How Retro.com

Mary Hardy

2013-08-10T07:05:00.003-07:00

Loud, Rude and Strangely Likeable

Mary Hardy with co-worker, Graham Kennedy.
Image from "The Age" newspaper.

Eccentric, vibrant and a tad acerbic, sister of writer Frank Hardy and Great Aunt of opinion-dropper Marieke Hardy, entertainer Mary Hardy was a familiar figure on radio and TV to many Australians in the 1960s and 70s.

My mother, who, it must be said, held certain snooty bourgeois pretensions, never liked her and on more than one occasion described her as 'vulgar', a term which, to my childish ear, always carried a cachet of intrigue and sparked a curiosity for the person or thing thus described.

From the beginning, I guiltily found Mary more than a little fascinating and very different from most of the other blandly respectable television personalities my mother favoured - she was, after all, the first woman to say the 'F' word on Australian television. In an era of cute barrel girls and delightfully-mannered hostesses, as a female entertainer she was so...brash. Not everyone appreciated her refreshing lack of inhibition of course and she could easily rub people up the wrong way, including my mother, who valued niceness above candour.

Never a beauty, a condition she was only too well aware of herself, Mary refused to be ignored and managed to garner a place in the spotlight via the strength of her wit and personality and at a time when not many female television personalities could manage it. In the early days of Australian TV, physical attractiveness and a certain discreet nod to the established male order was a prerequisite for success for women in that medium.

Roots

Novelist Frank Hardy

Mary Hardy had come from a large, raucous Catholic family [though her father was an atheist]. One of eight children, the Hardy's were of modest means but politically conscious and creatively ambitious. Mary's birth in 1931 coincided with the Great Depression. Her brother Frank was a notorious red-ragger best known for his novel, Power Without Glory, a story of political corruption, originally commissioned by the communist party. Mary, the youngest of the eight Hardy children, made her debut stage appearance at the Bacchus Marsh Mechanics Hall. At 12, after the death of her father she moved to Melbourne with her mother.

Unlike many celebrities, Mary Hardy never removed herself too far from the average Joe, maintaining an easy rapport with her public and therein lay a big part of her appeal. Perhaps she made a point of never losing touch with those early working-class roots. In the video below, a couple of literary tourists filmed the old Hardy house at 48 Lederderg St, Bachus Marsh, a country town West of Melbourne. Interestingly, it was the same street in which novelist Peter Carey lived.

The All-round Entertainer
Although we were never officially allowed to watch Penthouse Club [way too vulgar], a vehicle for televised horse-racing, which aired on HSV7 in the 70s, I would occasionally catch snippets of Mary and her quick-draw ad lib wit in between the 'trots' on that show and later, on radio 3AW. There was something about Mary that was so essentially Australian or at least a particular strain of Australian - outspoken, comical, irreverent, yes, vulgar and an oddly affecting mix of confidence and self-deprecation.

By the time I discovered Mary she was already well into her 40s but many older Melbournians remembered her from her successful stage work and satirical reviews in the 1950s as well as her 3UZ afternoon show and her appearances with Graham Kennedy and Noel Ferrier on In Melbourne Tonight a popular variety show[also deemed irredeemably tasteless by my ever-watchful mother] which aired on HSV7 in the 1960s. Hardy was a versatile performer, at her best in the live arena where her spontaneous wit could bounce around unscripted and she won several gold Logies for efforts; an award bestowed not by industry peers but by votes from the public.

An Unhappy Joker
When Mary Hardy's fatally wounded body was discovered in her bath in 1985, shock waves reverberated through the Melbourne public and entertainment industry. Although it was no secret that she had battled depression, having spent time in hospital for 'nervous breakdowns', such events shake everyone's equilibrium and to those who were close to her, undoubtedly right down to the core.

According to most accounts, age had made the uber-feisty Mary more mentally fragile and at 54 she had made the decision to bow out with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, perhaps due to a cumulation of factors - loneliness, insomnia, the diminishment of her career [not helped by conflicts with management], unresolved issues with her Catholicism, self-esteem wounds and other issues unknown. Ultimately, though those close may have an inkling, the internal dynamics of any suicide is a mystery known only to the person involved and perhaps not fully, even then.

Mary had married musician Lee Gordon Pearce in 1968 and they divorced in 1975. Presumably she had other relationships but never remarried. Reputedly, Hardy lamented her childless state and this too, may have contributed to her depression. Conscious of her appearance, she had also suffered from a sense of inferiority in the beauty department and a nose-job in her 40s failed to rectify her insecurities.Though far from ugly, she was, it seems, an overly harsh critic of her own aesthetic appeal.

Yet, just two years prior to her death, there were plenty of signs of life - at a 1983 Liberal part function Hardy had managed, with characteristic irreverence, to get herself arrested for heckling the then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser and sending out crow calls during a rallying song performed by pop singer Colleen Hewitt. Strange to think that that spirited act was probably her last public performance.

The Beauty of Gene Tierney

2013-08-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

An American Babe

1940s beauty, Gene Tierney

1940s leading lady, Gene Tierney, was a Brooklyn-born beauty who wowed screen audiences with her striking features - luminous green eyes, a bone structure to die for, tall slender body, light olive, glowing skin and an elegant sense of style. Unlike some female stars of her generation,whose sex-appeal lay in a girl-next-door approachability, Tierney was the untouchable goddess, beyond the reach of ordinary men.

Tierney's onscreen presence exuded a kind of upmarket refinement and indeed, she was born into comfort and privilege, attending some of the best educational institutions in the US before being whisked off to a Swiss finishing school for a final polishing. Her father was a successful insurance broker who set up a corporation, Belle-Tier, to finance and promote her acting career, a backing enjoyed by very few fledgling starlets.

At the insistence of her father, who thought she should first garner some dramatic kudos by appearing on the stage, the actress made her entree into film via Broadway, where she fell under the wing of influential producer/director, George Abbot. While her acting talents may not have been sufficiently outstanding to separate her from the herd, her beauty and presence was and thus the young actress did not go unnoticed under the stage lights, either by critics, the public or her theatre colleagues, with whom she formed some influential friendships. Tierney's upward career trajectory seemed inevitable - exceptional beauty and family backing ensured she had elegantly stepped on a first-class ride to Hollywood and adoration.

Still from "Sundown", (1941), starring Gene Tierney and Bruce Cabot

Professionally Beautiful
"About my career. I was serious and earnest, sometimes impatient."~ Gene Tierney

An angel face belied the danger within

Valuable connections and getting noticed on Broadway led to a film contract with Darryl F Zanuck at 20th Century Fox, who once described her as "unquestionably, the most beautiful woman in movie history". High praise indeed, especially from one who frequently mingled with some of the most beautiful women in the world.

Professionally, the 1940s was her decade and she made a variety of films [her screen debut with German director, Frtiz Lang] before hitting her box-office stride in the stylish film-noir murder mystery, Laura (1944) with Dana Andrews and Clifton Webb . Laura was a commercial and critical success and this was followed up by memorable starring role in Leave her to Heaven (1945) with Cornel Wilde, in which she played a scheming, seductive and neurotically jealous femme-fatale; a juicy role which led to an Academy Award nomination and secured her a place among the Hollywood A-listers..

The dangerous woman who looked a million dollars but just maybe, was more trouble than a keg of dynamite in the back of a bumpy truck, proved her acting forte and she was, for my money, always at her best poised between elegant seduction and the bubbling frisson of neurosis. Beautiful as she was, there was an aura of rarified other-worldliness about Tierney, as though she didn't quite have a firm foothold on the same grounded path of reality most people traversed.

Other notable 1940s films include The Razors Edge (1946) and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). The actress also made several films in the 1950s, her beauty undiminished by the change of decade. Reputedly she also enjoyed short term relationships with some of her leading men, including Hollywood stalwarts, Spencer Tracy, Plymouth Adventure (1952) and Clark Gable, Never Let me go (1953).

Reeking of glamour - Cornell Wilde and Gene Tierney, from the 1945 film, "Leave her to Heaven"

Privately Pained
Early in her film career, Gene Tierney took up romantically with French/American fashion designer, Oleg Cassini, son of a Countess and who radiated a suave, International charm and sophistication. Yet. although still only 20 and on the cusp of career success, all wasn't perfect in Tierney's seemingly shiny glass-full world. At this time her parents were in the process of a divorce and she herself suffered from a stomach complaint and eye problems. The following year, she and Cassini ran off to Las Vegas to be married in a civil ceremony and to add fuel to her anxieties, shortly after the wedding, she discovered her authoritarian father had been skimming her Hollywood earnings to his own coffers via the Bell-Tier corporation, which must have been a disillusioning revelation, to say the least.

This early blow was to be the forerunner of further misfortunes that shook Tierney's internal equilibrium, which even in good times, seemed a delicate balancing act. During WW2, she had made an appearance at the The Hollywood Canteen, a patriotic club on Cahuenga Boulevarde which offered servicemen on their way overseas a few hours of entertainment, supper and dancing and unfortunately, left Tierney with a bout of rubella and her first child with Cassini, a legacy of severe mental retardation and lifelong institutionalisation. Tierney's marriage suffered under the guilty strain, leading to a separation and brief flings with Howard Hughes and John F Kennedy, although her politics leant to the right. She was later reunited with Cassini and the couple produced a healthy second child in 1948. Their relationship ended formally with a divorce in 1952, although they remained on friendly terms. Later Tierney developed a serious relationship with Ali khan, son of the uber-wealthy Aga Khan but marriage would have entailed moving countries and changing her religion, so the union never materialised.

