and all i gotta do is act naturally

I have talked about the many accomplishments of Peggy Lipton's life here briefly before. Recently I picked up a copy of her memoir Breathing Out, hoping that there were even more great secrets about this beautiful sixties star than I knew before. As I read her account of her years growing up, I found out there were many more secrets about Ms. Lipton -- but too many of them were great ones. She was born into a wealthy, Jewish, Long Island family where she was sexually abused as a young girl. She began her modelling career at sixteen with the Ford Modelling Agency before moving out to Los Angeles in 1964 to sign a contract with Universal Studios. Like many children of abuse, she became promiscuous, sleeping with a string of musicians, actors, alcoholics, and married men. She was admittedly "rapaciously romantic." In 1966 she slept with Paul McCartney when he was in California on tour with the Beatles.
Soon after moving to LA, she wast cast as a schoolgirl in the sitcom "The John Forsythe Show" and the Civil War-set "Mosby's Marauders" where she played sister to Kurt Russell. In 1968 she was cast as the beautiful-but-troubled Julie Barnes in "The Mod Squad." Her role as the prettiest undercover cop of the Haight-Ashburty area cast Lipton in the real-life role as the hippie child role model to the greater America. With her long blonde hair, fresh face, and hip clothing, Lipton became both the image of the mod girl and the flower girl during the late sixties. During its five-year run, "The Mod Squad" nabbed Lipton four Golden Globe nominations and one win in 1971 for Best TV Actress in a Drama.
Her sudden celebrity introduced her to a whole new world of people. She had a brief singing career, and an even briefer dalliance with Sammy Davis Jr., who she also recorded a duet with. In addition to McCartney and Davis Jr., Lipton also had, erm, encounters with Keith Moon and Terence Stamp, who she experimented with drugs with. Also on the list was Elvis, who Lipton said "was a great kisser but that was about it." As a way to move past her need for drugs and men, Lipton looked toward religion for a solution. She became involved with Hinduism and Scientology, which she tried to persuade Elvis to join and is still involved with today.
While still with Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy met Quincy Jones in 1974, a then-married musician/producer who immediately fell in love with her. They wed later on that same year and Lipton went on a self-imposed retirement at Quincy's request in order to become a full-time mom to daughters Kidada and Rashida Jones. Their interracial marriage caused controversy for some. Lipton said that when out at night with her husband, they were often pulled over by the police because they assumed that a white woman who was in a car with a black man could only be either a prostitute or a kidnapping victim. Quincy and Peggy were married for sixteen years until their marriage fell apart in 1990. Their marriage had been strained since the late 80s following Quincy's increasingly-demanding career and her growing interest in her faith. After their divorce, Lipton said she struggled with deep depression and dehabilitating fatigue. She eventually found strength from her two daughters, her return to acting (she has had roles on "Twin Peaks" and "Alias"), and her guru Gurumayi. She has remained good friends with her ex-husband, even collaborating with him on Jones's book "Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones."
Her book ends on a more somber note as just before "Breathing Out" was going to press, Lipton was diagnosed with colon cancer. She has since undergone treatment and the cancer seems to be in remission.
I really enjoyed Lipton's autobiography and recommend it for anyone who enjoys a pleasant look back at California during the sixties and seventies. During Peggy's journey, she has met many famous people along the way, but never in her book does she make it seem like she's just name-dropping so that everyone knows how important she is. She could've been talking about Steve-the-homeless-man-she-met-on-the-street and it still would've been just as charming as when she talks about Kurt Russell.

The opening theme to the Mod Squad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd85Qim_Z6A
Singing a duet with former flame Sammy Davis Jr:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvG9NcilVVY

she's a wonderful lady and she's all mine, and there doesn't seem a way that she won't come and lose my mind

Happy Easter ev'rybody! In honor of this glorious day, the Easter bunny left a little treat for me on my TiVo -- two back-to-back episodes of "Biography" on A&E channel. I love the biography programs, but today it was extra special because the programs were first about Davy Jones, and then about the Monkees! Because I am essentially a fourteen-year-old girl on the inside, I couldn't help but get extremely excited and feel inspired to post. I am posting about Samantha Juste, the first wife of Monkee Micky Dolenz from 1968 until 1975. Though only my second favorite Monkee (behind Davy...remember that I have the emotional capacity of a tween), I always really liked Micky and Samantha together.

