tell me, tell me, tell me, c'mon tell me the answer

Both the fabby Nicole of Twist and shout! and lovely Luna of Child of the Moon (whose blog was the one that inspired me to create DRG many moons ago) gave me the Tell Me About Yourself Award, where you tell seven things about yourself and share your favorite blogs. Well, I'm very excited because I looove talking about myself, as well as my fave bloggers. 

So, here are the facts ...

1. I have an obsession with boys in white v-necks. 

Seriously - who can resist the power of the v-neck?

2. I am on a constant search for the ultimate everything - the ultimate perfume, book, lip gloss, person ... 

3. I want to be Karen Elson. 

She's British, she's a gorgeous glamazon model, friends with Anna Sui, is an incredible singer,  and has the most enviable wardrobe. I would be mentally unhinged to not be jealous of her

4. "Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everybody I've ever known." Actually said by Chuck Palahniuk in Invisible Monsters, which shows exactly how unoriginal I can be. 

5. I have a dream to travel just to get lost. 

6. I fully relish in the fact that a lot of people think I'm a bit kooky and out-there, especially in the way I dress and what I think. I like that I tread the line between here and insanity. 

My inner voice is narrated by Michelle Tanner. You got it, dude!

7. I have no clue what I'm doing with my life. I have so many dreams, ambitions, things I want to learn and places I want to go that, as a result, I have no clear direction.


Blogs:
All Babes are Wolves
Ashen Lady
Being Blinge
Born Late
Charlotte's Attic
ChicGeek
Eloise
Glamoretta
London Calling 
Lost Muse
Lovely Bohemia
musings & inspiration
Restless Summers
You've got the silver

you know my motivation given my reputation

I've long adored Bianca Jagger - her style is beyond impeccable and her humanitarian efforts are commendable. Not too long ago I had a Facebook discussion with a friend of mine consisting of how excellent Bianca is, with photographic evidence to back up our claims. This conversation showed me something - two people as different in style as my friend and I are both saw something aspirational in Bianca. There is a reason she is a fashion icon - her worldly look is idolized the world over. Her style, though unpredictable and constantly cutting edge, has some key components we can all learn and adapt into our lives. Here are my tips on how to dress like Bianca Jagger.

Keys to Bianca's look:
1. Adopt a quirky accessory and make it your signature - whether it was a turban, dove feathers in her hair, strange headpieces, or a walking stick, Bianca always hit the clubs and concerts with an item of interest. These items kept her look constantly edgy and kept her adoring public waiting for what wacky accessory she would adopt next.
2. Go to the max - most of think of short little numbers as our go-to going out outfits, but Bianca opted for loose-fitting maxidresses with either spaghetti straps or an off-the-shoulder look. Her long and loose dresses were sexier than most all of the other skimpy 70s looks that have appeared in the photos of Studio 54.
3. Channel your inner dude - Bianca wasn't afraid to trying menswear trends, and she usually rocked them more than Mick! When you think of androgynous chic done right, often your mind goes right to Bianca in one of her many pantsuits. The pieces don't have to be YSL, but right-fitting classic pieces - like a fitted blazer, slouchy trousers, and a tuxedo blouse - are style signatures that can look like a million dollars, no matter the real cost.
4. Understand there's no such thing as too much of a good thing - too many necklaces, beads, bracelets, or boys? There was no such thing in Bianca's world! Remember that more is more!

Title: from "Tonight" (Enrique Iglesias) ... I know, I'm kinda ashamed

on the beach you'll find them there in the sun and salty air, the girls on the beach

I am gearing up for a trip to the beach next week and I've gotten to thinking about how to survive the ocean. As I've said before I hate the ocean, but this time I'll be there with some friends from university so I'm going to buck up and give the beach a second try. While in the process of doing that, I've started contemplating my beach essentials. 

1. Retro-inspired swimsuits like this one from ModCloth, the 'Bathing Beauty' two-piece in black. I own this swimsuit, as well as the 'Beach Blanket Bingo' one-piece in black with white polka-dots and its two-piece version in red.

2. A wide-brimmed floppy straw hat to keep your eyes and skin shaded from those damaging sun rays.

3. A speaker to play music - I am partial to the Yuen'to Balloon USB portable speaker because it reminds me of a clown's nose. Also the sound is incredible.
4. A good book, like Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse, which I currently have stashed away in my bag.
5. Cute straw beach bags like this one from Tory Burch.
6. A good sunscreen - I love this Kiehl's Super Fluid formula because it doesn't pill like a lot of other sunblocks out there. And with an SPF of +50 I feel confident that I'm getting good protection.
7. A couple of pairs of oversized sunglasses - the bigger, the better I say! So these sunnies by House of Harlow 1960 more than fit the bill.

Do you have any summertime beach essentials? 

