princess post: belle

I am so excited for today's princess post! We are focusing on my personal favorite princess, Belle. I am so lucky to have commentary by fellow Belle-Lover, Nicole at Language Timothy. She's a great blogger and I'm honored to have her thoughts today!

She writes, "Belle wasnt always my favourite, Ariel was but as I grew older Belle started to grow on me. At first I only liked her because of her beautiful golden ball gown, I loved it, Who didnt? Then I realised I loved her because I thought I kinda related to her, In the Bookworm way, not romancing & falling in love with fantasy beat's ways aha. I love how she is strong willed & can see the beauty in others & helped them see that. I find that I can relate because I have a strong love of books (without the pictures), Im a very determined person, we both have brown hair & Im such a daddies girl. I think that she is free spirited & kind natured, which hopefully I relate to. I guess like the rest of us her only enemy was time & love which happens to all of us. I find she has a very brave & loving character."

Her Polyvore is sweet and flirty.

Yellow Dress - $160 - Yves Saint Laurent

Gold Shoes - $245 - Oscar De La Renta

Gold Necklace & Earrings - $28 - ASOS

Rose Hairpin - $10 - Monsoon

Gloves - $9.99 - Target

Shorts - $50 - The Outnet

White Tank - $14.99 - Pacsun

Flower Necklace - $18 - Monsoon

Vintage Basket Tote

Rose Printed Shoes - $35 - Topshop

Belle is my favorite for a multitude of reasons. I adore books and reading, and so does Belle. Ever since I was kid, Beast's gift to her of a library was beautiful to me. I still dream of a library-giving, shaggy boy.

Here is my own costumey Polyvore:

belle by laurelcrowned featuring Vera Wang Lavender dresses

Items in this set:

Silk shantung asymmetric dress, $370

Juniors Shirts & Juniors Blouses at dELiAs.com, $40

Ribbon Tie Cardigan, $20

Parlor Lace Shorts, $20

Valentino Rosette metallic peep-toe pumps, $770

Belle comes from a traditional fairy tale that you can read up on here. Additionally, all the below original illustrations come from there!

Beautiful, right?

Here are some fun, modern images of Belle! My favorite is the incomparable Drew Barrymore as Belle. The editorial is beautiful, and you should definitely look up the other images.

As for who would play our dear Belle, Nicole had a couple of ideas. She suggested Natalie Portman or Keira Knightley.

Love the idea! I think either would be wonderful, but my personal choice would be Alexis Bledel.


Believe it or not, this was the last princess post I had commenters lined up for! If you HAVE NOT participated and would like to, please drop me an email. I would love to get Pocahontas, Tiana, Tinkerbelle, Nala or any other Disney heroines covered. I am also thinking of doing something like this for the women of Greek myths- the goddesses, the women in the stories- would anyone be interested in that?

Thanks so much for helping me make this project! I hope to continue with it!

princess post: ariel

Today's princess is one of my personal favorites, Ariel.

Commentary on this beautiful girl comes from another beautiful girl, my dear friend Sara. She writes, "While I will always connect with Belle for her bookworm ways and willingness to be different from the status quo, Ariel will forever be my homegirl. I'd like to think that I have some of her essence, notably her perseverance (or as some say, stubbornness) and her independence. She is curious, and loves to learn about and collect things. She is willing to defy her expected role in life and go for her goal, whether it be to see beyond her own world or to get her true love. To do all of this outside of her element and even without a voice makes her that much stronger and more admirable. That she was a mermaid with awesome hair and a cohort of awesome sidekicks was just icing on the cake."