Gene Tierney

By this time Tierney was suffering the effects of what was reputedly an undiagnosed case of bipolar disorder and her work suffered for it, as she forced to bow out of at least one film project and eventually, undergo gruelling psychiatric treatment, including shock treatments and a range of drugs. Severe mood swings and suicidal obsessions were to plague her for the next few decades and she was rarely out of the range of some sort of psychiatric care, describing her illness to a friend as "like falling down a manhole and having nothing to grab on to".

At 39, Tierney married Texan oil millionaire and beauty worshipper, Howard Lee, [a former husband of Hedy Lemarr}, who knew about and accepted her mental frailties. Lee proved to be a dependable, loving figure in her life who stood by her through dark periods of overwhelming depression and emotional pain. They remained married until Lee's death in 1981.

Despite a brief stint as a shop assistant in a dress store on the advice of doctors (as a normalising therapy), the actress never gave up entirely on her career, appearing in various productions during the 1960s and a final small screen appearance in the 80s television soap opera, Scruples. In 1979 she wrote an autobiography, Self-Portrait, reflecting on the various phases of her life and career and not recoiling from acknowledging the painful undercurrent of mental illness that had blighted what had seemed to so many of her fans a life bestowed with advantages.

Like many of her era, an enduring addiction to tobacco led to additional health problems - in Tierney's case, emphysema, which eventually killed her at the age of 70 in 1991.

The Ingenue

2013-08-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Mary Pickford - an ingenue of silent films

What is an Ingenue?
An ingenue is an innocent; a guileless girl-woman who has charm, physical appeal and general niceness but is unsullied by too much worldly knowledge. Ingenues have been a mainstay character-type in film, literature and theatre for as long as these mediums have been around. They represent the eternal ideal of the virtue in women; Eve before the apple incident.

The Ingenue in Films

In the silent film era ingenues were particularly prevalent. Ham-fisted story-lines tended to revolve around sweet, artless young women who were often being threatened by the corrupting influence and/or physical violence of a villain - they were variations on the old cliched theme of the innocent girl tied to the railroad track by the ghastly evildoer and is rescued, with seconds to spare, by the gallant actions of the male lead.

Of course as audiences became more sophisticated, so did plots and subtler versions of the ingenue appeared. Ingenues became involved in complex plots involving a range of dramas and situations, from gangsters to spy thrillers. Screwball comedies of the 1930s featured feisty, wisecracking ingenues with bags of sex-appeal yet who seemed strangely immune to sexual innuendo.

By the 1950s the ingenue enjoyed a particularly strong surge in popularity and a fine crop of ingenues appeared in that decade. Among them, a young French actress, Leslie Caron, who represented the perfect ingenue - equipped with an exquisitely pretty, child-like beauty and a dancer's hot body but devoid of any kind of knowing cynicism, malice or deceptiveness plus an adorable accent to boot. Films like Gigi and Lili cemented Caron as an ingenue ideal.

A more contemporary example of the ingenue can be spotted in Anne Hathaway's character in The Devil Wears Prada. Hathaway plays an initially clueless PA, naive to the bitchy, backbiting ways of the fashion industry. Although she skates around the edges of glittering ambition, even as she succeeds, wises up to the corrupting ways of the world and has the potential to one day become as powerful and ruthless as her ambition-driven evil boss editor, in true ingenue tradition, she ultimately chooses to leave it all behind and retain her wholesome outlook. A good ingenue should never be permanently sullied.

Famous Ingenues in Film

Leslie Caron in "Lili" - the ideal ingenue

1920s
Mary Pickford
Lilian Gish

1930s
Irene Dunne
Claudette Colbert
Ginger Rogers
Janet Gaynor

1940s
Ingrid Bergman
Joan Fontaine
Jennifer Jones
Jane Wyman

1950s
Anne Baxter
Audrey Hepburn
Leslie Caron
Shirley MacLaine
Natalie Wood

1960s/70s
Tuesday Weld
Sandra Dee
Mia Farrow
Sally Field
Goldie Hawn

1980s/90s
Molly Ringwald
Winona Ryder
Drew Barrymore

Contemporary
Jane Hathaway
Natalie Portman
Rachel Macadams

Fop Hairstyles

2013-07-27T09:17:00.001-07:00

17th century engraving of a British actor,
in character as 'Lord Foppington'.

Source: Wiki Commons

What Does Fop Mean?
The word 'fop' was used way back in the 1600s as a pejorative term for men who appeared to be overly vain, putting too much emphasis on their clothes, hair and general appearance. As a handy term for a dandified peacock, it caught on, eventually finding its way into popular culture via fictional characters such as The Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro.
The Rococo period
Foppishness was applied particularly to the French Court of Louis XV and the dandified and effeminate fashions which emanated from that part of the world, particularly in the eighteenth century, when French style among the male upper classes dictated such fashionable accoutrements as elaborately curled powdered wigs, skirted embroidered coats, delicately frilled cuffs, pink stockings, stick-on beauty spots and lush fabrics such as satin, silk and velvet. This was known as the 'Rococo' or 'Late Baroque' period and it was a good time to be a fop if you were that way inclined.

Prince - a modern fop. Source:Wiki Commons

20th Century Fops

Prince, wearing a classic fop. Source: Prince.org

By the 20th century, 'fop', while in some contexts still retaining much of it's original meaning, i.e.; to denote a vain peacock-man, also became a descriptive term for a kind of hairstyle -usually a long fringe, either brushed back over the forehead in a Liberace-like bouffant style or hanging in a loose quiff and worn to one side, a la Prince in his heyday.

However, any gentleman's hairstyle which is obviously high-maintenance, *fussy* and suggestive of some serious preening in front of the bathroom mirror would qualify as foppish.

Fops care about their hair...alot

Fabulous "Fop Hair Pomade' label designed by
Ted Haigh for the film 'O Brother Where Art Thou?'

Fops have been worn throughout the decades by Eton schoolboys, 50s Teddy Boys, Mods, Glam Rockers Rockabilly fans, Psychobilly fans, New Romantics and others.

Some notable fop hair enthusiasts of the 20th and 21st century:

Quentin Crisp
Dirk Bogarde
Paul Anka
David Bowie
Adam Ant
Michael Hutchence
Prince
Justin Beaver (yes, that's definitely a fop)

David Bowie...quite foppish in this pic

Yep, definitely fop hair

Glam Metal Hair

Heavy metal fop hair, found in glam-metal bands are an interesting variation on the fop theme, with their highly stylised skyscaper hair, faintly reminiscent of Louis XV powdered wigs - definitely lots of effort expended on styling those beauties. Glam rockers however, are at pains to point out, you don't necessarily have to be a fop to wear fop hair:

"We're not ashamed of a little make-up and hairspray. We've always said it takes a real man to wear make-up."~Brett Michaels, Poison

Top Actresses of the 1960s

2013-07-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

When you're hot, you're hot and in the 1960s there was no-one more sizzling than these female movie stars...

The social revolution of the 1960s and its accompanying shifts in perspective brought about new standards of beauty in the film industry. The pointy-chested, pancaked-faced, voluptuous babes of the 1950s didn't gel with the emergent youth culture who were looking for something a little more edgy to identify with. Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe were on the way out and Brigitte Bardot and Jane Fonda were on the way in.

It was the era of subversive fashions, revolutionary music, political protest and greater sexual freedom and the new generation had a taste for women who were assertive, freedom-loving, slender, sexy and trendily chic. The actresses featured below represented a new ideal of the individualistic, modern women and they radiated the vibe and energy of the pulsating '60s on screen.

Queen of the sex kittens, Brigitte Bardot

Source: Dr. Macro

Brigitte Bardot in the early 60s

Source: Wiki Commons

Roger Vadim

It's no coincidence that French film director, screenwriter and journalist, Roger Vadim was partner to three of the hottest actresses of the 60s - Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda and Catherine Deneuve.

Something of a Svengali, Vadim is credited with helping to create the image that propelled the women to fame, including the blonde hair - all three were originally brunettes, although Jane Fonda eventually rebelled against her Barbarella image.

Vadim Tells All

Bardot, Deneuve, Fonda

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Brigitte Bardot mmortalised in bronze by Brazilian artist, Christina Motta

Source: Wiki Commons

Brigitte Bardot

It's hard to overestimate the impact Brigitte Bardot had on filmgoers of the 1960s. Her 'wow factor' body, perfect facial features and the fact she oozed kittenish sexuality from every pore, made it seem like she was purpose-designed to be a sex goddess.

Yet as a child, she was reputedly a plain Jane, who only blossomed in late adolescence. Married at 18 to director/journalist Roger Vadim, who choreographed her career and once described her as 'sex on legs', she was by all reports, a creature of passions. Born into an affluent family, when her parents at first refused to let her marry Vadim, she attempted suicide, suggesting a troubled volatility beneath the sensual surface.

