Everyday Elegance

I may not be able to Mambo the night away, but at least I can wear my super-jeweled necklace and dream

Two days ago I purchased the MP3 version of the original Pink Panther movie score, composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. To me, it is a treasure not only from 1964 when it was released, but from 1994 when I first discovered it in a collection of my mom’s records. I instantly fell in love with the sound. Sitting for hours in the basement while playing that record I would dream of a time more fantastic than my own. A place that didn’t involve, well let’s face it, anything that the 90′s had to offer. A time where glamor still had a home and visited everyday people like you and me on the occasion. I have to say that discovering this album back in high-school marked a new influence. It gave me the dream. That was when I began to dare step out of the box and attempt to bring a little of my vision into everyday life.

Now I will fully admit upfront, to this day I have yet to see the movie this album is taken from. All the exotic scenes, dresses, hairstyles etc. that play in my head while listening to this 1960′s loungey/mambo music are purely imagined. People with beautiful scarves shielding their bouffant hair from the wind as they ride Vespas through winding city streets. As the sun goes down these people dive into a night on the town. Perhaps they break into song at the local nightclub while falling in love and wearing a perfectly tailored suits and dresses with jewelry that sparkles like stars in the night. These are all just snippets of images that I have gleaned from other sources regarding the same time period. It all came together for me while listening to the arrangement of strings, horns, conga’s, and you can’t forget the accordion. I have no idea if the film actually involves any of those elements, but that is what I romanticized in my head. About never actually seeing the film…yes, I know I truly need to remedy that some day, I hear it is wonderfully funny.

Listening to the album today after being away from it for a decade I find myself still dreaming along with the sound. The whole album caters to my cheesy side who loves accordions, rhinestones, and cocktail dresses. It conjures the thought of a classic jazzy night-club/lounge. A place that as far as my Western-New-Yorker self is concerned, only exist in older movies. How I would love to go out with my tall (well tall to short little me anyway), dark and handsome man, dressed to the nines, have a martini or two and dance the night away. So unless someone knows of such a place, I’ll just continue to pick and choose a few accessories to wear for the day that remind me of the dream. The dream of a time where at least in the movies, people still sang and danced, wore a bit of glitz and rode vespas through cobbled streets.

So for today I have chosen my over-the-top bejeweled necklace. I admit it is not a necklace for the faint of heart. It is chunky, bright and glittery. not really a piece one would normally wear to work, but today I have it layered under my frilly jacket. It more or less peaks out, rather than shouting “here I am”. It is a bit bold, but I’m giving it a shot today in the name of the pink panther.

For any of you who may not be familiar with any songs beyond the main theme here is a link to a youtube video from with the song “Meglio Stasera” (It Had Better Be Tonight) – it appears to be a ski lodge though, not the nightclub I had envisioned, I really need to see the movie! lol, Enjoy!

Fran Jeffries – Meglio Stasera – The Pink Panther