Well Suited: Yentl

Confession: I am not a fan of the movie, Yentl. When I watched it the first time I may or may not have recently seen The Way We Were and was likely still recovering from the emotional turmoil of the Hubble/Katie relationship. I tend to get heated when I talk about it, so I won’t, but OMG, Hubble is a dog, and then Robert Redford smiles, and it’s all good. Anyway, Yentl!

Based on the earlier play, Barbra Streisand, “Queen Leader,” plays a woman who transforms herself in order to learn Talmudic Law after her father’s death. During the early 1900s, women were not allowed to learn the laws of the Jewish faith in Orthodox temples. Despite the laws against it, Streisand’s character, Yentl, was taught the orders of Judaism and had a free-thinking mind and her own opinions, which is true to any character Streisand has played. Long story short, Yentl leaves home and pretends to be a man to study, falls in love with a fellow student, and obviously has problems from then on out! I won’t give any spoilers, but put it on your list for the next rainy day.

When Yentl transforms herself, she is required to dress very simply. Black, white, and brown were the main colors men wore in the early part of the 20th Century. Jewelry was out of the question for both genders, but especially men. Many Orthodox Jews today still do not wear jewelry and traditional Orthodox women still wear wigs to cover their own hair. To keep with the feel of the film, I stayed with black and white, no jewelry, but I wore heels because I wanted to modernize the traditions a bit. Men in the early 1900s donned hats most days, and I still think a good hat finishes a look. Notice that I said hat, not cap, gents!

PS: Anyone have a lint roller I could use on my hat? Whoopsies!

Oxford: Gap [similar]
Pants: J. Crew
Shoes: Naturalizer
Hat: Stein Mart