Samantha was born Sandra Slater in 1944 in Manchester, England. As a teenager, she became a model and changed her name to Samantha -- a still uncommon name in England at the time, though gaining popularity due to Grace Kelly's role as Samantha Lord in "High Society" and Elizabeth Montgomery's role as Samantha Stephens in "Bewitched." It is said that during the 1960s, Samantha Juste was one of the most popular Samanthas in Britain. As a model, she was popular because of her thin frame, long long legs, and blonde hair. She also made some of her clothing on the side after studying textiles and dress design at college. She favored minidresses with somewhat simple neckline and at times with long sleeves.
In the mid-60s, she became known as the "disc girl" on the popular Top of the Pops program, and released her own album. She appeared in the now-rare photobook, John D. Green's "Birds of Britain," a 1967 coffee table book highlighting the bright young things in England at that time (including Marianne Faithfull, Jane Asher, Pattie Boyd, Julie Christie, Lulu, and more!) In early 1967 she met Dolenz when the Monkees performed on Top of the Pops. He recalled that Samantha "was tall, blonde, beautiful, and wearing an emerald green outfit that ends up in a short skirt (very short) which tops off her unbelievably gorgeous legs." Micky said that all during their performance on TotP, "she hold his glance briefly then looks quickly away with that haughty sophistication that only the British can do so well."
Dolenz and Juste soon began dating, which caused media frenzy and fan upset during the time known as 'Monkeemania.' Samantha received a lot of the flack for their relationship, and had to endure female fans cruelty and newspaper headlines like "Pops girl goes ape" and "Samantha traps Monkee." The couple split their time between Samantha's flat in London and Micky's place in Laurel Canyon, with Samantha eventually moving in with him and leaving Top of the Pops. They wed in the summer of 1968, and their daughter Ami Bluebell was born in January of the next year. Dolenz wrote at least one song inspired in part by Samantha, "Randy Scouse Git," referring to her as the "girl in the yellow dress." During their marriage, the Dolenzes socialize with some of the top names in the music industry, including Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr, who dubbed Samantha "Earth Mother." During the 70s, Micky's admittedly self-indulgent nature took a toll on the marriage, leading to Juste filing for divorce in 1975. She now runs an online boutique with her daughter Ami (an actress) called Bluebell Boutique.

(thanks to psycho-jello.com and wikipedia for info)

13 most beautiful women (right now)

Here is the second installment of my "13 most beautiful..." series. Just to rehash what I'm doing with this, I publish a list of the 13 women that I envy and/or admire at the moment. This idea was stolen from Andy Warhol, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