Bardot had already carved out a film career in the 1950s, first by playing curvaceous ingenues and then hitting the big time internationally with a knockout performance as a sun-streaked blonde in the 1956 Roger Vadim film, And God Created Woman.

Set in a 'pagan paradise' on the Riviera, Bardot played an uninhibited orphan girl who languidly revels in her own natural, erotic sensuality and while some US critics panned the film's substance and the sexualisation of the leading lady, most were appreciative of Bardot's physical assets - she simply looked so gorgeous and moved with such comfortable, feline-like grace, that viewers couldn't take their eyes of the screen.

The film and Bardot in particular, were a big hit with the public and she became the centre of global paparazzi attention, in an age where celebrity meant you needed more going for you than fifteen minutes of fame.

By the 1960s, she had acquired a bohemian hipness to go with her mass of tousled, long blonde hair, further cementing her as a wild, free-thinking icon for the new youth generation. It was image that totally gelled with the sexual revolution sweeping the free world.

The Bardot phenomenon, which lasted throughout the decade and beyond was about more than just the creation of another contrived cinematic sex object - a hot body and a pouting mouth. The actress projected a genuine fearlessness about her own sexuality. Even after her looks faded and her film career dissipated, she maintained a strong individualism and subversive style.

I am shocking, impertinent and insolent. That's how it is.

~Brigitte Bardot

"And God Created Woman" Trailer, 1956 [horribly dubbed]

Before and after - Bardot [above] before her Vadim influenced transformation and [below] in full bloom as a tousled 60s sex kitten

Catherine Deneuve - perfect but remote beauty

"Repulsion" Trailer, 1964

Catherine Deneuve

Coolly untouchable French actress Catherine Deneuve's beauty was so icy she was red hot. On screen Deneuve radiated a rarified, elegant beauty. Whereas Bardot had worn her free-spirited sexuality openly, Deneuve's sex appeal was more aloof, a groovier version of the classic Hitchcockian ice-blonde and suggestive of that director's vision of the perfect woman - 'a lady in the drawing room and a whore in the bedroom'.

Already a rising star in France via the1964 French film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Deneuve first made an international ripple in Roman Polanski's 1965 psychological thrillerRepulsion, playing a psychotic beautician whose sex-themed paranoia leads her into some very dark places. It was a role that emphasised her beauty against a mood of fragile brittleness and was perfectly suited to Deneuve's particular brand of sex-appeal.

Born Catherine Dorleac [changed to avoid confusion with Francoise Dorleac, her actress sister, later killed in an auto crash], Deneuve, who had appeared in films since the age of eleven and whose youth coincided with that of the 60s revolution, seemed to slip into stardom easily. In a recreation of Bardot's early life and career, at age 17, the actress took up with Roger Vadim, sixteen years her senior, who moulded her blond image with the same care and attention he had given her predecessor.

Deneuve became the darling of the sophisticated, chic, art-house film demographic , despite largely limited her performances to European cinema, having made only one Hollywood film in the 60s - The April Fools with Jack Lemmon in 1969. Highly photogenic, Deneuve appeared on countless magazine covers and paparazzi shots - she was even the subject of a playboy shoot in 1965, making her well-known to the English-speaking public. Desired by men and envied and admired by women, she was the kind of celebrity whose refined looks blended nicely with rare wine and expensive cars. Both Deneuve and Bardot did much to introduce an Anglo-centric audience to foreign language films.

As an iconic actress, Deneuve has enjoyed longevity and continued popularity - such was the measure of her fame and success, she eventually displaced Brigitte Bardot as the representation of Marianne, the national emblem of France.

Catherine Deneuve in a still from 'Repulsion'

Jane Fonda as futuristic sex bomb, 'Barbarella'

Jane Fonda, pre Roger Vadim

Jane Fonda, a tousle haired blonde by 1963

Jane Fonda

Already equipped with a Hollywood pedigree, having had the good fortune to be born the daughter of established star, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda's career seemed destined to follow in the mould of the blonde sex kitten/bombshell until an emerging self-awareness and radical politics turned her image and film career toward a more interesting direction. It was a move that probably rescued her from being typecast as a derivative version of Brigitte Bardot, destined for sex-objectification and light comedies.

Always feisty and energetic, Fonda had all the physical attributes of a sex siren with he added bonus of a working brain and the controversies which ensued from that particular combination, including her public activism for civil rights and anti-vietnam causes, only further cemented her as an iconic representative of the 60s spirit.

Born in 1938, Fonda had garnered some stage experience in the 1950s, appearing with her father as a child and later on broadway as an adult - she had also made several films by the time she met and married Roger Vadim, former partner to Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve [he got around, that guy]. However, none of her films had propelled her to box-office stardom until the Western, Cat Ballou, which she made in 1965, the same year as her marriage. The film showcased her assertive personality as well as her physical appeal and she went on to make several more US films in the 60s, most notably Barefoot in the Park with Robert Redford and They Shoot Horses Don't They? In 1968 she made the sex-scifi filmBarbarella with Roger Vadim, playing the title role of a sexually charged futuristic babe and earning herself a cult following in the process.

Fonda's childhood had been marred by a remote father and a depressive mother, who took her own life when Jane was still a child. Inevitably, 'Hollywood child syndrome' left its mark in early insecurities and self-doubt and it took time for the actresses strengths and inner confidence to unfurl. As Vadim tells it; "Jane didn't leave me for another man, she left me for herself". The flowering of Jane Fonda and her personal 'awakening' in the 60s set the stage for the interesting and varied film career which still lay ahead of her, beginning with the dark-edged psychological thriller, Klute in 1971 - a role which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Unlike some of her contemporaries, she never stopped being hot.

By the close of the 60s decade, Jane Fonda had transformed herself from pert blonde bombshell to something altogether different

Julie Christie was an icon of the of the 'swinging London set'

"Darling" Trailer, 1965

British actress, Julie christie, as she appeared in the 1965 film epic, Doctor Chivago

Source: Wiki Commons

Julie Christie

British actress Julie Christie was hugely popular in the 1960s. The 'thinking man's sex symbol', Christie combined an understated, warm sensuality with intelligent film performances, making her irresistible to critics and public alike.

Born in India to British parents and raised on a tea plantation, she was educated in England [and expelled from two convent schools], kickstarting her career at 17 on BBC television in the late 50s. Success on TV led her into film and in the early 60s she made two Ealing Studio comedies before appearing in the acclaimed 1963 film, Billy Liar with Tom Courtney.

This was followed in 1965 by her international breakthrough film, John Sclesinger's, Darling with Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey. Her performance as a morally bereft beauty who gets drawn into modelling and the fashionably vacuous media crowd, earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress and from then on the roles and accolades just kept coming.

Christie was very much associated with the swinging London scene and the quirky, off-centre films she appeared in lent her a credibility with the experimental 60s generation. Her appearance in the 1966 film version of Ray Bradbury's sci-fi classic, Fahrenheit 45, set in a future world where firemen burn books, reinforced her 'interesting' image.

While she did go on to make mainstream International films, notably Doctor Chivago, an epic film version of the Boris Pasternak novel, throughout her career, Christie generally sought out independent films that had edge and emotional bite.

"Tonite, Let's all Make Love in London", 1967

In '67, Christie, along with other influential hip 60s identities, appeared in a Peter Whitehead documentary, Tonite, Let's all Make Love in London, which, as the name suggests, highlighted the ambient groove of the era, of which christie was a major part. As one journalist was prompted to write at the time: "What Julie Christie wears has more real impact on fashion than all the clothes of the ten best-dressed women combined."

The interview section with Julie Christie, filmed in an atmospheric semi-darkness, reveals some of the charm and style that made her so desirable to 60s audiences - the husky voice, a mass of blonde hair, striking eyes and an unusually shaped, sensuous mouth. Yet there's also a slight jitteriness and self-consciousness about her that saves her from being too perfect and instead, makes her seem very human.

60s heartthrob, Omar "Doctor Chivago" Shariff and Julie Christie. Source: Wiki commons

Claudia Cardinale

Source: Dr Macro

Claudia Cardinale publicity shot

Source: Wiki Commons

Claudia Cardinale

A former beauty contest winner, Italian actress Claudia Cardinale had the kind of red hot Mediterranean looks that made her fascinating to watch onscreen - even her name[pronounced Clowd-ya] sounded voluptuous.

In the 1960s she was the hip poster girl for international film, having worked with some of the greatest European directors of all time - Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini and Sergio Leone, just to name a few.

Equipped with sultry dark eyes, olive skin, masses of thick, shiny hair and a curvaceous body, Cardinale embodied lush Italian beauty. Her voice was so deep, throaty and unusual that in some of her early films, producers decided it had to be dubbed because it didn't match her womanly appearance. First revealed in Fellini's art house classic 8-1/2, it later, it became a trademark.

Claudia's image was more hip and contemporary to the 60s generation than her sex-goddess compatriots, Sophia Loren or Gina Lolabrigida - she was part of a new wave of assertive actresses who seemed more confident, adventurous and liberated than those from a previous generation. To English-speaking audiences, she was an exotic creature, whose flamboyant European style and volatile personality seemed to embody a new age of broadmindedness.

"If you're not English, you're a foreigner - so you must be sexy. It's an old British cliché."

