desert flower

a bit behind the times, i know, but yesterday, i had the pleasure of seeing 'desert flower' which stars model liya kebede. i wasn't quite sure what to expect, having not read the best-selling book of the same name, but i knew the basic story. the story of a girl fleeing africa to make a better life for herself. i also knew that she was circumcised when she was very young. what i really wasn't expecting was the brutal depiction of said circumcision. it was a heart-wrenching scene, that would've made the strongest of stomachs, churn. the horror of waris drie', the protaganist of this story, early life is mirrored in the movie by her eventual success as an inernational model. this fact was one of the reasons i wanted to see this movie. this picture marks liya kebede's big-screen debut, a model herself, her depiction of waris was heart-felt, strong, endearing and when required, light-hearted and down right funny. i could rave on forever about how much i loved this movie. i look forward to its release on dvd, it is definitely a film i will be adding to my collection. for anyone who hasn't seen desert flower, i strongly suggest you do, although it is a tragic story, it is a beautiful movie, very colourful, in both setting and its characters. i left the cinema glowing, that's how much liked. i felt that even though what happened to waris in her early life, her experience made her a better person later in life.



and to link this post a little further to fashion. here is tom ford's final collection for gucci. you can see liya kebede at work at 2 minutes and 17 seconds and again from 3 minutes and 30 seconds where she is on screen for 5 seconds. her purple look is one of my first real high-fashion memories. stunning.