1. Susan Bottomly - the immediate successor to Edie Sedgwick at the Factory, sixteen-year-old Susan Bottomly was dubbed "International Velvet" by Warhol himself in 1966. She lived a lot like Sedgwick -- holing up at the Chelsea after moving away from her New England family, who gave her a handsome weekly allowance. She also looked a bit like Edie -- wearing long, elaborate earrings and painting herself for hours with makeup. Warhol once said, "watching someone like Susan Bottomly, who had such perfect, full, fine features, doing all this on her face was like watching a beautiful statue painting itself." The semblances to Andy's former friend were not coincidental; Susan said that the desire to go to the Factory and live in New York came after seeing Edie's Youthquaker spread in Vogue. Her main lasting fame came from her appearance in Warhol's cult film "Chelsea Girls," where she played up her decadent reputation. Her fame at the Factory was not long-lasting because just as Sedgwick was replaced, Bottomly would soon be replaced by Viva as Andy's no. 1.
2. Françoise Hardy - an iconic French singer/actress/astrologer, Hardy has remained as influential today as she was in the sixties during the yé-yé music movement. With her chic rockstar style and cutglass cheekbones, it is quite understandable why Nicolas Ghesquière names her as one of the chief influences in his creations for Balenciaga. Back during her heyday, she hung out with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, the latter of which mentioned her in a poem on the cover of the album "Another Side of Bob Dylan."
3. Audrey Hepburn - when discussing actresses of the 20th century, Audrey Hepburn approaches almost untouchable Mother Teresa territory for some people. And who could blame them for loving the most un-diva A-list actress who essentially gave up her career to volunteer for UNICEF and help malnourished and sick children of wartorn countries, children that she identified with after going through many of the same experiences in occupied Netherlands. After her debut in "Roman Holiday," Hepburn would become a fashion icon for women who sought after a classic yet modern style. Her innate style, slim ballerina figure, and relationship with Hubert de Givenchy is legendary. Recently she has been named the most influential fashion icon of the entire twentieth century and the infamous black Givenchy gown she wore in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" being named the best costume ever.
4. Jean Shrimpton - "the Shrimp," as she was known during the 60s, was really the first important waifish gamine model. Coming before Twiggy and the flood of pin-thin girls after her, Shrimpton developed a strong modelling career in high fashion magazines. She had a four-year relationship with David Bailey, one of the most celebrated photographers of the time, and soon became the face of Swinging London. She was the first to publicly wear a 'mini dress' (a shocking 3.9 inches above the knee) to an event that had women wearing modest dress, pantyhose, and elaborate hats.
5. Kim Novak - probably best known for her portrayal of the beautiful and aloof Madeleine in Hitchcock's "Vertigo," it probably is no coincidence that Novak's first job was modelling as "Miss Deepfreeze." She first gained success in the mid-50s, touted as Columbia Studios's version of Marilyn Monroe, this curvy blonde made a name for herself doing films with Jimmy Stewart and boys from the Rat Pack. She was among the most tortured of Hitchcock's leading women; his demands for her to repeatedly do takes for a scene requiring her to jump into an icy river below her for his own amusement (without even filming) are legendary.
6. Ali MacGraw - admittedly the only film I have seen her in is "Love Story," but that's okay, right? When she wasn't romancing Ryan O'Neal as Jennifer Cavelleri, the epitome of collegiate cool, Ali had a five-year marriage to Steve McQueen (the epitome of cool in general). Now a yoga-enthusiast, Ali's seventies style was similar to that of her Love Story character -- simple, minimalist clothing, tanned makeup-free skin, long middle-parted hair, and the "Ali cap."
7. Britt Ekland - Ekland accomplished two of my goals in life at an early age: one, to meet and marry Peter Sellers; two, to become a Bond girl. The first of those goals is quite impossible for me now, but still I am envious. She was a Bond girl in '74's "The Man with the Golden Gun." She was Roman Polanski's first choice to play Rosemary Woodhouse in his 1968 masterpiece "Rosemary's Baby." Now she just sort of is a fabulous jetsetter who kind of stalks rock stars. Which is pretty awesome, too.
8. Ingrid Bergman - my favorite actress of all time, Bergman will probably go down in history as the lead Ilsa Lund in the most romantic film ever made (not my opinion -- its a legit fact). She is a fascinating woman who, during her life, endured both being the most celebrated -- then the most hated (following her affair with Roberto Rossellini where she was forced into exile)-- star of her day.
9. Ann Margret - what can one really say about the girl who made red hair hot, was dubbed the female Elvis, and had her own Flintstones character named after her? Ann Margret is simply cool...and hot...all at the same time. Didn't think it was possible, did you? Well Ann-Margret makes it possible.
10. Anita Pallenberg - if it was possible, I would worship at the altar of Anita Pallenberg. The model-actress who possessed an 'evil glamour' has become a legend in the fashion community for her utterly decadent approach to dressing. Someone a half-degree less cool than Pallenberg would look like an absolute fool in the outfits she wears, but I suppose that is the way she has remained the number one icon for gypsy cool. Someone who can wear a velvet bolero with silk Chinese silk pants and a large turquoise necklace is worthy of that kid of title though.
11. Tippi Hedren - the last important Hitchcock heroine, Tippi (mama to Melanie Griffiths) made a name for herself starring in two back-to-back films for the Master of Suspense, "The Birds" and "Marnie," with Sean Connery. After these two films, Tippi - who was under an exclusive contract with Hitchcock and had to endure a creepy crush he had on her - wanted out. She was a big star by then, having been stylized by Hitch to be the sixties answer to Grace Kelly. But Hitch wouldn't have that, and made sure that if he couldn't work with her, then no one else would want to either.
12. Michelle Phillips - Mama Michelle was one of the most gorgeous rock stars in history. She dressed in a very cool laid-back California style which involved colored jeans, knit ponchos, and pigtails. All of those clothing items sounds as though they would be in the third grade reject pile, but somehow Michelle made it all look so damn cool. The last surviving member of the original lineup of the Mamas and the Papas, Michelle has segwayed over into acting (including a stint on the original 90210), but will always be remembered for being the mama of California cool.
13. Jane Birkin - the unearthly gorgeous singer and actress who has seemed to blur the lines of French sophistication and English cool must have something magical in her genes -- both her daughters (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon) exude the same coolness factor their mother does, much to my jealousy.
    