~Claudia Cardinale

Pegged as the natural successor to Brigitte Bardot, Cardinale never relied on her sex-symbol status, instead proving herself to be an accomplished and versatile actress with an outspoken personality - as director Sergio Leone remarked, she had an admirable 'grit and determination' beneath the womanly charms.

Still from "Don't Make Waves", 1967, showcasing some of Claudia Cardinale's many assets

Source: Wiki Commons

Ursula Andress, the original Bond girl

Source: Photbucket

Ursula Andress, as she appeared in "Dr. No", the first Bond film

Source: Tumblr

Promotional poster for "She", 1965

Source: Wiki Commons

Ursula Andress

Famously pegged as the first Bond girl and a former lover of James Dean, Swiss American Ursula Andress represented the glamorous, fun-loving excess of the 60s jet-set. When Andress, as Honey Ryder, emerged from the ocean in a cream bikini in the 1962 premier Bond film,Dr. No, there were visible stirs in movie theatres.

Andress had chiselled, feminine features, a thick Swiss/German accent, smoking body and a haughty, look-down-on-the-lesser-beings presence and while her acting ability may have been limited, her sex-appeal was not.

Julie Christie, another hot 60s property, had been under consideration for the role of Honey Ryder but dipped out or not being sufficiently well-endowed. That was certainly not a problem for Ursula, whose cinematic appeal lay less in a quirky personality and more in the traditional sex-goddess mould of curvaceous beauty.

The role of Honey Ryder was secured just two weeks before shooting began via a photograph taken by her then husband John Derek and shown to salivating producers. Her performance won her a Golden Globe award, despite the fact that her voice had been dubbed over because of her heavy accent. One wonders if the judging panel were all male.

Andress followed up her femme-fatale persona in Dr. No with an equally sexsational performance in the 1965 British Hammer horror film,She, where once again, her voice was overdubbed. The film was an international success, spawning a sequel, The Vengeance of She. In the She films, Andress played a High Priestess and Queen of a lost civilization, where she-who-must-be-obeyed rules a with an iron fist, ruthlessly oppressing an army of slaves. She a perfect vehicle for the actress's goddess-like beauty and gave her plenty of chances to wear some bust-poppingly sexy and revealing, ancient robes.

Ursula Andress's 60s screen image was all about fantasy, glamour and escapism - she was the ultimate playboy babe, gorgeous to look at but probably much too hot to touch.

"Dr. No" promotional poster

Source: Wiki Commons

Ursula Andress and cat

Source: Photobucket

Sarah Miles, soft and edgy

Source: Wiki Commons

"The Servant" Trailer, 1963

Sarah Miles

British actress Sarah Miles was one of the most interesting finds of the 60s. Although physically she was perhaps more girl-next-door thanvava-voom, she possessed a trembling-lip charm, a sweet-voiced naturalness and a sensuous body that 60s audiences responded to.

A graduate of RADA and an accomplished stage actress, Miles was lucky [or selective] with her career choices, appearing in such innovative films as Term of Trial with Laurence Olivier, in1962 [for which she won a BAFTA for best Newcomer] and Joseph Losey's, The Servant, [1963] - a steamy drama about an aristocrat and his man-servant, which earned her a BAFTA nomination for best actress and credibility as an artistically adventurous 60s, babe. Her block-buster film and the one that afforded her wide international recognition, even though it was critically panned, was the David Lean classic, Ryan's Daughter, released in 1970.

According to her biographers, Miles was unable to speak for the first nine years of her life, owning to a severe stammer, which makes her achievements as a performer seem all the more remarkable. A sensitive actress with a marked ability to convey emotion, her career continued to flourish into the 1970s and '80s, although she later became branded as a 'whacky eccentric', largely due to such oddities of behaviour as drinking her own urine, mixed with fruit juice, daily and keeping a stuffed [real] dog in her bed.

Miles was reputedly a seductress in real life, who, according to former lover, musician Charles Foskett, came on to everyone "from Robert Mitchum to Laurence Olivier". In a tell-all article in the Mail, Foskett described the actress as a 'theatrical child-woman', tremendous fun but prone to tantrums, moody behaviour and bizarre enthusiasms. Whether or not Foskett's portrayal is an accurate one, what came across on the cinema screen in the 1960s was a young woman who wasn't afraid to take risks and projected a strong sense of individualism - both qualities that appealed to the ethos of the time.

Sarah Miles with co-star Dirk Bogarde in "The Servant", 1963

Mia Farrow in the 1960s

Moody poster for "Rosemary's Baby"

Source: Wiki Commons

Mia Farrow

With her distinctive, soft girly voice, romantic name and big-eyed gamine looks, Mia Farrow offered viewers a sexy combination of vulnerability and offbeat charm. Like Jane Fonda, she had a showbiz pedigree - her mother was Maureen O'Sullivan of Tarzan fame and her father was John Farrow, the Australian-born film director.

Once married to Frank Sinatra [an unlikely pairing], Mia first acquired public prominence playing a regular character in the US 60s soap opera, Peyton Place and springboarded from that to a successful film career in the late 60s and beyond. A unique screen presence ensured Mia stood out from the standard crop of starlets

Mia was also a trendsetter - when she had all her hair cropped by hip 60s hairdresser, Vidal Sassoon for the 1968 Roman Polanski film,Rosemary's Baby [a role that Jane Fonda had turned down] she inspired a wave of imitators.

Flat-chested, with an oddly boyish figure, Mia was all eyes and bone structure and she departed from the traditional curvaceous, womanly stereotype that had hitherto defined a sex symbol. In fact she was turned down for the role of Liesal in The Sound of Music because of her flat chest. In many ways she embodied the 60s penchant for Twiggy-like beauty, which in itself borrowed from the 1920s flat-chested flapper look and it's hard to imagine Mia having the same impact in any other decade - she suited the mood of the 1960s.

Rosemary's Baby was a breakthrough film for Mia and despite the fact she was enduring a harrowing divorce from Sinatra at the time [he served her divorce papers on the set] she put in a sterling performance, impressing director Roman Polanski with her professionalism and ability. According to Polanski, Mia was a classic and delicate 60s flower-child, albeit a stylish and original one.

Mia Farrow, in a still from Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby'

Hot Hairstyles of the 1960s
Top Models of the 1960s

Wooden Framed Sunglasses

2013-06-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

The Wood Look

What goes around comes around in the fashion industry and that's certainly true of sunglasses, the designers of which often look to the past for inspiration, as evidenced by the many retro designs on the market.

Sunglasses with a distinctive wood look have become popular of late and the style refllects mid century sunglass fashions, when wood was commonly used in the frames.

The Baghdad sunglasses below are 'wood effect' rather than real wood but they are also very reasonably priced and once they're on you really can't tell the difference. I bought a pair of these recently and they do have a definite retro look, reminiscent of the 1950s.

Baghdad retro style wood effect sunglasses

Baghdad wood look sunglasses in action

Wood and Tortoiseshell Blend

Silvano retro wayfarers with wood and tortoiseshell frames

Another popular 50s style was the combination of tortoiseshell around the glass but with wooden arms in the wayfarer style, a reproduction of which can be seen in the Silvanos in the picture the at right, although these days plastic, rather than super expensive real tortoiseshell is used.

Sustainable Sunglasses

For the environmentally conscious, Don has brought out a pair of environmentally sustainable sunglasses made from bamboo and polarised lenses. A bit more more expensive that the Baghdads, these are a prety swish pair of sunglasses and have a more masculine look, with an aviator influence.

Handmade Don bamboo sunglasses

Woodzee bamboo sunglasses

Chunky Woodzees

For an ultra trendy wood look, check out thease chunky bamboo Woodzees with an amber lens. They offer 100 percent UV protection in a style that will attract attention.

They look heavy but being bamboo they are in fact extremely light and again, environmentally sound. Available in dark Cardiff stain or light or dark colours, the Woodzees can be found here.

Louis Vuitton wood framed sunglasses with metal insert

Shwood oswald select sunglasses

Luxury Wood Frames

At the top end of the market you'd be paying a pretty penny for these luxurious Louis Vuitton sunglasses (at right) but nice if you can afford it.

The Cartier's below are slightly more affordable and reflect a nice blend between retro and modern styles - the fine wood accent looks just great with the silver frame.

Shwood (below right) also has a great range of wooden frames - again pricey but excellent quality and style. According to their spiel, they merge "precision technology with classic skilled craftsmanship to create a timeless art form". The full range can be found here.

Decorating with Chandeliers

2013-06-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

"The term "chandelier" is from the 12th Century Old French world Chandelier, which evolved from an earlier, 10th century term chandelabre. That's not the end of the story though, because chandelabre came from the latin word candela, meaning candle.

They have a very old and grand history and have been used to grace the fine houses and mansions of the landed gentry and aristocrats of Europe for centuries.

Chandeliers add a fabulous touch of romantic distinction to any living room, bedroom or dining-room. I've even seen them used to great effect even in bathrooms. They work particularly well with French Provincial or Shabby Chic design elements.

Design Changes

Of course in the early days, pre-electricity, all chandeliers employed candles as a light source. The earliest were used in Medieval assembly halls, where light was required to cover a large area. They worked on a hoist mechanism, using a rope or chain suspended by a hook from the ceiling and could be raised or lowered to light the candles.