Her beautiful Polyvore set is here:

Modern Ariel by Sara Hulka featuring Old Navy shoes

Items in this set:
Valerie ruffle button dress, $50
East Linen Blen Waterfall Button Cardigan, Damson, 10, 62 GBP
Embellished Drape Neck Top - Women's Clothing and Apparel - Chic..., $38
White pinstitch shirt, 16 GBP
Lace Detail Cami, 16 GBP

Of the clothing choices, she writes, "Outfits: Ariel has so many awesome outfits that I couldn't just choose one. To keep the sea close to her heart, she would wear a seahorse necklace and starfish ring. Replacing her tail and clamshells are boot cut jeans with a cami and cardigan while the 80s-tastic ball gown becomes a bit classier and the 'date' dress is nautically influenced. She also has her trusty totes for picking up more treasures for her grotto!"

Adorable! Totally love the inspirations for this.

My Polyvore skews more costumey, AS ALWAYS, because I love costumes.

ariel by laurelcrowned featuring Notte by Marchesa dresses

Items in this set:
Notte by Marchesa Strapless silk chiffon gown, $695
SONIA BY SONIA RYKIEL 008952012 BLUE/CREAM COTTON -, 160 GBP
Oasis Draped Pleat Silk Top, Summer Green, 8, 38 GBP
The Fiona Shorts, $100
Ariel Skirt, $65

Ariel is one of my favorites for a lot of different reasons. I see Ariel as a rather transition princess- from the classic, demure princesses like Snow White and Aurora (while also awesome in their own quiet ways), Ariel is the beginning of princesses who are more outspoken. She inaugurates a generation of fierce Disney girls who go after what they want. Ariel has, in my opinion, the best Disney princess songs, voice, and hair! She was a major redspiration for my own hair dying adventures.

Of course, Ariel wasn't always the rebellious redhead Disney created her to be.




The original story is much, much darker, ending with the little mermaid's ultimate demise. It's a beautiful and haunting tale, and I urge you to read up on it, and view more beautiful illustrations at these images' source, Sur La Lune. The story also features her sisters (as pictured in the first image here) much more prominently. Amazing stuff!

Here are some images of modern artists doing their own take on Miss Ariel!

(all images from weheartit.com)

As for who will play the sassy princess, amazingly, Sara and I came up with the same actress! We chose Emma Stone, the fun star of Superbad and Zombieland. She rocks the red hair, and she's got great comic energy, which is something any Ariel portrayal needs to possess!


Next up, my personal favorite: Belle! She will be discussed by a very special blogger...

princess post: snow white

Today's Princess Post features the first Disney princess- the beautiful Snow White!

My dear friend Caitlin was happy to write Snow's manifesto. She writes, "Snow White was not always my favorite Disney Princess. Looking back, it's almost a little like she chose me instead of the other way around. You see, for most of my life growing up it was mostly just me, my mom, and my two sisters and everyone else had their princesses. My mom was one of the most beautiful people in the world to me and was blonde when she was younger and looked a lot to me like Sleeping Beauty, while Sarah had claimed Cinderella from an early age (since she was the oldest). Teresa was brunette and liked to read and loved Belle from the very beginning. But there I was and I still didn't know who I could relate to. It wasn't until I was talking to my grandmother about princesses and the like - as this was a very important decision to my eight-year-old self - that she told me about how when she was a little girl, the very first Disney Princess was introduced to the world. I look a great deal like my grandmother (both of us have very dark hair and pale skin) and I decided I liked the idea of choosing the very first. The pioneer. And ever since then it's been something that I've been able to share with my grandmother, especially when there's quite a few things we don't agree on. It reminds me of how similar we actually can be and how much I love her."

Her fashion choices for a modern day Miss Snow White are here:

Snow White by makethingsfunny featuring American Eagle Outfitters sweaters

Items in this set:
Heart-print silk tank dress, $460
Womens AE Striped Shawl Collar Skinny Cardigan - Blush Heather Red, $20
NAKED AND FAMOUS CL025033 DENIM COTTON/SILK/ELASTANE BOOTGIRL RICH..., 94 GBP
Marc Jacobs Patent flat ballet pumps, $250
Puff Heart Center Studs, $2.80

She writes, "I'm not the most fashion-savvy person, but hopefully you get the idea with this. Snow White is bright, primary colors, showing her playful spirit. She's also very much feminine simplicity and fifties class. She's just one of Those Girls."

