the great gatsby

The Great Gatsby arrives in theaters this weekend, but we're focusing on another treat from the film: the soundtrack. The collection compiled by Jay-Z is out this week, and we've been streaming it nonstop — both imagining where the songs fit into Baz Luhrmann's adaptation and loving them on their own. With artists like The xx, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, and Jay-Z himself, the soundtrack is eclectic and ambitious, and I'm already addicted to the compilation and its very cinematic, bold feel. Find out which songs I think stand on their own.

1. "Back to Black" by Beyoncé and André 3000: It's hard to improve upon this Amy Winehouse song, and thankfully, no one is trying to outdo Amy vocally. Instead, it's a truly creative reworking of the song that gives it a brand-new, awesomely edgy sound. And as much as I love Beyoncé, it's André's part that's more evocative.
2. "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey: This haunting ballad captures the doomed romantic feel of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan's entanglement — it's beautiful and sad and on a grand scale.
3. "Love Is the Drug" by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra: This is probably the most authentic-sounding song for the 1920s era, because of the legitimate jazz outfit supplying it (they're also the band on another of the soundtrack's songs: the "Crazy in Love" cover). The upbeat tempo distracts from the underlying morose theme (which is very Gatsby).
4. "Bang Bang" by will.i.am: The Black Eyed Peas frontman's track mixes big band with a thumping club beat. Pretty much what you'd imagine the revelers to be dancing to in Gatsby's home.

Go behind the scenes of The Great Gatsby with the movie's hairstylist, Kerry Warn, who gave us a little insight on the classic hairstyles in the movie, along with tips on how you can re-create a vintage look, too. Warn, an international creative consultant for John Frieda, worked with the film's creative team to design a variety of hairstyles for everyone from lead Carey Mulligan to the extras in the backdrop. Referencing the book's descriptions and working with the film's director, Baz Luhrmann, Warn was able to duplicate a variety of Roaring '20s coifs.

POPSUGAR: How did you go about designing the looks for The Great Gatsby?
Kerry Warn: I first met with Baz and costume designer Catherine Martin, and then read the script and also did some of my own research on the period. From there, I started to workshop ideas to see how they would look.

PS: Do these styles translate to modern times?
KW: I think they translate perfectly as we have seen 1920s influence in fashion for the last 50 years. The bob hairstyle seems to have come back around. In high-fashion images, we see slick hair, which all harks back to the '20s, as well.

PS: What are the tricks to achieving vintage styles for the everyday woman?
KW: If you have short hair, it is much easier to accomplish than long hair. Wavy hair is great — you can mold your wave with finger waving to create the look. A short bob like Louise Brooks's is also a perfect look. With long hair, it's about the elimination of the length, which can be difficult unless you have a friend that can help you to pin the back up. Also a row of pin curls along the nape of the neck was something that we used in the film.

PS: What's the trick to mastering finger waves?
KW: I have to admit, they are very difficult to do. I recommend starting on very wet hair and choosing your part. Hold the comb at right angles with the hair and scalp and using the index and middle fingers, secure the wave as you place it to move on to the next one. [Warn and her team used John Frieda Curl Controller Styling Gel ($6) to create the many finger waves on set.]

From the amazing soundtrack to the designer costumes, there's plenty of Jazz Age inspiration from The Great Gatsby, and I turned to the art deco style of the period for this striking nail design. This look is surprisingly easy to DIY; all you need are scissors, tape, and black and gold polish.

First, I applied two coats of Nails Inc. Black Taxi ($10) over my base coat. Once my nails were dry, I started cutting pieces of tape into small triangles to form the angular design. (You can see how the technique works from this starburst nail art tutorial.) I placed the cut pieces of tape onto the parts of my nail that I wanted to stay black, using three pieces of tape per nail to create four gold points shooting out from the base of my nail. Once the tape was laid down, I went over my nails with the gold-toned Deborah Lippmann Nefertiti ($19). I made sure to rip the tape off right after, or else you won't get crisp lines as the polish dries. Next, I added a little flapper flair with the glittering Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow ($20) on top of the gold polish. Seal everything in with your favorite top coat, throw on a sparkling headband, and you're ready to hit a Gatsby party.

At long last, The Great Gatsby has finally hit theaters across the country, and we cannot wait to see the latest version of this classic story. The main reason? The incredible beauty looks that came out of the '20s. Headbands and hair pieces were huge components of the hair looks of that time, and Daisy Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan, sports a bevy of them throughout the film. Looking to add a little Gatsby flair to your hairstyle? Learn how to create a faux bob, get inspired by celebrities wearing Roaring Twenties-era styles, and shop our picks for perfect headbands below.

Adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920s-set novel The Great Gatsby is an ideal fit for director Baz Luhrmann. The man known for over-the-top visuals in films like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet depicts the biggest parties you've ever seen in Jazz Age-era New York, and Luhrmann even presents it all in stunning 3D. The aesthetic is the best thing about The Great Gatsby, which falls short in many other aspects. The movie is bloated with every detail and character from the book, and Fitzgerald's text is awkwardly featured on the screen. Luhrmann is as ambitious as Gatsby's climb toward the American dream, and only some of it pays off.

There are a few saving graces, like Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor puts on the impeccable suits of Jay Gatsby, a man whose background and source of wealth are a mystery. The ridiculously rich Gatsby is king of a Long Island castle where he can buy anything — except for the love of his former sweetheart Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). She's quite comfortable with the old money she married into, even though her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton), is a cheating bigot. It's the task of Gatsby's neighbor, narrator Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), to help Gatsby win Daisy back, and though the two lovers do find their way back to each other, Gatsby's pretty, pretty world crumbles as he tries to make a life with her. The movie follows a similar path, starting off strong — all debauchery, confetti, and champagne — until it fades into a drawn-out bore. Luhrmann still succeeds in some areas, though; to find out what else I thought of The Great Gatsby, just keep reading.