Modern reproductions of the 'Old European' Medieval style combine the feel and look of the old style with modern functionality. The Laura Lee design at right is created from hand forged iron, holding nine "candles". This would look wonderful hanging over a rustic wooden table.

By the 15th Century chandelier designs were becoming ever more complex and elaborate and were developing into a symbol of luxury and status. Not only were the chandeliers themselves expensive, but so was the cost of lighting them.

A rising wealthy merchant class meant that by the 18th century they were appearing in more and more homes. The style was changing too and instead of being made simply from wood orr iroon, elaborate cast metal and gilded wood versions were being produced.

Mood Lighting

With the invention of gas lighting and later electricity, the candles were replaced. Chandeliers could now become fixed ceiling features. They had come a long way from the crude but effective designs of the Medieval period and ever more elaborate designs were coming onto the market, including magnificent Bohemian crystal designs that illuminated rooms with a sparkling beauty.

In grand ballrooms and dining-rooms crystal chandeliers dripping with opulent elegance created a fabulous mood of luxurious warmth..like basking in jewelled sunlight.

Mini Chandeliers

These days chandeliers don't have to make a grand ballroom statement. The mini chandelier at right, by Minka Lavery is designed to fit into small spaces, such as above a desk or in a reading alcove or decorative nook.

The idea is to create an interesting, casual ambiance by using a traditionally elaborate decorative piece in unexpected ways.

Today's chandeliers come in an amazing variety of shapes and sizes, for every room and occasion....from the mini light to a huge overhanging chandelier. They blend the traditional stylistic designs of the past with contemporary features to create a romantically beautiful yet practical form of lighting.

Through it's long history all of its period transformations, the the chandelier has remained an object of beauty and elegance and has never gone out of style.

Top of the Range: Molteni Stoves

2013-06-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

It was the master chefs of the 1920's who helped direct the development of Molteni stoves, a brand name synonymous with high quality, prestigious and expensiveprofessional stoves and rangehoods. Founder, Joseph Molteni crafted his ranges on the advice and specifications of master chefs and for decades, Molteni stoves and cooktops have been uitilised in some of the best kitchens of the industry.

Recently however, Molteni has moved into domestic home kitchens, offering the household some of the most beautiful and efficient stoves available. They are made to last and apart from the A grade performance, come in a variety of striking colours and gleaming finishes. From the glistening gold knobs to the smoothly opening drawers and fine accents, Molteni reeks of craftsmenship and attention to detail.

Molteni Classic range

Strictly For the Luxury Kitchen

Molteni stoves are big, therefore they not for every kitchen and they are, as you would expect, hand-wringingly expensive - the home range having been designed primarily for the luxury kitchen. However, if you are fortunate enough to have both the room and the funds, they would be a fantastic acquisition.

Molteni craftsmen boast an emphasis on attention to detail, durability and state of the art technology. The solid steel stoves are virtually hand made, having been manufactured one at a time, according to customer specifications.

Moltini Podium

Joseph Molteni

Joseph Molteni, the original stove maker, was born into an ancient tradition of craftsmanship and lived in Drome, just outside Provence. Molteni used to manufacturefourneaux bouilleurs - wood and coal stoves that served the multiple purpose of cooking, central heating and heating water.

What really set him apart was that he listened to his customers; master chefs of the day, taking into account their individual personalities and methods of cooking. This started the Molteni tradition of painstakingly customising their product to suit the user.

The Rolls Royce of Stoves

Described as the 'Rolls Royce' of stoves, Molteni restaurant stoves are around seventy percent more expensive than the average hotel cooker, which is a large divide, yet the price discrepancy only adds to the prestige and the divide in price is equal to the divide in quality. Restaurant models are made entirely of cast iron and don't need servicing for two decades. According to Hotelier and CatererMagazine: "They are an island sland in itself, equipped with everything that a chef would typically need to run a speciality or multi-cuisine restaurant."

Although the name of Joseph Molteni is part of the brand's historical image, Molteni was at some point acquired by the Electrolux group, a Swedish company named by Forbes Magazine as one of the top five companies in the world for consumer durable goods.

Detail and craftsmanship is what sets Molteni apart

Chesterfield Couches

2013-06-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

History of the Chesterfield Sofa

Apparently many Canadians refer to any sofa as a Chesterfield but this is news to me as I've always associated the name with a particular type of classic, large, leather couch, with a padded, buttoned upholstery - very solid and disguished looking and very British. According to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the term Chesterfield is generally used to describe a sofa created in honour of Philip Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773).

True Chesterfields (as opposed to any old couch) are indeed very distinctive, with a low rolled back and thick, supportive, yet extremely comfortable padding. Chesterfields look even better with the patina of age and as they are made from good quality leather, they're hardy and virtually never wear out, unless you treat them abusively. Perhaps they might survive even then.

Philip Lord Chesterfield

Who was the fourth Earl of Chesterfield?

Philip Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, was an eminent man of letters; a statesman and a whig (a political party in the parliament of England). Born in 1694 and died in 1773, he lived a long life for the times but was not, at least according to Hugh Chisholm, in the 1911 version of the Encyclopedia Britannica, of a particularly admirable character:

Chesterfield was selfish, calculating and contemptuous; he was not naturally generous, and he practised dissimulation until it became part of his nature....

In spite of his brilliant talents and of the admirable training he received, his life, on the whole, cannot be pronounced a success.

Hmmm...well if nothing else, he did inspire a sterling piece of furniture in the Chesterfield couch.

The comfortable and distinguished Chesterfield

Chesterfield Sofas for Straight Backs and Psychoanalysis

Most armchair (couch?) historians suggest the Earl commissioned the couch himself from a cabinet maker because he wanted a piece of furniture that would allow gentlemen to sit with their backs straight and avoid uncomfortable movements and positions. In any case, there is general agreement that the Chesterfield and the Earl are intertwined in history.

Ah now..lie back and tell me all about your mother...

Chesterfields also have a strong association wth psychoanalysis as they represent the classic 'psychiatrist's couch', as represented in literature and film. Evidently Freud did use a Chesterfield in his consultations - he was exploring the unconscious and needed to create a relaxed comfortable environment in which to do it. Thus, while his patients drifted off gently on the Chesterfield he would conduct his psychoanalysis.

Why Own a Chesterfield?

Well if it's good enough for Freud...

As a piece of furniture, traditional Chesterfield couches are about as good as it gets. Long regarded as an elitist piece of furniture, hand crafted by skilled tradesman and out of most people's reach, they are genrally more expensive than the average sofa, however you are buying a quality piece of substantial leather furniture that will outlast most other couches.

One thing is certain...the Chesterfield will never go out of style. Furniture fads come and go but the Chesterfield endures. Its presence would add comfort, luxury and distinction to any home.

Vitage Chesterfield Advertisements

1919 Ad Chesterfield Furniture Upholstered Couch NY - Original Print Ad

Amazon Price: $41.95

1918 Ad Chesterfield Upholstered Furniture Silk Couch - Original Print Ad

Amazon Price: $39.95

Soft fabric version of the Chesterfield.

Elsa Schiaparelli; Shocking

2013-06-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

Shocking Schiaparelli

Elsa Schiaparelli was one of Coco Chanel's biggest rivals. In the Paris scene of the 1930s, the Italian born Schiaparelli personified cultivated chic and was a style leader among the fashion icons of the era. Many of her designs were drawn from the creative influences of the Paris art scene and she collaborated with Salvador Dali and sculptor, Alberto Giacometti.

Alas, unlike Coco Chanel and others, Schiaparelli fashion failed to be pulled along by the ebb and flow of the fashion world and remained too steadfastly tied to the fashion flavours of the past. Rising stars like Christian Dior had a finger on the contemporary pulse and were coming up with fresh looks Schiaparelli failed to match. Highly individual, Elsa Schiaprella's strong-willed personality somehow resisted the forces of change that were beyond her control. The business languished after World War II and eventually folded in the early 1950s.

Elsa Schiaparelli

Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli

Amazon Price: $374.95
List Price: $65.00

Privileged Beginnings

Born in 1890 in the beautiful Palazzo Corsini in Rome, Elsa Schiaperelli's mother was a Neapolitan aristocrat and her father Dean of the University of Rome and a highly distinguished scholar of medieval manuscripts.

Elsa herself studied philosophy at University and during this time her natural propensity to be shockingbecame evident - she published a book of sensual poems that so shocked her family she was packed off to a convent until she staged a hunger strike and was allowed to escape to London to work as a nanny.

Not that she needed employment, as wherever she went, her wealthy family kept her in considerable comfort. Elsa found such gratuitous privilege stifling to her creativity, so she avowed to make her own way, travelling first to New York and then to Paris, where she became a couturier.

1937 Lobster dress - the result of a creative collaboration between Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli

Innovative

As a pre-war designer, Schiaparelli was extremely innovative and has been hugely influential on the fashion world, combining the artistic influences of the era with fashion design to produce highly creative pieces- her first line of knitwear featured surrealist motifs and among other innovations, she was the first to use coloured zippers, culottes ( divided skirts that looked like long shorts), wedge shoes, animal fur belts, ornate, quirky buttons that looked like brooches and interesting themes on her patterns and emblems, such as body parts, food and hand prints.