I love this! I went a little more costumey with my own Polyvore.

snow white by laurelcrowned featuring Melissa shoes

Items in this set:
1960's Red & White Polka Dot Dress - M red polka dot vintage dress, $225
KARINA GRIMALDI Republic Ruffle Top - Navy Tops - 25Park.com, $170
Opening Ceremony Mini skirt with seam detail, 95 GBP
Vivienne Westwood Lady Dragon Heart in Gold, $150
Rings | 3.53ct Ceylon Sapphire & Diamond Platinum Ring | New York..., $7,450

Snow White has long been an aesthetic favorite of mine. Just her look- pale skin, black hair, red lips!- is so striking. I love the images of the apples and what it can represent. Here are some beautiful fairy tale illustrations from the great Sur La Lune.



And here are some modern interpretations of Snow White, all from weheartit.com.






When asked who would portray her favorite princess in a modern day adaptation, Caitlin was quick to decide on the lovely Zooey Deschanel.
My choice skews a little nontraditional, but I would love to see one of my favorite actresses, the incomparable Zhang Ziyi, portray a new version of the fair princess.

princess post- jasmine

Today's princess is that of the fiery Aladdin heroine, Jasmine. Beautiful and sassy, she's definitely one of my top Disney princesses.



My assistance in Jasmine love comes from my friend Andie, who writes of her favorite, "Growing up as a Filipino-American girl, I have to say, is certainly interesting. I never felt need to "be white" or anything like that, but it was certainly disheartening that there weren't many non-white characters to look up to in the early 1990's. I dutifully combed Barbie's platinum blonde hair and put on my Ariel mermaid costume, wondering why everything seemed to clash with my tanned skin. Then, Jasmine came along. Okay, sure she was an Arabian princess, but she was beautiful with her thick, long black hair, tanned skin, and big brown eyes. My parents bought a Jasmine costume for me immediately and I basically spend half my playtime sitting on a rug, hoping it would fly. And her singing voice was provided by popular Filipino actress-singer, Lea Salonga. I mean, I would wait patiently for an Asian Disney princess, but I would take what I got happily.

Not only was Jasmine an exotic beauty, but she was strong and courageous. She refused to live behind the palace walls and wanted to explore the world around her. So she might have been the damsel in distress for a moment, but she helped save herself and didn't leave it all up to Aladdin. And, she goes ahead and marries the man that she chose and loved. I mean, that's pretty darn fantastic if you ask me."

Modern Day Jasmine by burningsobrightly featuring Alberta Ferretti dresses

Items in this set:
Undi Dress, $345
Alberta Ferretti Crystal detailed silk chiffon dress, $1,060
Godfrey Bow Shoulder Shirt, $335
Bird by Juicy Couture Stretch wool skinny pants, $300
Vintage Woven Dark Green Floral Skirt - Bows & Bandits - Austrian..., 28 EUR

And here is my take of the modern Jasmine:

jasmine by laurelcrowned featuring RM by Roland Mouret dresses

Items in this set:
Jump then fall USE but credit if enter in contest, $3,070
Purple satin frill sleeve top, 25 GBP
Bess Worn studded skinny jeans, $275
GAMBIA, 69 GBP
Heels|Shoes:Stiletto Heel,Heel Pump,Women's High Heel Shoes,Spool..., $20

When I began researching for classic Jasmine images, I didn't find many. This is because, of course, Jasmine is essentially a Disney creation. The princess and wife of Aladdin in the original tale is a very different girl.

Wikipedia explains, "Badroulbadour is a Chinese princess whom Aladdin married in the story of The Story of Aladdin; or, the Wonderful Lamp.

When Aladdin finds the magic lamp he discovers that it contains a djinni that is bound to do the bidding of the person holding the lamp. With the aid of the djinni, Aladdin - an impoverished young man, who in other circumstances could not have aspired to marry a princess - becomes rich and powerful and marries princess Badroulbadour."

