metropolitan.

one of my all-time favorites, not to mention a benchmark of early nineties fashion -- particularly debutante ball culture -- metropolitan (1990) has been preying on my mind since this season's first dusting of snow. as i look down onto the bustling, wind-blown crowds clogging the city streets, from fourteen floors up, i am reminded of the fabulous gowns, the pretentious lionel trilling, the insufferable jane austen, the almighty u.h.b. -- urban haute bourgeoisie, of course -- and christmasttime on the upper west side.

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as one can imagine, it was a fortunate stroke of serendipity to come across this stylish nineties masterpiece many years back. the characters, privileged in every sense of the word, are not like the waldorfs and the van der woodesens of today. they are interesting, personable and opposed to snobbery of any kind. they are even, dare i say, relatable? evenings are for dining and dancing; after hours continue with frank discussions about the worlds of art, literature and socialist conventions. and, perhaps most recognizable, they discover that friends --  even good friends -- can inevitably grow tiresome. 

it was my great pleasure to browse through the not-too-distant archives of oscar de la renta, searching for the perfect selection of look-a-like gowns and other spectacular evening pieces guaranteed to make any newly-minted society dame the grande belle of the ball. while some of the louder, more vibrant-colored frocks are a nod to fab eighties prom dresses, the others adopt a more restrained approach towards classic, refined ready-to-wear -- no small feat despite the retro cuts and fits. hair, make-up and accessories (fantastic jewels) are really the only elements that set de la renta's designs apart from those exhibited on-screen.

all gowns oscar de la renta, spring / fall / resort ready-to-wear; 2009 - 2012

nominated for a best original screenplay oscar, for his film debut, whit stillman casts a marvelous group of newcomers to indulge his lines of typically sardonic wit and fierce intellectualisms. the majority of the actors are still active, appearing primarily in art-house, low-budget flicks, while others have unfortunately disappeared altogether. the adorable carolyn farina (audrey rouget) was nominated for an independent spirit award for her debut role. after working with martin scorsese on the age of innocence in 1993, she made a brief cameo in stillman's the last days of disco. and that was it. the gorgeous allison parisi (jane clark) never acted again, opting instead to go to yale and then columbia university, where she became an intellectual property lawyer. my favorite, isabel gillies (cynthia mclean), went on to act in i shot andy warhol and become world-famous for playing eliot stabler's wife on law & order: svu. she then wrote a fantastic memoir about her philandering ex-husband and has since been featured in vogue.

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while i have been told that there are better ways to get into the holiday spirit than revisiting the upper echelons of the new york city class system, nothing happens to warm my heart, or pique my creative interests, more than this flawless slice of american independent cinema. don't wait until next christmas -- see metropolitan now.