It was Schiaparelli who came up with the concept of the 'boyish figure' believing it was the best of all shapes on which to advantageously display her clothes and she created the theatrical runway concept that utilised art, music and tall, elongated models.

Shocking de Schiaparelli

Elsa Schiaparelli's signature fragrance, Shocking is one of the most divine perfumes in the world, however i do confess to a personal bias here, as it was my mother's favourite and mine too, when I could get my hands on it. In Australia it was very hard to get and had to be especially ordered from Paris. Shocking was released in 1937 and the fragrance was created by renown French perfumer Jean Carles.

Shocking's hot pink packaging was designed by surrealist painter, Leonor Fini and the distinctive bottle is styled in the form of a woman's torso. The vibrant colour of the Shocking box was inspired by a pink diamond, the Tête de Belier owned by a Schiaparelli client - society beauty, Daisy Fellowes. As Schiaparelli said in her own words:

I gave to a pink...the nerve of a red

Shocking was designed to reflect the designers own personality and it became the title of her autobiography, written in 1954..Shocking Life,

Changes to the Formula?

According to Fragrance Review, the formula for Shocking was redesigned by Martin Gras of Gragococo in the late 90s and is not the same as the vintage fragrance, which is heartbreaking news for Shocking fans. So if you can get your hands on a pre '97 bottle grab it. Why Gras wanted to meddle with the formula, I cannot say.

Yves Saint Laurent Style

2013-06-06T00:56:00.000-07:00

The Style King

Easily one of the most recognizable figures in fashion history, by the end of his life, Algerian born Yves Saint Laurent had managed to make his name synonymous with elegant style.

A precocious adolescent, Laurent began designing clothes professionally at 17, while working as a couturier to an assistant of fashion great Christian Dior. Over a career that spanned over fifty years, before his death in 2008, he revolutionized several aspects of the high fashion industry and influenced a host of designers who came after him.

Saint Laurent's rise to fame was phenomenally rapid; at 21 he was named Head of Dior and his first major collection in the spring of 1958 brought him international acclaim - his Trapeze dress, in particular had wowed the industry and public alike.

Achievements

A kind of flared circus tent-like design, the dress was unlike anything before, yet the revolutionary style worked - not only were Trapeze dresses worn throughout the sixties but as the saying goes 'anything good comes around again', they also seen a return to popularity in recent times.

Among his many achievements Saint Laurent made ready to wear clothes a chic and acceptable option. Prior to that breakthrough off the rack clothes were considered well below par by the moneyed, fashionable elite.

Another breakthrough came with his 1966 collection, which introduced the androgynous look and notably, the tuxedo for women - a concept that was so successful it continued to be worn for several decades.

After a brief stint in the army in 1960, due to conscription and which ended in illness, Dior extricated himself from Dior and with his partner, Pierre Berge, started up his own fashion house-House of YSL. Along with his high couture collections, Saint Laurent 's ready to wear line, which included a wide range of accessories, perfumes and cosmetics, was hugely successful and overall netted him far more money that his high fashion, couture ventures.

Although not all his collections were met with the same universal acclaim, Saint Laurent had so many successes his name acquired an elevated stautus in the fashion world and among the public any product with the YSL signature logo denoted quality and style.

Not only was he the first fashion designer to be honoured with an exhibition by the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art under the auspices ofdformer british Vogue editor, Diana Vreeland, but in 2001 he was given France's highest accolade - the Legion of Honour.

The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge

Amazon Price: $59.05
List Price: $95.00

Yves Saint Laurent Tribal Y Shell Braided Rope Bracelet, Ivory

Visionary

"The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves. But for those who haven't had the fortune of finding this happiness, I am there."~YSL

One of Saint Laurent's greatest strengths was his eye for social change, possessing the imagination to create styles that reflected the shifting sands for women, as well as men.

YSL was an innovator all the way along - from his early trapeze dress and other revolutionary styes, to his use of ethnic models, and his vast ready-to-wear line, the man who once remarked "fashions fade but style is eternal" lay a bold trail for others to follow.

Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008 as the result of a brain tumour but not before being joined in a civil union with his long-term partner, Pierre Berge. Romantically, his ashes were scattered amid a beautiful garden in Marrachech, Morocco, which seemed a fitting conclusion for a man of style.

Andy Warhol's Soup Cans

2013-06-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

Warhol's Soup Factory

Artist Andy Warhol once remarked in his non-chalant fashion, "art is about liking things". Well Warhol must have been very fond of Campell's soup cans because he painted quite a few of them - 32 in total and all uniformly measuring 510 mm by 410 mm. They were created in 1962, using a silkscreen printing method and each can displaying the varieties of soup Campbells had on offer at the time. artist took ordinary objects from popular culture and emphasised them in ways that transformed them into iconic 'art'.

By the 1960s,the soup can, in all its glorious mundaneness, had been a familiar object to millions. By removing the cans from a familiar domestic context and placing them in a space normally reserved for works of art he was at once mocking the seriousness of the art establishment and at the same time elevating popular culture to the level of art.

Pop Art

The movement known as Pop Art emerged first in England in the mid 1950's and spread across the Atlantic to the US a few years later. During this time, artists became interested in mass media and the consumer products that were being marketed everywhere.The postwar period of the 50's and 60's saw a commercial boom as, after the austerity of the war years, people had more disposable income to spend.

Andy Warhol; the Biggest Brand of All

Of the American pop Art movement, Warhol is perhaps the most famous...he was a notoriously strange character and it's hard to know for sure whether works like the Campbell soup can series and later his series on Mariyn Monroe are imbued with any sort of cynicism about his contemporary world or whether they come from a certain naive affection and affinity for the world he lived in. They certainly served him well on a financial level.

Reputedly, he had a postive view of modern culture and had a tendency to look at everything with an interested, artists eye, however ordinary the sight he beheld. As he said himself, "I like boring things".

Andy Warhol had been a successful graphic artist/illustrator who worked in advertising himself; he understood the industry and its nuances. That is, he had a good idea of what triggered recognition in the public psyche. Many of his projects, not just in Pop Art but in film and music as well, were avant garde and challenging - at the very least least they compelled people think about what was going on around them and to recognise the iconic in popular culture.

Small Torn Campbells Soup Can, 1962

Warhol

Cans of Money

"Art is what you can get away with."~ Andy Warhol

In any case, perhaps because he was the first to paint an ordinary object with such glaring and daring obviousness, the Campbell's soup cans were hugely successful for Warhol, while he was alive and especially after he died. In 1962 you could buy a work such as Small Torn Campbell’s Soup Can for a paltry 30 dollars, yet the same work was purchased recently for $11.7 million..a massive escalation in price.

The Campbell's series was something of a watershed in modern art, as it was now possible to be an artist without the passion and the feeling...Warhol was cool. Art critic Robert Hughes put it succinctly in his series, American Visions when he said of Warhol:

(without realising it) He was a conduit for a sort of collective American state of mind in which celebrity - the famous image of a person, the famous brand name - had completely replaced both sacredness and solidity

Batik Art

2013-06-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Batik is an Indonesian word and refers to a particular method of dying cloth known as 'resist dying', whereby part of the cloth is deliberately prevented from absorbing colour dyes. Instead of a uniformly patterned colour effect, Batik cloth is a vibrant mix of hues, with varying colour intensity on different parts of the cloth.

Wax or paste is commonly used in traditional resist dying - this is applied to various parts of the cloth before the whole is dipped in dye. As the wax is usually applied by hand and the process not exact, a more random colour pattern is achieved, with indistinct, rather than precise borders around the patches of colour. It's a process that has been used in Asia, Egypt and Africa since ancient times.

Source: Image

Batik reflects the patterns of nature

Source: Image

Natural Look

Batik gives a much more natural look to the material than machine died cloth with its precise, repeating patterns and reflects something of the the beautiful, merging of colours of nature found, among other things, in flowers and variegated plants. Many batik artists take their inspiration from nature, animals and folklore.

Styles of batik range from simple designs to extremely intricate patterns, requiring great skill and practise. Traditionally, batik colours were made from natural ingredients and included brown, indigo (blue) and white, representing the Hindu Gods but modernised techniques allow for a variety of colours. .

Japanese inspired Indonesian batik made during the Japanese occupation of Java.

Source: Image

Javanese Batik

The island of Java in Indonesia developed a particularly beautiful and complex form of batik and its craft people are renown for their skillful techniques, which they exported to other parts of the world.

Javanese batik artists used a tool called a canton, which is a small copper container with a bamboo handle (see image below). In the traditional batik technique, known astulis, the canton is filled with wax (beeswax mixed with parrafin, resins and fat), which is then strategically poured onto the cloth by hand(densely woven natural fibre, such as cotton or silk), in accordance with the desired pattern. Often trickles of wax will escape from the outline of the pattern, creating interesting effects and giving the cloth a unique and distinctive character.

The canting tool has different sized spouts to create a variety of patterns.Before the procedure begins, the cloth has to be washed and boiled several times so that any impurities and deposits on the cloth that might interfere with the process are removed.The cloth is then smoothed, ready for the application of wax.The cloth is then immersed in dye and as the waxed parts aren't dyed they are left uncoloured. The cloth is then gently washed in warm water to remove the wax, after which it is then re-waxed and dipped into a different coloured dye, creating more contrasting colours. Usually lighter colours are used for the first dying, so they can be overlaid with deeper, darker ones.