Title: "Girls on the Beach" (Beach Boys)

the top ten award

I want to thank the fabulously fashionable Jessica of ChicGeek for giving me the Top 10 Award. This is one of my favorite kinds of awards because it consists of you listing your favorite cosmetics. I am a total beauty product junkie, so I had quite a bit of fun going through all my goodies and deciding which ones I would choose. I had to make some very difficult decisions - choosing Buxom Lips gloss over my trusty Sexy Motherpucker, and opting for my fragrance obsession of the moment (D&G The One) instead of one of my favorite summer scents - a toss-up between Marc Jacobs Blush and Stella by Stella McCartney, and the dirty rose fragrance of my recent go-to for spring, Kate Moss's original scent, which is a bit of a rock'n'roll floral. But these are the crucial choices that every one has to make in their lives.
I kid ... but beauty products do offer considerable importance to me, no matter how vain that sounds. The word 'cosmetic' comes from the Greek word 'kosmos', which means "the order of the universe"*, and makeup products actually do have a mystical hold over my life. I love reading blogs (Into the Gloss is my girl-porn - I'm addicted), magazines, various articles, books and such regarding the world of cosmetics and beauty. I adore women like Eva Chen, the Beauty Editor at Teen Vogue, for making such an interest into a full-fledged job. During my too-regular-for-own-good visits to department store beauty counters and my mecca Sephora, I make out like a pirate with all my goodies; and sometimes look like a pirate too - that much kohl eyeliner is good for Jack Sparrow, but not so good for me. So right now I'll play Beauty Editor pretend and offer my bits of 'wisdom' regarding the best of my beauty booty:

1. Temptu Airbrush Foundation in 002 Ivory: I love how evenly and flawlessly this foundation applies. It's super easy to use - just a few swooshes around the face, and my skin looks better than I've seen it in years. The only downside - I'm unable to apply normal foundation and be satisfied with it anymore. Guess Temptu and I are for life.
2. Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion in Black Brown: I prefer drugstore brands for mascara because why spend twenty-plus dollars on something you have to toss in a few months anyways? I'll admit I still have Benefit BadGal mascara, Urban Decay's Big Fatty and a Lancôme mascara with a scary brush (I'm a bit of an eye makeup whore) but ever since I first had my 'lashes blasted', I've been hooked. I don't think I've found a mascara that is so consistently non-clumpy than this one. It's great to apply on both sides of lashes to make your eyes pop and look like you just stepped out of a Latisse ad.
3. Smashbox Artificial Light Flash Luminizing Lotion: technically a lotion to be mixed with or applied underneath foundation, I actually use this light formula as an illuminator after I've applied foundation and blush. I dab a bit across my cheekbones, my nose, eyelids, forehead and right above my cupid's bow. It's shimmery enough to make my skin look glowy and a bit shimmery without looking like I raided the body glitter collection I hoarded in the third grade.
4. Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Blonde: since I have naturally light blonde hair, I also was given matching blonde eyebrows. It never bothered me until recent years, when I noticed in photographs my brows looked like Whoopi Goldberg (have you ever noticed that she doesn't have eyebrows?). Now, since I've darkened my hair, I hardly ever leave the house without using this light pencil and grooming my brows with its dual-ended comb.
5. Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder: I'm obsessed with the idea of perfect-looking skin. This translucent powder is perfect for all skin tones and literally makes every pore imperfection go away. The powder is loose white (but immediately goes away) and reminds me of the story Kenneth Anger told about the filming of Lucifer Rising that he warned Marianne Faithfull not to bring drugs into Egypt at risk of execution. Faithfull hid the drugs in her makeup box under her face powder, and Anger alleged Faithfull "powdered her face with heroin." ... but that has nothing to do with this.
6. Maybelline The Falsies Volum'Express in Brownish Black: when I want mega-lashes without the added effort of applying actual falsies, I again turn to a trusty drugstore brand. I think it was Cindy Crawford who said that unless you have ultra-dark hair it's better to use brown mascara as it's not so severe. I like brown-black mascaras because I like being just a little bit severe.
7. Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Velvet in Bewitched: a rich chocolate shadow; I apply this to the upper lash line (and to my bottom lash line when I want an uber-dolly look) with a MAC 263 brush.
8. BareMinerals Buxom Lips in Dolly: ahh the name of this gloss's shade says it all for me. Though it doesn't produce the same über-beestung look (or cheekiness in the packaging) as Soap & Glory's Sexy Motherpucker (my fave shade is What a Melon, btw), this gloss is the perfect there-but-not-there shade with just a hint of color, tingle (a bit minty), and shimmer. It's perfect for any occasion. I always have it in my bag.
9. Dolce & Gabanna The One: simply just one of the best smelling fragrances I've had the pleasure of sniffing in my life. One of my friends wears it regularly, and I was obsessed with it and begged her to tell me what she was wearing. She said, "The One." It was as though that's all that needed to be said. Everywhere I went after that when I would smell a hint of it, I would freak out until I sought out the wearer of the perfume ... seriously in order to chat with her about the scent. I love it ... and unless I find a different perfume that I fall in love with more than this, I think I may have found "The One" I want to be my signature scent.
10. Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30: it would be a vast understatement to say that I'm not a sun worshipper. I wear sunscreen and sunnies everyday in order to protect my visage from the the damaging rays of le soleil. This brush-on sun protection powder is such a lifesaver for someone like I, who doesn't reapply sunscreen every few hours and tends to get a bit shiny during the day. I discovered it at Bliss Spa in NYC senior year of high school and I have been a loyal user ever since.