i've got the money if you've got the time

I saw a photo over at Child of the Moon (the super-genius/enviable/gorgeous blog that I can only try in vain to be as awesome as) that I quite enjoyed and wanted to share:

I liked the ad for whatever reason -- I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be funny in a way that I suppose I am too ignorant to understand, or if there wasn't a real point to it besides having a real pretty model carting this particular brand of cigarettes. Then I remembered why I liked it. I vaguely remember during my Michelle Williams obsession (early-2007) seeing a photo that was done of her during filming of "I'm Not There."

Michelle played the character Coco Rivington, the "queen of the underground," an Edie Sedgwick-type that interacts with Cate Blanchett's Jude Quinn (the mid-60s Bob Dylan-type character). Now I admit that I am a bad person and haven't yet seen "I'm Not There" (though I am recording it tonight on HBO) so I don't know if this photo is utilized at all in the film. Here is just another example of vintage-inspired photography being pretty successful -- I think that Michelle looks gorgeous here.

something in her style that shows me

Like most of the female inhabitants of the western world, I adore Kate Moss's style. Her eclectic style has been oft-imitated, but to much less-success. Part of Kate's appeal is that she never seems to think about what she's wearing, she just throws on whatever. For us less fortunate who study methodically her choice of cords over denim, disect her jewelry and shoes, and mentally note her color combinations, Kate seems like the ideal fashion icon -- someone who is naturally fashionable, "The Chosen One" for the Vogue-set. Within the last few weeks, news broke where Marianne Faithfull accused her former pal Miss Moss of stealing her rocker girl style, claiming Moss consciously became friends with her in order to get to know her better and steal her look. Shock spread throughout the young fashionista world -- could our beloved Miss Moss actually be as methodical about her style, breaking down her fashion forerunners into distinct elements of style, as the rest of us are? In light of 'vampire gate,' I put together some of the other influences Kate Moss could be looking toward:

Veronica Lake

On several occasions, Kate seems to channel 1940s siren Veronica Lake for her evening look. Apart from the classic champagne-colored slinky gowns, deep red lips and nails, Kate completes her look with Veronica's signature peek-a-boo bang hairstyle.

michelle

Michelle Phillips

When I saw this yellow and black striped suit from Kate's first Topshop collection in the store in London, my first thought went back to a photoshoot I saw of the Mamas and the Papas singer. Though you can't really see it in the photo of Kate, the suit is really distinctly yellow and black stripes (more like Michelle's) in person. I should know, I bought it when I was at Topshop that day (I also bought the hot pants version of it, too!)

marianne

Marianne Faithfull

Marianne is the whistle-blower of Kate's whole operation, and I suppose you can see where Marianne would think Kate was copying her a bit. I know a lot of people thought after news broke 'well a lot of people dressed like Marianne so it wasn't only her style.' I suppose that is correct, but Kate was friends with Marianne and apparently went through a pretty noticeable transformation for Faithfull to take note. I doubt she would make things up for nothing. Toward the end of their friendship, Kate did color her blonde hair to more of the honey shade Marianne had in the sixties, along with cutting blunt fringe that Marianne also had. Even if you don't agree that the look Kate was emulating was solely Marianne's, you have to admit that she was definitely an influence.

