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Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Adam Grant

****The #1 New York Times bestseller that examines how people can champion new ideas—and how leaders can fight groupthink, from the author of Give and Take and co-author of Option B

“Reading Originals *made me feel like I was seated across from Adam Grant at a dinner party, as one of my favorite thinkers thrilled me with his insights and his wonderfully new take on the world.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of *Outliers and The Tipping Point

“Originals is one of the most important and captivating books I have ever read, full of surprising and powerful ideas.* It will not only change the way you see the world; it might just change the way you live your life. And it could very well inspire you to change your world.” —Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In*

The famous fashion designer to the stars, Oscar de la Renta, dies at 82. He is well-known for his lovely evening gowns and glamorous red carpet fashion that has been embraced by celebrities, personalities, and even royalty. Oscar de la Renta claimed fame by dressing Jackie Kennedy in the 60's, and has done work for Princess Diana, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and a whole bunch of Hollywood actors.

With this, let us take a look into some films that are influenced by the art of beautiful clothes, and fashion icons that have built their empires on fabric.

COCO BEFORE CHANEL

The life of the famous fashion designer and the label she launched, is depicted in this artsy, classic film. The lovely Audrey Tautou portrays Coco Chanel in her life before getting into fashion, where she lived as a poor bar performer and milliner. This noteworthy film presents the icon as a truly unique personality.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Another strong female personality in fashion, Anna Wintour, leads the group of editors and stylists as they piece together the September issue of the world's greatest fashion publication, American Vogue. Apart from the glossy pages and luxurious fashion shoots, this film brings us to the tedious tasks and intense work required from the people behind the magazine.

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC

Fashion is meant to be fun, so they say. And a film like this, surely can cough out some laughs, alongside the beautiful clothes worn by lead actor, Isla Fisher. Fisher is a young fashion writer who simply can't get enough of clothes and shopping, though she can't even seem to pay off half of it), and so begins her journey of misadventures that are both cute and comedic.

FUNNY FACE

The lovely Miss Hepburn is a bookkeeper who falls into the world of modeling. Her editor Maggie, (a character greatly influenced by fashion icon Diana Vreeland), is fierce and energetic, and persuades Hepburn to model for one of their editorials. Fred Astaire appears as a fashion photographer, and together, the film brings us into glitzy photo shoot sequences, and a whole lot of dance numbers. It is, after all, Audrey Hepburn's musical debut performance.

ZOOLANDER

Stereotypes are mean. And hella funny. Ben Stiller takes on the stereotypical life of the “not-too-bright” male model with this quintessential fashion favorite film. Ben Stiller is Derek Zoolander, a successful male model who finds himself competing against newcomer Hansel (played by Owen Wilson). As Stiller does his iconic "Blue Steel" pout as he struts on the runway, he is turned into a brainwashed assassin for the eccentric designer Mugatu--played well by Will Ferrel.

This year’s Golden Globes gave us shock after shock, not just with its list of winners, though unarguably, most of its winners were just as audiences predicted, but when the Cecil B Demille Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Woody Allen, out came a gamut of mixed emotions.

Woody Allen is one of film’s most recognizable writers and directors. His long history of witty and thought-provoking work has inspired many writers. However, a string of controversies have also been attached to his name—the most noteable being his marrying the adopted daughter of his ex-wife.

But we’re not talking about Woody Allen’s strange affairs today. Today,let’s talk about how good a writer he is and how aspiring writers influeced by Woody Allen’s style of humor and wit, can possibly write like him.

Writing like Woody Allen takes more than just a desire to be successful. Woody Allen’s sense of humor and writing ability isn’t acquired overnight and is a mixture of talent and hard work. Some tips:

Research Woody Allen films. Pay special attention to those films that have gotten critical acclaim such as “Annie Hall”, “Bullets over Broadway”, “Hannah and Her Sisters”, “Crimes and Misdemeanors” and”Husbands and Wives”. His new film, “Blue Jasmine” has been receiving positive reviews as well.

Write down your initial impressions of the work even if you have seen them before. Try to record your first reactions. Determine what in the material inspired you to laugh, cry, think or be disturbed. Notice how your reactions are carefully crafted by Allen’s writing and story development.

Find a sense of neuroses that is present in your life. Woody Allen is famous for his neurotic characters that seem fearful or anxious in the face of everyday life yet still manage to get into extraordinary situations. Draw inspiration from your own fears and phobias and use those to create a basic backdrop for a story idea.

Write short stories to help you gain a sense of your own personal style. Inject a fair amount of humor, since it will make your writing most reminiscent of Allen’s.

Research philosophical models like existentialism, nihilism and reductionism to get a backdrop or idea of how Woody Allen uses these ideas in his own work.