My Awardees:

Gloria of musings & inspiration

JessM of You've Got the Silver

Kaitlyn of Born Late

Kirby of Lost Muse

Louloublue of All Babes are Wolves

Lucia of Who The Fuck Is Mick Jagger

Melissa of Glamoretta

Raquel of Eloise

Smashingbird of Smashingbird

Summer.B of ..Summer Baby

Here's what you do:
- Thank the person who tagged you and link to their blog
- Put the Top 10 Award logo on your blog (the logo is under my 'Kind Words' section if you want to snag it)
- List your top ten favorite cosmetics
- Choose ten bloggers to tag, link to their blogs, and let them know about their award!

* thanks to the book Life is a Movie Starring You by Jennifur Brandt for this fun fact

"the nature of society is to create"

Let me explain the James Baldwin quote I so lazily and pretentiously made to be the title. You see, I was nominated by the lovely Miss Jess from You've Got the Silver for the 'Creative Blogger' Award. This award, in addition to pumping up my ego, entails that I list ten things about myself and then nominate more bloggers that I adore to have the award as well. 

So to get back to Mr. Baldwin, while this sentiment was not the one he was necessarily trying to communicate (the quote continues "...an illusion of safety" - yep, the nature of society is to create an illusion of safety, apparently) but this is the sentiment that I - a twenty-year-old chick who not just passed, but aced, her intro to philosophy class - is making. And we all know that the musings of a self-involved blonde girl are much more interesting than the political insights of a Baldwin not on 30 Rock.

I think that the nature of society - at least the blogosphere society - is to create wonderful works of art, writing, photography, poetry, or (in my case) really fabulous collages, and we share our genius with each other. I think this ability to have a communal use, love and appreciation of each other's work is incredible. Even more incredible is that it's in our very nature. 

Without further ado, here's the main attraction: ten fascinating facts about Barbara Walter's Most Fascinating Person of 2011 

1. I am double jointed. So is my grandmother, but it freaks her out. 

Note: this is not a photograph of me or my grandmother. Neither of us can play the piano. 

2. I am a member of a very eccentric family. We have the type of personalities and dynamics that would only be found on a prime time sitcom (or an E! reality show), in the best possible sense. 

I would be Kim, obvs. 

3. During my brief stint modeling during the ages of 14-16, the agency photographer told me I looked like Christie Brinkley. I was incredibly flattered. Not that I actually knew who that was at the time, though. I have also been told I could be a foot model (And by non-foot fetishists, to boot!)  

4. I love the smell of gasoline. No worries though, apparently so does Kate Moss. 

5. It breaks my heart to eat anything remotely resembling an animal. I can barely bring myself to eat a bunny-shaped chocolate for Easter.

Nor do I encourage the consumption of pug loaf. But this pup is too darn cute to not put up here

6. I think that tuberculosis is a very romantic disease. 

Like Greta Garbo in Camille and Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge. Minus the part where they both die in the end. 

7. I have a not-so-secret desire to be a hip-hop wife. 

I want this to be my life. Just Kidding. Not Really. 

8. I am the biggest wimp when it comes to wearing high heels. With the amount of complaining I do, you'd think that Kathy Bates had gone all Misery on my feet. 

9. When I was much, much younger, I fell into a table that Sidney Poitier was sitting at, and proceeded to cry obnoxiously as Mr. Poitier tried to comfort me. This was at the Brown Derby Restaurant. (Did I mention that this happened in 1954?)

10. One day, I am going to live in Paris. 

In the forthcoming hours, I will include my list of bloggers I would love to nominate for the Creative Blogger Award 

(I know, you're all at the edge of your seats in anticipation)

* I am being entirely sarcastic in the first paragraphs. I love James Baldwin and I know he's not related to Alec. Just throwing that out there. *

the exploding plastic inevitable

I can be a little dense at times, a little out of the loop. In this particular case, I was very out of the loop. The wonderful Smashingbird gave me the Plastic Joy Award. Only, she gave it to me in April. The Plastic Joy Award is a fun little thing where a blogger selects five or more characters from film or television who they would most like to bump uglies with. Well, I say better late than never, especially when it comes to things as fun to do as this! Without further ado, here are the five characters I would most love to love: 

Cary Grant as T.R. Devlin in Notorious

Cary Grant was always so smooth, so suave, so unnervingly elegant that it was almost too much to bear at times. There is no choice but to swoon over him. This is why I love him as the hardened, jaded government agent Devlin - he is the hero of the story, but he isn't an obviously likable guy. He falls in love with Ingrid Bergman's character, Alicia Huberman, the alcoholic daughter of a Nazi scientist, but is too hardened to admit his feelings to a woman of such ill-repute. Their kiss - which last for minutes but is broken up into shorter kisses in order to pass through the Hays Code - is absolutely delirious. There is a scene mid-way through the film where the two meet up at the horse races under the watchful eye of Alicia's new husband - when she begins to cry, he stares straight ahead and says emotionlessly "Dry your eyes, baby - it's out of character." I don't know why, but it kills me every time. 

Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire

I read somewhere that you should watch On the Waterfront if you want to fall in love with Brando, and A Streetcar Named Desire if you want to fall in lust. It's easy to see why - he wears skin-tight tee shirts half the time (and the other half of the time, he's shirtless!) While I'm not too fond of the brutish behavior, I love his rare moments of remorse and tenderness. When he screams "Stellaaaaa!" from the bottom of his neighbor's staircase, he begins to cry, thinking he has lost the love of his life, and then drops to the floor in self-disgust when she slowly walks down to him. I remember watching this scene in a high school English class about five times in a row (I guess I wasn't the only one who was done in by Stanley).  

Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I think this reveals something rather unsettling about my personality. I don't know what it is (his fishnet-clad gams, perhaps?) but I just find Dr. Frank-N-Furter to be really attractive. If in some other dimension, we do end up hooking up - at least I can pick his brain afterward about lingerie and makeup tips. 

Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl

Why? Because he's Chuck Bass. 

Though my father finds him to be absolutely smarmy, I adore Chuck Bass. He has shattered all different stereotypes (before GG, I think we all could confidently say we didn't know a man could wear so much purple and baby pink and be such a committed womanizer), all the while being the most loveable ass on the planet. He's the only character who can get away with simply uttering his name as an excuse for his behavior (and have it not be followed by "... and I'm an alcoholic / drug addict / bag of douche.") His voice - coupled with the fact that it was patterned after that of Carlton Banks - truly does me in. 

Sean Connery as Mark Rutland in Marnie

Yes, he found the woman who robbed his company to be alluring rather than troubled. Yes, he blackmailed that same woman (Tippi Hedren, as the title character) into marriage with threatening to expose her kleptomaniacal ways. Yes, he also rapes her on their honeymoon. But other than that, I think he's a dream. I don't know, I guess I just have a thing for emotionally-vacant, strange men ... at least when it comes to the fictional ones. 

Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar

I can't figure out if wanting to bone Jesus in this movie means that I'm going to hell .... or if it means I'm a really awesome Christian. It's a very fine line. Also, I'll refrain from making the same joke that one of my friends (who was atheist) made about him being 'well-hung on the cross'. Because yeah, that's crossing a line.

Here are the blogstars I award the same plastic joy to (but I encourage everyone to do it - it's quite fun!):

Lost Muse

Glamoretta

Musings & Inspiration

You've Got the Silver

Beatle Girls

Retro Active Critiques

i’ll be your mirror, reflect what you are, in case you don’t know

By now, you all probably know that I am obsessed with Brigitte Bardot. (And if you didn't, then - Hello,  I am the Dolly Rocker Girl and I am a Bardot-a-holic). Brigitte Bardot has served as the inspiration for female style (and male fantasies) for over a half-century. The Beatle boys' pride and joy was to have a girl that looked like the actress - John even encouraged Cynthia (a natural brunette) to have a Bardot makeover, and apparently George wasn't quiet about how much he loved that his bird Pattie looked like Brigitte (as recounted by Cyn herself in her first book, "A Twist of Lennon"). Models Claudia Schiffer and Georgia May Jagger, as well as actress-turned-designer Ashley Olsen all name Brigitte Bardot as their main fashion influence. Even La Moss, the 'most stylish woman of the decade' (per Vogue U.S.) looks to BB for inspiration. 

I think the reason that Brigitte has been countlessly cited as a fashion icon is her ability to combine sultry sexpot with sophisticated French femininity. Brigitte was a bombshell in the truest sense - she owned her sexuality, yet never flaunted it. Whereas other women were running around in dresses cut up to there and scooped down to here, Brigitte could look absolutely drop-dead in a pair of checkered cigarette pants, ballet flats, and a simple cardigan. 

I look to BB for inspiration when it comes to makeup, clothes, a lot of stuff (maybe not political opinions, especially in light of her recent court cases in France) - and I know I'm not the only one. 

This is 'Then and Now: the Bardot Edition'

First off is the Bardot pose - legs clad in black tights crossed over each other, smoky eyes, a teased mane, and little else! This pose has been replicated by the likes of Lindsay Lohan (on the cover of Entertainment Weekly), Elle Macpherson (in a 1994 issue of Playboy magazine), and more recently by Rihanna and Gisele Bundchen

Editorials have often drawn inspiration from Brigitte's undeniably feminine, sultry style

For their 'Le Rouge' campaign, Chanel looked to Brigitte's film Le Mépris (Contempt) for inspiration. Model Julie Ordon takes on Bardot's role in the advertisements, reenacting the opening scene of the film - she asks the camera, in the same style as Bardot does her onscreen lover, "Tell me ... do you love my lips?" 