A batik artist at work, using a canton, also known as a wax pen.

Source: Image

Although it is still used, the traditional batik tulis method is very time consuming - a particularly intricate and complex design can take months to finish. Many batik artists, including the Javanese, also employ modern techniques, known as batik cap and batik print which speeds up the process considerably.The Javanese invented a cap made of red copper for stamping designs rather than hand drawing with the wax pen (canting) and works in a similar way to European wood block prints. Patterns are formed by attaching thin metal bands to a frame with a handle.

Batik cap, which has been used since the 1800s, is still a tricky process and requires concentration and precision, though certainly it has made the cost of batik much more affordable. However, some batik enthusiasts believe it is less creative, too exact and lacks the interesting and unpredictable characteristics of traditional tulis batik. Interestingly,in Java, it is mainly women who still use the traditional canton technique. Men took over batik making when the cap technique was invented, seeing the economic possibilities of a faster, cheaper process.

Batik painting

Source: Image

Batik Art in the 1970s

With the ascendance of the alternative 'hippy' culture in the late 60s and 70s, Westerners began to look toward Asian craft for new style inspirations and a more natural look and feel, using natural fibres. During this time Batik clothing became very popular and appeared on T-shorts, kaftans and scarves, as well as wall hangings, throws and duvet covers. The batik wrap skirt, in particular became emblematic of the era.

Iwan Tirta, an Indonesian fashion designer, is generally credited with instigating the 70s batik revival. When he finished a law degree in New York in 1970 Tirta returned to his homeland of Indonesia and instead of practising law, he became inspired by traditional culture, emerging as a designer and cultural advocate in the process. Using traditional cloths and design, Tirta created his own fashion designs, wrote books about batik and promoted it within the fashion industry, via magazines, and in shows. Although the hippy movement helped to popularise batik in the West, Tirta became critical of the kind of mass produced, printed batik that later began to be sold around the world, regarding it as vastly inferior to the traditional handmade method of manufacture.

The Coolness of Smeg Fridges

2013-05-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

Smeg is an innovative, Italian based company specialsing in high quality home appliances for the trendy, moneyed set. Their vintage designs are reminiscent of the 1950's and 60's yet incorporate top engineering and the latest technology.

Founded in the 1940's, Smeg is a family owned company, under the guidance of Roberto Bertazonni, who had the vision to employ some of the best Italian architects (such as Mario Bellini, Guido Canali and Renzo Piano), to work for the business. Smeg's strength was to see appliances as something more than utilitarian objects - with Smeg function and form work together and one is not overshadowed by the other. One of the more iconic objects in Smeg's range of products is the iconic retro refrigerator..otherwise know as The Smeg.

Hand-finished, limited edition of ithe Smeg FAB28

Red Smeg

Cachet

A Smeg refrigerator is a desirable object, with its rounded, retro lines, cool functionality and stunning finish. The European beauties come in a variety of colours, way beyond the bland white and stainless steel of many other manufacturers. The handle alone, is a design achievement - great looking and easy to use.

Available colours include red, lime green, mint green, pastel blue, orange, pastel green,silver, black, pink, blue, cream and some limited edition colour combos (such as the stripe at right) that may be hard to get.

There's no doubt uber cool Smegs have a fashionable aura and almost have a cult following - it's the vintage charm. They have been featured in various films such as V for Vendetta and East Enders and styistically, are an antidote to the souless modern appliances that permeate contemporary showrooms.

Specs

The classic Smeg has a capacity of 9.22 Cu. Ft. (271 Litres) Dimensions are (HxWxD) 57½ x 23⅝ x 27½ inches and features include:

Antibacterial interior
Interior light
Defrost
Thermostat: Adjustable
3 adjustable glass shelves
1 bottle storage shelf
1 fixed glass shelf
4 adjustable bins
1 fruit and vegetable container
1 Ice cube tray
1 diary box
2 adjustable covered bins
2 bottle storage bin
Rating: Tropical
2 egg bins

Perfect for the City trendoid - matching mini and Smeg fridge

Inside a Smeg

Vittorio Bertazzoni

Vittorio Bertazzoni, was born in a tiny village in Italy called Guastalla and started out as an enameled appliances manufacturer and made a name for himself through the use of unique designs and quality craftsmanship.

Smeg is an acronym for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla, meaning “metal enameling factory of Guastalla - too much of a mouthful for most customers.

Buzzwords

2013-05-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

What's a Buzzword?

Good question. A buzzword is a word that has become so fashionable and over-used, it's almost a slogan. Often such words begin as pop-psychology jargon in the corporate, media or academic world and then spread out to become more widely used.

A buzzword can come across as pretentious, as the word may be an attempt to make something seem more important than it is. When someone says they felt "empowered", what do they really mean? They felt stronger, better, more able to cope? "Empowered" implies they've been injected with a superhuman tonic, which of course they haven't so it's really just a feel-good word designed to motivate people for political, social or personal reasons.

Buzzwords aren't necessarily a bad thing but they do tend to be overused, sometimes to the point where they become meaningless and just glide over the listener, elliciting no emotional response. Often they're very effective as a motivational tool and can stir people to action, such as the call for "the empowernent of women", though that term is now so tired few would be excited by it. They can also be suffocating and even a form of compulsion, especially in a corporate or academic environment, when it becomes a requirement to speak in buzzwords.

Do Buzzwords Deaden the Language?

Buzzwords may be commandeered for propaganda purposes too, and in this case can be dangerous tools of persuasion that allow for no dissent. A popular buzzword term over the the decades has been the expression '"war on drugs", which some people might think is okay except it allows for no discussion or alternative approaches. Using language in this way is similar to George Orwell'snewspeak. Orwell believed buzzwords were used as a kind of convenience; It's so much easier to just copy invented words and phrases than it is to come up with your own. Yet in the end, the buzzword becomes deadened and dull - no-one really listens.

George Orwell's Newspeak

Ingsoc-newspeak for the totalitarian ideology of Oceania

Orwell's concept of newspeak was of a State controlled language that was parred down and simplified, so that shades of dangerous nuance could be removed. In the novel 1984, newspeak was the official language of Oceania, although it was not yet widespread and woudn't have taken over until 2050, by which time it would have completely superceded oldspeak (normal language).

The idea was that once newspeak had taken over, a subersive idea would literally be unthinkable, as there would be no word to express it. The new language of newspeak was divided into three classes of grammar- A vocabulary, B Vocabularyand C vocabulary. A vocabulary was for everday words to express ordinary things such as eating, drinking, sleeping etc. They had very exact meanings and are stripped of any secondary nuance. B Vocabulary were compound words, made up of two words or parts of words joined together in an easy form. The object of the B vocabulary was to encourage a particular political mindset through simplified but forceful language. The C vocabulary were supplemental and contained expedient but unmistakable technical and scientific words and terms used by specialty workers. They had only a singular meaning and no other and were not used in everyday or political speak,

Image from spacekimono

Some Examples of Buzz Words

Best Practices-The best possible method or way of doing a job

Core Competencies-Abilities and capabilities unique to a particular company or individual

Critical path-Everything in sequence that must be completed on schedule before tn entire project is complete

Enabler-One who helps someone take a particular course of action

Empowerment-Feeling a sense of strength and power

Functionality-Function or feature

Meme-An aspect of culture that is passed from one individual to another non-genetically

Monetize-turn something into a money-making proposition, commercialise it

Incentivization-A combination of incentive and motivation

Thinimizatation-Keeping it thin, paring things down, minimizing the fat.

Paradigm-A worldview or ana archtypal example or model of something

Paradigm Shift-A changing worldview, eg; a changing cultural model

Sea Change-A change of direction, following a new path

Synergy-Working together, a joint effort

Value Added-An enhancement offered to a product or service by a company before it's offered to a customer

Marilyn Monroe Posters

2013-05-14T19:47:00.002-07:00

MARILYN MONROE LIPS - 24x36 - ART PRINT / POSTER Collections Poster Print, 24x36 Collections Poster Print, 24x36

Amazon Price: $2.89
List Price: $6.99

Photogenic

Marilyn Monroe, AKA Norma Jean Baker, was one of the most photogenic women in the world. So powerful were her images, she still continues to fascinate half a century after her death. What made her so photogenic?

Well for one thing, many of her pictures were taken by the world's best photographers, including Ceceil Beaton, Philipe Halsman and Eve Arnold ...but it was more than that. Marilyn had many attractive features tht the camera loved; she had the curvacious lines and voluptous shape that resonated in the 1950's; unike the idealised super-slim figures of today she was fleshy, though not fat.

Her facial features were unique and sensuous. Posessed of a rather large, heart shaped head, her big, deep-set eyes were beautifully set and wide apart, her forehead was broad and her lips were generously proportioned. However, perhaps what really set her apart was the langorous, sexual poses she expressed....she oozed a kind of vulnerable sex-appeal and behind the soft, blue-grey eyes, a hint of tragic neediness lurked. As author William Manchester remarked: "Marilyn's need to be desired was so great that she could make love to a camera."