Kate Moss
Yes, she even copies herself! Just look at the neckline of one of her dresses for an earlier collection for Topshop, and compare it to a dress she wore out in the mid-90s with her then-boyfriend Johnny Depp. Oh that Moss, very clever...very clever indeed...

Julie Christie

At a premiere in Cannes, Kate showed up in an exact copy of the dress Julie Christie's character wore in "Shampoo." Now if Kate had only gotten herself that Brian Jones-looking pob, it would have been eerily familiar...

Brigitte Bardot

The only person on this list that Kate has admitted to looking towards, Brigitte Bardot has been a strong influence of womens fashion for over the past half-decade. Kate was inspired enough by Miss Bardot that she even wore an uncharacteristically-tailored wiggle dress on the cover of Vogue, a look that was very remniscent of Bardot's look in Une Parisienne.

Anita Pallenberg

Marianne Faithfull's partner-in-crime, Anita Pallenberg, seems to inspire both the lifestyle and gypsy-ish tendencies of Kate's style. Modelling career, check; rockstar boyfriend, check; dalliances with drugs, check; very mini mini minidresses, quadruple check.

Britney SpearsThe most glaringly obvious one on the list, I'd say. Its ridiculous how apparent Kate Moss is trying to steal Brit Brit's look, going so far as to rock the same peroxide pageboy hairstyle that Spears had after she pulled a Sinead O'Connor. Okay, I'm immature.

love me, love me, feed the flame

Marilyn with her beloved No. 5

For quite a while I have been compiling a list of retro stars and the perfumes they use(d). Anytime I see the name of a scent in a book, magazine, webpage, interview, anyplace really, I will write it down. I don't include celebrity endorsed or manufactured perfumes because more often than not the person didn't use the fragrance regularly. I always find it very fun to go and try out these scents just to see if what appeals to my favorite actors also appeals to me. Here are some of what I have found over the years:

• Chanel No. 5 - Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, Ali MacGraw
• Chanel No. 22 - Catherine Deneuve (occasionally)
• Femme by Rochas - Mae West, Edie Sedgwick
• Jicky by Guerlain - Brigitte Bardot, Pattie Boyd, Anita Ekberg, Collette
• Je Reviens by Worth - Jane Asher
• L'Interdit by Givenchy - Audrey Hepburn (created specially for her), Elizabeth Taylor
• Fleurissimo by Creed - Grace Kelly (commisioned by Prince Rainier on their wedding day), Queen Elizabeth II, Jackie Kennedy
• Mitsouko by Guerlain - Jean Harlow, Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman
• Norell by Revlon - Faye Dunaway
• Shalimar by Guerlain - Rita Hayworth, Britt Ekland, Patti Hansen, Alexandra and Theodora Richards, Gina Lolobrigida, Shirley Maclaine
• Fracas by Robert Piguet - Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Princess Caroline of Monaco
• Arpege by Lanvin - Jacqueline Bisset, Jayne Mansfield in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?"
• Joy by Jean Patou - Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Josephine Baker, Gloria Swanson
• Jasmal by Creed - Natalie Wood (created for her)
• L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain - Catherine Deneuve, Bianca Jagger, Ursula Andress
• Vent Vert by Balmain - Brigitte Bardot, Greta Garbo
• Le De Givenchy - Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis

whatever colors you have in your mind, i'll show them to you and you'll see them shine

Sharon Tate was undeniably one of the most gorgeous personalities from the sixties. Her persona at the height of her success was that of the glam-yet-earthy movie star wife of Roman Polanski, her costar from "The Fearless Vampire Killers" and soon-to-be father of her child. Sharon was making a name for herself as a talented comedic and dramatic actress at the end of her life, making positive notices in "Don't Make Waves" (where she played surfer girl Malibu, the inspiration for Malibu Barbie), "The Wrecking Crew," and her Golden Globe nominated performance in "Valley of the Dolls." Even in films that were otherwise poorly reviewed, Sharon's presence could garner praise. Many critics compared her sometimes "blonde ice princess" performances with her admired contemporaries Faye Dunaway and Catherine Deneuve. She was so absorbing to watch onscreen, and generates such warmth and goodness -- this I find is an indicator of the actor's goodness in themself, not from the part they are playing.