Other models try their hand at recreating another of Brigitte's famous looks from the Jean-Luc Godard film. Her black-and-white ensemble, matched with a thick bandana and even thicker eyeliner, is one of the most famous from Le Mépris 

Welsh songstress Duffy often channels bombshell starlets of decades past - here she does her best Brigitte Bardot, complete with a modest (yet still utterly va-va-voom) black dress, long slightly wavy blonde hair, and Bardot's signature black cat eye-and-nude lip combination 

For the cover of Redbook, Faith Hill stepped into the shoes of three of the most imitated and admired women of the 20th century: Grace Kelly, Twiggy, and Brigitte Bardot

Vanessa Paradis looks like she could double for Brigitte Bardot in her wigged-out scenes in Le Mépris. With their feline features and insouciant French personalities, the two women resemble each other considerably - even without those short black wigs 

Many sexpot singers of recent years have mimicked Brigitte's carefree comfortable style. Kylie Minogue does it best I think - she keeps it fresh and modern, but the nod to her style icon isn't unnoticeable. Madonna ... not so much

Title: from "I'll Be Your Mirror" (The Velvet Undergound & Nico)

only a week until new year, that's when i'll make a new start

As 2010 is winding down, we are given the chance to reflect on the goals we made for ourselves this past year and evaluate whether or not we made any progress. Even if we've failed or forgotten a lot of our resolutions, we are given the chance to start anew when the stroke of midnight comes on December 31st. With the new year comes renewed promise - we are given 365 days to make some magic happen.
I personally do not want to let 2011 slip by as quickly as 2010 did. I want to do something significant, truly make this the defining year in my life where things began to happen for me. (No pressure or anything, eh?)
Without further ado, here are my list of resolutions for 2011:

1. Say Yes - I've never seen the Jim Carrey movie (despite the dear Zooey Deschanel being in it) but there is some good in saying 'Yes Man' to things that come your way. 
2. Put the sources of things on the blog - work on citing song lyrics, quotes, and pictures as best I can. I know how annoying it is when I stumble across a site that is using my collages (there was a site out there that actually lifted my writing as well - it really irked me) without any credit. 
3. Edit my vocabulary - eliminate curse words, 'like,' and 'uh/umm' from my vernacular. I want to sound like I am living in a glammy 1940s screwball comedy, not a Kevin Smith film.
4. Write in my Moleskine every day - even just a short sentence or two. How can I write my memoirs one day without some reference to when the great events happened in my life? One of my favorite recent rom-coms, Love and Other Disasters, had the most delightful exchange that I think is so marvelously appropriate: "I'm sorry I'm late - I was in the middle of an absolutely gripping book. I couldn't put it down." "What books is that?" "My memoirs, darling. I've decided to publish."   
5. Release my inner free spirit - I want to act more like the girl I know I am on the inside but I'm too afraid to let come out. I want to stop caring what other people think, let go of all my hang-ups regarding judgment, failure, and fear. I want to live life out loud!
6. Find a signature scent - a repeat from last year. I have found some lovely scents (Mûre et Musc by L'Artisan Parfumeur; Kate Moss' original scent; Tom Ford Black Orchid) but I am still on the lookout for one that I cannot bear to part with. 
7. Learn more about classical music and art history - it's been about four years since I took a course on the history of art and music, and I definitely want to revisit some of my favorite artists. 
8. Find a mantra - discover or invent a phrase that I can repeat often and hold close to my soul. 
9. Have confidence - smile more, walk tall and strong, and improve my posture. No more shuffling around looking at the floor!
10. Adopt the Dita Von Teese approach to life - "I advocate glamour. Every day. Every minute." I'm nowhere close to being the beauty that Dita is, nor do I dress myself in the bombshell apparel that she sports (though I've thought about it - I certainly have more of the body for those retro cuts than the bohemian garb I so love but better suits the thin, tall, lanky gals). Still, I think that glamour can be applied to any lifestyle - not just the burlesque-at-heart, but photographers (think Meryl in Out of Africa or Faye Dunaway as Laura Mars), substitute teachers (perhaps a lovely Donna Reed-inspired circle skirt with crinoline and cherry red lips), and even university students like me (Ali MacGraw in Love Story maybe). 
11. Be better to my body - your body is your temple, so they say and I need to treat mine a little better. As important as it is to feed the soul, it is equally as important to feed the body with good things that can actually improve the way I feel, the amount of energy I have, and how productive I am (sans caffeine). I want to try cutting out dairy and processed white sugar, as well as exercise more regularly. 
12. Do these random things - brush up on my French speaking skills; take dance lessons; have media black-out days once a month; meet new people; do something I've always been too afraid to do (karaoke, skydiving, etc.); change my hairstyle; drink more water every day; learn the names of flowers; wear nice undergarments daily; practice yoga more regularly; keep a poetry journal; wear scarves, hats, and driving gloves with outfits; learn to walk in my frighteningly tall Jeffrey Campbell Lita's; learn how to do finger waves and other retro hairstyles

And in the spirit of Resolution #2...

