combine that with Terry Gilliam's sense of surrealism and an appearance by Tom Waits and this movie became a hipster's dream.

Turns out, what I was most captivated by was Lily Cole as Valentina.  Cole, a model turned actress who scored the role of Alice, in Marilyn Manson's upcoming Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, has doll like features and legs to die for.  Going from runway to silver screen isn't always so successful for some models, but Cole seems to have a promising future as an actress.  Perhaps it was the cinematography, or the art direction, but Cole seemed to blend perfectly among the bizarre and strange of Parnassus.

Lily Cole's porcelain doll like features and striking looks made her an obvious choice for Gilliam's film

My personal favorite?  The gypsy like clothes Cole was seen in for most of the film.  Layers of skirts, scarves, knits, necklaces, topped off with a jangling anklet.  I could not get enough.  It was like an Olsen Twin meets Stevie Nicks meets Gypsy.

Heath Ledger and Lily Cole in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

My plan this winter is to take a page from the impoverished world of Dr. Parnassus, one part vintage dress + two parts knit = enough warmth to help me survive New York City...or London.