17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 13: Dancing

I have four or five of these silk circle skirts in different colors, sent to me three years ago or so by a friend. They are all so marvelous to wear, swishing and swirling around my ankles as I walk or spin or as the breeze catches me.

I'm wearing this skirt with a long sleeved stained glass pattern shirt, purchased from Hot Topic a couple years ago. The design was quite popular, so even though it's no longer available, I bet it's somewhere on eBay if you wanted to find it!

I'm wearing a watch cameo necklace, also from Hot Topic, with the same design on it. I apparently have a bit of a fixation on the stained glass designs from the movie. It's a pity I'm guessing they aren't going to tell Beast's backstory in the form of stained glass in the new movie, from the teasers I've seen. To me it was a particularly beautiful moment, and engrossed the viewer in the fairy tale immediately.

 The khussa-style slippers are purple dupioni and were a gift from another friend. The blur is from spinning around and around and around.....

17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 12: *That* Yellow Dress

In cinema history, there are dresses that become iconic. That word is so often overused, but I can think of very few other gowns in Disney animated history that are so quickly recognized and so elementary to the character as Belle's yellow (gold) gown. Love it or hate it, it was THE gown from the ballroom scene, a revolutionary moment in animation history when an until-then rather static camera eye view in animated films turned into a sweeping swooping scene, with the camera angle diving down from chandeliers and catching her underskirts as Beast caught Belle up in his arms.

A couple years ago, Tom and I were planning our second Disney World trip, and I wanted something special to wear to Be Our Guest restaurant. I really wanted a yellow dress. And then, like magic, one appeared, at JCPenny. Yes, today is my first Disneybound of this challenge, since the dress is technically not officially Beauty and the Beast merchandise. But look! There's a stained glass-esque rose pattern on the yellow bodice. It's perfect.

Disneybound though it might be, I AM wearing an official licensed item: the tree branch necklace Belle wears in the new forthcoming film with her version of the yellow gown. It's available from...three guesses...Hot Topic.

17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 11: Great Wide Somewhere

Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie of all time. And my favorite moment of my favorite movie is when Belle runs to the hillside and sings "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere." So when I saw this shirt at the Disney Store last summer, I snatched it up. The fit is great, the fabric is soft and comfortable, and I really love the "great wide" scoop neck. Of course now when I go to the Disney Store website, there's no sign of the shirt anymore, but perhaps they can be found on eBay still.

I'm wearing this shirt with a black silk skirt that flutters against my legs in the breeze. I have a red ribbon at my neck, and a Hibiscus flower in my hair...perhaps brought back from travels in that "great wide somewhere?"

A practical woman comes prepared when venturing into the outdoors, so I'm wearing my Beauty and the Beast sunglasses from Hot Topic. There's nothing overt about them, but I love the shape, and the gold and red rose pattern on the frames.

For once it might be grand to have someone understand...I want so much more than they've got planned.

17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 10: You Look So..So..Stupid

Ever had a day where nothing seems to go right? Where you feel like a goofball posing in front of a random movie theater poster? Or maybe your hat rack has just styled your hair for your evening out with your new love, and you look "so...so...STUPID"? Yeah, I've been there too, and so has Beast.

This dress, which I love and got as a Christmas gift a couple months ago, is from Hot Topic. The charm bracelet is one I've been collecting charms for since our May trip to Disney World last year. You can see one of the charms is Belle of course. And the hilariously awesome pin of Beast looking all fancied up for his evening with Belle, and rather "Stupid" was a limited edition 30th anniversary Disney Store exclusive we snagged about a month ago, now only available on eBay.

I'm wearing the dress with a teal rose soapstone necklace, a tomato-red shirt, black tights, and ballet flats. Can't wait to see how this dress looks this summer!

17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 9: Philippe

Poor Philippe. Despite the fact that Beauty and the Beast is my favorite film of all time, I can still acknowledge certain parts of it that upset me. One particular moment that chafes me is when Maurice is on his way to the fair with Philippe. When offered two paths, Philippe chooses the safer one, but Maurice tugs on the reigns to go down the darker path. Then, when wolves overtake them and things seem dire, Maurice exclaims "Where have you taken us, Philippe?!" Every time, I yell at my TV "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MADE HIM GO THAT WAY!" (ahem)

Tom and I have a soft spot for Disney horses. There are so many sweet ones with great character,  including Philippe. This three-panel shirt is from Hot Topic, of course, and is no longer available. I'm wearing it with a black lace skirt and a wide black belt I wear so very often, I'm surprised I've held off on including it in an ensemble until today.

Philippe, like all of the plush I've shared in my posts so far, is available through the Disney Store.

17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 8: Purple Princess

Purple is my favorite color. I even wore a purple dupioni silk gown on my wedding day. So this is an especially fun outfit for me. The shirt is from Hot Topic, as are so many things I own ;)

I'm wearing a pair of cropped purple jeans with a brown belt (another Goodwill find years ago), and a crocheted purple flower head wreath made by my friend Jessica Freytag. I clipped in a handful of the purple hair streaks my hairdresser friend Salena helped me obtain a few weeks ago (I like that I can wear them or not wear them as my mood strikes me).

The last standout item with this ensemble are the Disney princess sneakers. Yep, Belle is on there. I got these from Target last spring, and with inserts, they were comfortable enough to wear at the parks! (Just for one day...I wouldn't recommend them as your only park shoes!)

 

17 Days of Beauty and the Beast - Day 7: Cogsworth

Yesterday was Lumiere's day to shine. And what's Lumiere without his "Overgrown Pocket Watch" comrade, Cogsworth? Today's outfit is dedicated to this tightly wound but lovable character. I'm wearing one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast t-shirts, with a retro movie-poster-esque design on the front. I believe this shirt was from Target, but it was from a couple years ago and is likely  no longer available.

To mimic the gilding on Cogsworth's lovely self, I'm wearing sunflowers in my hair, and a gold wrap ribbon belt. I've paired this with a sheer black pleated high-low skirt and simple ballet flats. An easy comfortable outfit. After all..."If it's not Baroque, don't fix it!"

Finally, I wanted to share my Beauty and the Beast limited edition magic band. Magic bands are used at Disney World to do everything from open your hotel room door to paying for all that you buy and getting into the parks and onto rides. The new magic band style has a removable puck at the top that makes the design look quite a bit like a watch, so I thought it was apropos to wear with this ensemble. I believe the magic band is still available to buy on the Shop Disney Parks app.