Title: from "A Cold, Cold Christmas" (Stephen Colbert) 

How to be like Edie Sedgwick

With a life as quick and bright as a shooting star, Edie Sedgwick has become an icon of the sixties underground for her style, beauty, warmth, and her troubled personal life. Quite arguably Warhol's most famous superstar, Edie was the subject of numerous songs, books, and a biopic with a cult-like following (she also inadvertently was a central part of the lawsuit Bob Dylan filed as a result of Factory Girl's implication of his role in her death). In addition to the legions of girls who copied "her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls" during the 1960s, Edie has inspired many modern-day gals. Taking style cues from Sedgwick is not just Factory Girl star Sienna Miller, but also the likes of Nicole Richie, Mary-Kate Olsen, Samaire Armstrong, Lindsay Lohan, the late Brittany Murphy (I wrote a post about Edie and Brittany a few months ago), and many other young girls who look smashing wearing black tights en lieu of pants. I myself have been a devoted fan of Edie for many years, and I offer my abbreviated guide to Sedgwick-dom to any (and every) one fascinated with the first "poor little rich girl":

Edie's Wardrobe:

• Black opaque tights
• Fur coats (in a variety of different kinds: mink, leopard, monkey, fox, etc.)
• Black leotards (to wear to dance class)
• Black-and-white striped anything - tee shirts, sweaters, tank tops
• Boatneck shirts (especially black-and-white striped boatnecks!)
• Sleeveless shift dresses in metallics, monochrome prints, and a variety of different materials (Edie had a Betsey Johnson-designed shift dress made out of vinyl when Edie was the spokesmodel for Betsey's line Paraphernalia)
• White v-neck tee shirts
• Black mohair turtleneck with long sleeves
• Tight, short miniskirts

Her Accessories:

• Shoulder-duster earrings (Check out Steve Sasco Designs for exact replicas of Edie's earrings. Sasco was jewelry designer for Factory Girl - I can vouch for his designs; I own several pairs and they are exquisite)
• Black undergarments (rocked onscreen by Edie during Poor Little Rich Girl and Beauty No. 2)
• Black ballet flats
• Black high heels (slingbacks, etc.)
• Fishnet tights
• Long chain necklaces to layer with one another
• Black rosary necklace
• Brown leather rhino from Abercrombie and Fitch
• Hats (newsboy caps, wide-brimmed felt hats, fur cloche hats)
• Her two perfumes of choice were by fashion house Rochas: Fracas, and Femme (seen in Poor Little Rich Girl)

Pastimes:

• Sketching portraits of horses
• Listening to the Everly Brothers while ordering orange juice and coffee, applying makeup, getting dressed, and explaining how she spent her entire inheritance in six months (a la Poor Little Rich Girl)
• Posing for the pages of Vogue
• Hanging out at the Factory
• Burning down rooms in the Chelsea
• Dancing, dancing, dancing

Acquaintances:

• Betsey Johnson
• Bob Dylan and Bob Neuwirth
• Andy Warhol
• Brigid Berlin
• Baby Jane Holzer
• The Velvet Underground
• Mick Jagger
• Ultra Violet
• Chuck Wein
• Sally Kirkland
• Bibbe Hansen
• Salvador Dali
• Judy Garland
• Diana Vreeland

Hangouts:

• The silver Factory
• Santa Barbara ranch
• Silver Hill Hospital
• The Chelsea Hotel
• Max's Kansas City

Pearls of Wisdom:

• "I think drugs are like strawberries and peaches."
• "I'd like to turn the whole world on just for a moment. Just for a moment."
• "I'll have to put more earrings on. I bet that someone could analyze me and tell my condition by my earrings."
• "I know a lot of rich people and they're all pigs."
• "I really like good, beautiful clothes. I love the space, Courreges things. I love Rudi Gernreich. I hate to go through seventeen buttons. I'm nervous enough going someplace."
• "Speed is the ultimate, all-time high. That first rush - wow! Just that burning, searing, soaring sense of perfection. There's no way to explain it unless you've been through it."
• "I'm greedy. I'd like to keep most of it for myself and a few others, a few of my friends. Keep that superlative high just on the cusp of each day so that I radiate sunshine."
• "Wherever I've gone I've been quite notorious. And quite innocently so."
• "I lived a very isolated life. When you start at twenty, you have a lot of nonsense to work out of your system."
• "I had fun, but I really didn't have anyone I particularly loved. And I still don't, except for loving friends, but I mean I haven't been in love with anyone in years and years. But I have a certain amount of faith that it'll come."
• "I made a mask out of my face because I didn't realize I was quite beautiful. God blessed me so. I practically destroyed it. I had to wear heavy black eyelashes like bat wings, and dark lines under my eyes, and cut all my hair off, my long dark hair. Cut it off and stripped it silver and blonde. All those little maneuvers I did out of things that were happening in my life that upset me."
• "You care enough, that you want your life to be fulfilled in a living way. Not in a painting way, not in a writing way ... You really do want it to be involved in living, corresponding with other living objects, moving, changing, that kind of thing."
• "They say use it, channel it. Do it, like there will be a sign, be an artist, you're so creative, do anything, you've got to do it, use it. Then, things like, and you've got to collect yourself too. I mean, you know, make your hair more about yourself, self-respect. But I mean, ridiculous."
• [About a dream she had] "It's like my having to walk down thousands and thousands of white marble stairs ... and nothing but a very very blue sky, very blue, like ... Yes, and I'd have to walk down them forever. I never thought about going up ... I don't know, don't you think that must mean something? It never occurred to me to turn around, I mean, why didn't I think that way? This was after I had the car accident."
• "It's sort of like a mockery, in a way of reality because they think everything is smiles and sweetness and flowers where there is something bitter to taste. And to pretend there isn't is foolish. I mean the ones that wander around and know, at the same time, and yet wear flowers, and they deserve to wear flowers. And they've earned their smile. You can tell by people's eyes."

Top Ten "Jailbait" Movies

In order to sound like as little of a creep as possible, let me put into context how I thought of making this list. When I was in my young teens (mostly between the ages of 14-17) I had several encounters with men who would somehow make a Lolita inference during our conversation. I always thought this was equal parts disturbing and flattering. It was sometimes nice to know that my crushes on inappropriately older gentlemen weren't always entirely one-sided. For any gal who has every been "Hot for Teacher" or longed for a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, this list is for you.

So to start off the list, I give you the girl who started it all...

Dolores 'Lolita' Haze (Sue Lyon) in Lolita, 1962

I've never seen the remake with Dominique Swain in the title role, but I'm still going to say that this is my preferred version. I love Sue Lyon's portrayal of the flirtatious fourteen-year-old - especially in those moments where she's allowed to be a little bit darker than what the censors would normally allow and explore more of the depth to this character. Plastic heart-shaped sunglasses have become a little bit less childish since this movie's release. Fun fact: Though she was the star of the film, Sue wasn't allowed into the premiere of Lolita because she was a few months shy of her sixteenth birthday (16 being the minimum age required to enter the screening).

Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman) in Léon: The Professional, 1994

In the film, Portman plays the twelve-year-old neighbor of a hitman in Little Italy named Léon. After her family is murdered, including her four-year-old brother (the only one in the family she actually loved, she says), Mathilda begs Léon to teach her his skills so that she can avenge her family's murders. Natalie Portman looked badass in her big black boots, choker necklaces, striped tee shirts, and her sleek bob that could put Mia Wallace to shame.

Iris 'Easy' Steensma (Jodie Foster) in Taxi Driver, 1976

Never before this movie did I ever say "Gee, I wish I were a twelve-year-old prostitute." As Iris, a New York 'lady of the streets', Jodie Foster got to wear some of the most killer seventies clothing. I'd die for the dusty pink hot pants and red suede wedges she wears when she meets Travis Bickle (Robert de Niro). Though she's onscreen for only a fraction of the movie, Foster's role as Iris and her relationship with Bickle drives the second half of the narrative.

Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) in Manhattan, 1979

As Tracy, the seventeen-year-old love of Woody Allen's philandering 42-year-old Isaac Davis, Mariel Hemingway earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. And with good reason. Giving the most soft, subtle performance in a film of neurotic characters, Hemingway's Tracy comes off as the most intelligent and mature of the whole lot. She also gets to utter one of the famous last lines, "Not everyone gets corrupted ... you have to have a little faith in people."

Violet (Brooke Shields) in Pretty Baby, 1978

Perhaps the jailbait actress of the century, practically anything from her early career could have made this list (The Blue Lagoon, Endless Love, her Calvin Klein ads), but here is Brooke in her first major (and most jailbait-iest) film role. The film is set in 1917 New Orleans during the last months of legal prostitution. Brooke plays Violet, the twelve-year-old daughter of a prostitute (Susan Sarandon being gorgeous, as per usual), whose virginity is auctioned off by her mother's madame. A photographer by the name of Ernest J. Bellocq is fascinated by Violet's beauty and youth, and marries the girl. Although Brooke is undoubtedly gorgeous, there is still something I find so unsettling about seeing such a young girl painted with makeup and made to be so overtly sexualized ... especially when you consider that this was partially a true story.

