Minor Obsession: Gone With the Wind and Emerald Green

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I read Gone With the Wind in high school.  I think it is a much better option for a teenage girl than the Twilight books but I digress.  It's a bit funny to me that we all love Scarlett O'Hara so much, because when I read the book and when I watch the movie I actually really dislike her.  Don't you?  But after a while I remember back on her as strong and beautiful as opposed to selfish, vain, and greedy.  

retromodernchic

When I think of the color emerald green I instantly think of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.    Especially the scene where she asks her mammy make a dress out of her mother's poitiers.  Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) wore green throughout the movie, as a subtle symbol of her Irish background and envious nature.  I absolutely LOVE green.  It is one of the most sophisticated colors there is.  

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gonemovies

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Even with a sour expression she is stunning in emerald.  Here are a few inspiring rooms and gorgeous items that prove that emerald is the empress of colors:

makinghouseahome

Wouldn't these curtains make a chic gown like Scarlet O'Hara's?  

tobifairley

Punchy green in a creamy space feels very garden inspired.

marthastewart

Green wood-grain wallpaper in the backs of the built-ins makes blues and reds pop. 

rstyle

This bracelet is on my wish list.

habituallychic

The perfect cocktail ring.  

happeningstyle

Just so pretty.

lulubelledesign

For those who want emerald green everywhere, this is stunning.

signetringsandpreppythings

I think emerald never looked so good.  What beautiful use of color, pattern and texture.

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Green pants look very equestrian.  Like a modern day Scarlett O'Hara riding through the plantation.  

etsy

designinthewoods

This Richardson designed guest room shows that even a little bit of this fabulous color works wonders in a black and white space.  

srgambrel

Can we all just agree that that ottoman is fantastic?

homedesign.marthastewart
Green lattice fabric is a perfect contemporary choice for a fresh look on a traditional chair or pair of chairs.

countryliving

Fun but not overly bold in a white bathroom.

A friend of mine wanted to paint her drab front door a beautiful color.  Of course I suggested green, especially since the interior of her home has soft green walls.  I like it when the front door hints at things to come:

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This front door was our inspiration.  I wish I knew what color it was; it has such depth.

BEFORE:  It was a reddish brown. 

AFTER:  Now the doors are a lovely green and the beige house with brown trim has a very "town and country" vibe.  

Because the front doors are in the shade more, we didn't want to go too dark, neither did we want to go bright.  I think this color is just right.

Are you loving emerald yet?  Sorry if you aren't because it is the new color of 2013. 

Vivien Leigh

Many little girls want to be Scarlett O'hara, but I always wanted to be Vivien Leigh.  I believed, and still believe, that she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in pictures and movies.  She seems almost unreal.  I am sure I saw her in Gone With the Wind first, and she is wonderful in that role, but it isn't my favorite.  Waterloo Bridge is fantastic, as is That Hamilton Woman.  I must say that I don't believe she is a great actress--when I say great I mean legendary--she worked very hard and it shows, it shouldn't show.  Next to Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire it is obvious that Brando overshadows her, yet she was far superior to so many in terms of her intellect (Brando included).  She was a cerebral actress, not an intuitive one.  This is possibly because she was classically trained as a stage actress, and many (including Laurence Olivier) had to learn to adapt from stage to film.  Vivian Hartley (her given name) was born in Darjeeling, British India.  Her father was an officer in the British Cavalry, so little "Vivling" went to the best schools and received a top-notch education at Roehampton (now Woldingham School) where she excelled at cello, piano, ballet and language studies.  She spoke French and Italian fluently, and her knowledge of language made it easy for her to adopt a Southern dialect in the role of Scarlett O'Hara. 

Vivien Leigh is not a fashion icon; she is remembered by many only as Scarlett O'Hara.  I believe she is a wonderful example of an intelligent, beautiful woman who wanted to do the best she could with the abilities she had. She looked delicate but, by all accounts, was tough and tenacious. She was always the consumate  lady, even when she played a prostitute in Waterloo Bridge there was always something about her that was proper.  She may not have been a legendary actress, but she was a good actress.  More than that, she was an amazingly intelligent and determined woman, whose beauty is legendary.

There isn't a bad picture of Vivien Leigh to be found. This one though, is stunning.

Studying at school.

Gorgeous publicity shot for Waterloo Bridge.

A very young Vivien.

In Gone With The Wind.

That Hamilton Woman, staring with her husband Laurence Olivier.

The beautiful couple at the Oscars.

Vivien Leigh as Blanch in A Streetcar Named Desire.