Here's a picture of what the original princess and Aladdin may have looked like:

However, this post is about Jasmine, and we will focus on the Disney creation. She has more of a personality than the original cultural icon of Badroulbadour, and I want to focus on the creative, fascinating princesses our society has accepted, even if she is a Disney construct.

Here are some images of a modern take on Disney's Jasmine:

Retro Jasmine

All uncredited images from weheartit.com.

As for who would play her dream princess, Andie notes, "Okay, it has always been my dream for Aladdin to come to Broadway so I could play Jasmine onstage. However, if they ever wanted to do a modern adaptation of Aladdin, I would want them to pick a strong-willed actress who is also racially appropriate."

For me, I did some research and found Leila Behkti. She is a French Algerian actress, and she was in Paris je'taime. I think she is so beautiful! Ideally, I'd want a live action Jasmine to be of Middle Eastern descent, with a certain type of spark miss Jasmine possesses.

Next up is Snow White!

princess post: mulan

Some people do not consider Mulan a Disney princess because she is not technically a "princess". However, I find her one of the most important Disney females and I am proud to feature her today!


My friend Stacy was eager to do Mulan, and had this to stay of the wonderful woman: "I owe a lot to Mulan. Besides starring in the movie that convinced me to study both art and music, she was the first Disney female lead to fight her villain face-to-face and win, using cleverness and quick-thinking, rather than the brute strength her male companions were so fond of. She was able to follow her heart and speak her mind, and gain true friends and true love in the process. Not to mention, her soldier is adorably awkward, enough so that even in their blossoming romance, she's the one that has to steer them in the right direction. She's a role model (let's be honest: idol) in ways that I try to imitate to this day. Her devoted love, her stubborn outspokenness, her fierce cunning and bright ideas... She didn't just keep up with the boys; she kicked their collective rears. What's not to love?"

She created this beautiful Polyvore set.

Mulan by Stacy Duncan featuring American Eagle Outfitters

Items in this set:
shimmer mesh mini prom dress, 42 GBP
Womens AE Classic Plaid Shirt - Blue Plaid, $40
Current Elliott Dark Wash Boyfriend Cropped Jeans, 279 GBP
"Cats & Fish" High-Top Sneakers, $38
Black Double Bar Heel Shoes, 15 GBP

And had this to say of her choices, "Mulan's modern taste would be simple and classic. She needs something she can keep up with the boys in, be it well-fitted jeans, or a loose dress (with leggings, of course - no peeking!). For casual, day-to-day, she'll start with something boyish, then add cute shoes and some kind of flower or jewelry, so her friends remember she actually is a girl. Her hairstyle would be easy and out of the way. And always nearby, honored by a ring: her dragon guardian. :)"

Here's my version of the style Mulan would rock today:

mulan by laurelcrowned featuring Miss Selfridge

Items in this set:
EAST BY EASTWEST AW09-04 RED RAYON/POLYAMIDE -, 208 GBP
Women: Women's Perfect V-Neck Tees - Green Light, $2.99
Military Major Buttoned Jacket, $25
Black Long Military Coat, 75 GBP
FOX Jet Womens Shorts, $40

As you can see, I was cheesily into the idea of Mulan rocking the military jacket trend.

On googleimages, I found some wonderful pictures from the original story of Hua Mulan, but I don't know how accurate any of these pictures are- just google! However, they are all beautiful regardless!




And some modern interpretations of Mulan, from weheartit:
Unfortunately, not many modern artists have taken an opportunity to recreate Mulan. Here is a great group picture that features her and other Disney stars as Sailor Scouts!


Zhao Wei as Mulan in the 2009 adaptation of the legend.

When asked who she'd like to see portray Mulan in a movie, Stacy liked the idea of Liu Yi Fei...


...while I liked Zhang Jingchu, after looking up Chinese actresses.


Mulan is an incredibly important Disney role model. She's strong enough to take care of herself and her entire country, and I love her story.

Next up for the princesses is Jasmine!