Charlotte Goodall (Sue Lyon) in The Night of the Iguana, 1964

Sue Lyon really made a career out of playing over-sexualized teenage girls. Here our little Lolita travels to Puerto Vallarta to pursue the affections of Richard Burton, but she faces some stiff competition from Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner. Fun fact: Although director John Huston did not have a problem with the international ruckus that Burton and his lover Elizabeth Taylor were causing on the Puerto Vallarta set, Huston banned Sue Lyon's fiance from the set after interfering with film production too many times.

Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) in American Beauty, 1999

Mena Suvari kind of ruined the entire idea of red rose petals for me, but it was still a stellar film.

Ivy (Drew Barrymore) in Poison Ivy, 1992

After befriending schoolmate Sylvie Cooper, Ivy - a seductive scholarship student at an exclusive Beverly Hills prep school - makes designs on Sylvie's father. Ivy is a calculating young girl who was ready and willing to do anything to get something she wanted. Drew Barrymore's fifteen-year-old femme fatale is far and away the most dangerous girl on this list.

Baby Doll Meighan (Carroll Baker) in Baby Doll, 1956

In this Elia Kazan picture, Baker plays "Baby Doll," the sweetly uneducated teenage bride of Karl Malden. In order to compound this fact, Baker sucks her thumb a lot. The film was widely condemned upon its release, with Time Magazine saying in its review at the time that it was the "dirtiest American-made motion picture that had ever been legally exhibited." The Legion of Decency even succeeded in getting the film withdrawn from theatres because of it's "immoral content." Fun fact: Despite being thirty-years-old at the time, Marilyn Monroe was chosen by Tennessee Williams personally to star in the film. Monroe, who wanted the role badly, was finishing up her year-long exile from Hollywood to improve her acting talent and almost got the role. Kazan ultimately went with film newcomer Carroll Baker, who had worked together at the Actor's Studio.

Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) in An Education, 2009

In 1961 England, sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Jenny is swept up in a romance with the charming and sophisticated David, who is over twice her age. With Mulligan racking up the awards this past year, it goes without saying that her portrayal of the young, impressionable schoolgirl was a hit among critics and audiences alike. The film is set in the same year as Kubrick was filming his version of Lolita, so I think that completes a beautiful circle there, doesn't it?

she wore a raspberry beret, the kind you find in a secondhand store, she wore a raspberry beret, and if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more

Continuing on the same note as my previous post on floppy hats, I dedicate this post to my love of berets. I like the diverseness of the beret. One can look like an innocent Parisian ingenue, or a badass revolutionary (see: Patty Hearst, circa 1974).

Arguably the look that started it all: Faye Dunaway in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde. This crook's look wasn't complete without a fantastic felt topper over her honey-colored bob.

Jane Asher (left) and Pattie Boyd both sported berets when in the company of their Beatle boys. Coincidentally, both of the girls wore the hat on their travels to India.

French icon of sex, song, and style Brigitte Bardot pulled off the equally-as-iconic French accessory without a hitch.

Another lovely French actress, Catherine Deneuve, looks positively chic in her knit beret atop her cropped hair.

Gorgeous gamine Audrey Hepburn poses for some early fashion shots with a white beret resting on top of her head.

Supermodel Agyness Deyn matches her beret to her gloves, while Alexa Chung, Peaches Geldof, and Michelle Williams sport the look for some added spunk to their outfits. Kirsten Dunst and Blake Lively (as her GG character Serena) both choose berets of the pink variety.

Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher Horowitz, the most fashionable girl in school, in the 90s classic Clueless, so naturally she would sport a beret on several occasions throughout the film.

Sixties siren Britt Ekland dresses up a simple suit with a beret and tons of chains and tassels.

Groupie-turned-singer/songwriter Bebe Buell poses in a beret for an earthy photoshoot during the mid-1970s.

Except for the whole impregnanted-by-Satan thing, things look pretty great for Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) in Rosemary's Baby, in a plaid beret and matching scarf.

Queen of punk rock Debbie Harry adds an element of feminine sweetness to her otherwise rocker looks.

Charlotte Rampling wore the beret with ease during the 1970s.

The lovely Lauren Bacall in publicity shots for The Big Sleep.

Marilyn Monroe perfectly captures the Parisian essence of the cafe scene during Gentlemen Prefer Blondes when she and Jane Russell's characters take a rest at a French bistro to sing "When Love Goes Wrong, Nothing Goes Right."

Screen legend Ingrid Bergman is captured during a candid moment with her Gaslight costar Charles Boyer and sporting a beret.

Photographed several times in a beret, each of different colors, chanteuse France Gall had an affinity for these floppy felt hats.

Godard gamine Anna Karina can light up the screen donning this French staple.

Anita Pallenberg rocks a gold sequin beret while at a premiere with beau Keith Richards.

An eleven-year-old Anna Paquin accepts the Academy Award in a blue beret and matching dress.

Nicole Richie, Zooey Deschanel, Eva Green (in The Dreamers), and Jenny Lewis each have a love affair with red berets.

Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger) dresses up in a beret to go to a swingin' beatnik party in Down With Love.