In addition to her natural charms, the dramatic make-up and clothes of the era suited the camera and Marlyn was the perfect canvas. She wore the markers of the classic sex symbol through her stylized look - the platinum hair, dark, arched brows, deeply coloured lips and black rimmed eyes all emphasised her look and worked photogenically.

GB Eye Marilyn Monroe Rules Poster

Amazon Price: $4.79 List Price: $6.99

Marilyn Monroe Poster Print, 24x37 Poster Print, 24x37

Amazon Price: $1.97
List Price: $7.99

Complex

Marilyn's troubled childhood and the lasting effects of her relationship with her unstable, mentally ill mother are well documented. She was a complex woman..a kind of damaged ideal, whose image seems to mean different things to different people. Some see her as a tortured, unhappy soul, others as soft and vulnerable and others still as relying too much on her sex appeal. Her internal life and the suddeness of her death are something of a mystery. The two most significant men in her life were poles apart - Baseballer Joe Demaggio and playwright, Arthur Miller. When asked once what man she most admired, she replied "Albert Einstein". This suggests that Marilyn valued intelligence and she was no doubt conscious that people tended to value her own worth in terms of her sex appeal.

(16x20) Marilyn Monroe in Billowy White Dress, Photo Print Poster

Amazon Price: $0.25
List Price: $15.00

Marilyn's Image Outlived Her

As the song goes her candle burnt out long before the legend ever did" - Marilyn Monroe, aka, Norma Jean Baker, was just 36 when she died in her her home in Brentwood LA, from an overdose of barbituates. The final years of her life had been sucked up in a maelstrom of personal problems, including depression, insecurity, alcohol and drug abuse.

Like other Hollywood icons before her, she was entrapped by her own powerfully sexualised image - the woman inside was really a mystery, certainly to her public, who were, and still are, enthralled by the films and photographs. A commodity in the Hollywood system, there were few chances to escape the industry creation she had become.

Many of those who knew her spoke of her desire for self-improvement, and, tellingly, for normalcy. Somehow she could never quite manage it...as she said herself:

"After all, if I can't be myself, what's the good of being anything at all?'

Marilyn Monroe Movie (Red Silk) Poster Print - 24x36 Poster Print, 24x36 Poster Print, 24x36

Amazon Price: $7.99

Bobby Womack

2013-05-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Once a back up guitarist for the legendary Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack began his career back in the 1960's, singing in the family R&B band, The Valentinos. Based in Cleveland where Womack was born, the line-up included Bobby's four brothers, Cecil (of Womack and Womack fame), Harry, Friendly and Curtis, all of whom were songwriters. Notably, Bobby Womack wote the Rolling Stones hit It's All Over Now,which topped the UK singles charts.

It was Cooke who 'discovered' the band and offered them a contract with his SAR Records label, much to the chagrin of the boy's father, Friendly Womack Senior, who considered Cooke's brand of music sinful. At that time in the US there were two kinds of black singers - gospel and mainstream secular and to cross over to the latter was seen by some as selling out to the devil. Although Curtis was the lead singer, Sam had singled Bobby out for attention, remarking that he "sang with authority, and commanded attention on stage".

Bobby Womack

Chess and Jubilee Records

The Valentinos had some success, appearing in the national R&B charts but when Sam Cooke was shot in 1964 they switched over to Chess Records for eighteen months before disbanding for a time. They reformed in 1966, this time with Jubilee Records and continued recording into the 1970's.

Over the span of their career, The Valentinos had chart success with several songs, including: Do It Right,Everybody Wants To Fall In Love and I've Found A True Love.

Sadly, Harry Womack died suddenly in 1974 during an altercation with his girlfriend.

American Studios

Throughout his career Bobby Womack had work on the side as a session musician with American Studios in Memphis and in 1968 signed with Minut Records to record some hit singles, including What is This?, It's Gonna Rain andMore Than I can Stand. Steadily he was making a name for himself both as a top session guitarist and songwriter.

In 1971 Womack signed up with United Artists and recorded a hit single off the album Communications with the moody and emotive, That's the Way I Feel about 'Cha.This was followed up with another album Understanding and an ode to his brother, Harry Hippy, which sold a million copies and earned him a gold disc.

That's the Way I Feel about 'Cha...

Personal Life

Bobby Womack stirred the industry pot when he married Sam Cooke's widow, Barbara Campbell, just three months after his death. The marriage created a rumble of disapprobation from Cooke fans and it did affect his career for a time. According to Womack he feared she 'might do something crazy' if left alone. Reflecting on the event, Womack said :

When it came down to me marrying his wife, I never knew his wife. She was just so hurt and outdone that he had went out that way. She was ready to tackle the first thing that was the closest thing to him, that he liked. And that was me. And I was ready to be there because I knew she needed guidance. I knew if I put myself in there, a lot of people were gonna hate me. But if I don’t marry this woman, this woman's gonna do something crazy, and she may not be able to get out of it.

The couple divorced in 1970 and in 1976 Womack married Regina Banks. Interestingly, Bobby's younger brother Cecil married Linda, the daughter of Barbara Campbell and Sam Cooke. The lives of the Cooke's and Womack's seem inextricably bound together somehow.

Born in Cleveland Ohio, Bobby Dwayne Womack was the son of a steelworker and was just sixteen when he was first taken under Sam Cooke's tutelage. The move from gospel to soul must have been a big one, considering how his father felt about it. Yet over the decades, the young r7B singer/songwriter/guitarist forged a highly successful solo career, along with his other joint ventures. Bobby Womack is now a legend of rock 'n roll and deservedly so, as he remains a hugely influential figure in black music.

Rediscovered

Although he'd never really disappeared, Bobby Womack's music was rediscovered through Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown, which was in part an ode to seventies R&B. Womack never left the industry though and has worked on numerous projects since the 1970's and in the 1980's gained a new, European fanbase with the release of The Poet and The Poet II, as well as another R&B hit in 1985, with the single, "I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much".

Among other things, Womack sang on the third Gorillaz album Plastic Beach in 2010 and in 2009 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

2013-05-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

The Gabors Flee Europe

World War 2 created flux and turmoil in Europe. It was a time of change and disorder; families were uprooted, homelands abandoned and for some, a chance for new beginnings in strange lands. Amongst those uprooted and thrown into flux, were sisters Zsa Zsa, Eva and Magda Gabor who, with their parents Vilma and Jolie, made their way from Budapest, Hungary, after the Nazi invasion, to America, sometime in the mid 1940's.

In Budapest, the family had been relatively well-heeled and the girls well-educated; they spoke several languages. In addition, Jolie Gabor, who was a kind of Hungarian Mrs. Bennett, saw to it that her daughters were well-versed in the essential charms a woman needed in order to catch a suitable husband.

Zsa Zsa

Glamor and the Gabors

The girls were quick learners and fast workers; Eva had already secured herself a doctor husband, whom she had met while on holiday in America some time before, Magda was also married and before 1946 was out, Zsa Zsa managed to snag Hilton Hotel chain magnate, Conrad Hilton and had produced a daughter, Constance Francesca Hilton, who would prove to be the only offspring of all the Gabor sisters.

Conrad Hilton was Zsa Zsa's second husband, as she had been married before to the much older Turkish foreign affairs minister, Jan Bychowski in 1937, although she swore the marriage had never been consumated.

Once in New York, the glamorous Gabor sisters were lured by the promise of Hollywood stardom and all that that sparkling Emerald City entailed. Magda had already appeared in a few films in Budapest, Zsa Zsa had been Miss Hungaryin1936, (though Eva too, claimed to have won that title) and it wasn't long before the ultra-feminine threesome established themselves as professional celebrities. They played the game well and with a certain European aplomb; flirting, flitting like butterflies, being seen at the right places, meeting the right people and running up large bills that they somehow avoided paying for themselves.

Career-wise, Zsa Zsa's first big break came in the John Huston film Moulin Rouge, in 1952 playing Jane Avril opposite Jose Ferrer as Toulouse Latrec. She was well-suited to the role and her performance was well-received, although Zsa Zsa would, in the end, be more famous for her husbands than her acting.

I want to choose the man. I do not permit men to choose me! ~Zsa Zsa

Eventually the marriage to Hilton grew a little tiring (he had her on a strict budget) and while still wed she spotted a suave actor on stage one night and declared "he will be my next husband". Thus the fate of the Hilton pairing was doomed, though the couple remained on amicable terms and Conrad Hilton did in fact offer her a lifetime of cheap rate at all his hotels.

Scene from "Moulin Rouge". Zsa Zsa as Jane Avril.

George Sanders

"The Love of my Life"

Actor George Sanders was a debonair, cosmopolitan sophisticate, who's dry personality seemed on the surface, a mismatch with the professionally vapid, vampish Gabor but the two managed to tie the conjugal knot in 1949 - Zsa Zsa it seemed, always got her man.

As fond of Sanders as Zsa Zsa claimed she was - having once described him as '"the love of my life", this did not prevent her from having an extra-marital affair with Dominican playboy Porfirio Rubirosa.

Of course the marriage didn't last and eventually George went the way of her previous husbands and dissappeared from Eva's marital orbit. Oddly, Sanders married Zsa Zsa's sister Magda in 1970 but that too, was shortlived. Sanders later comitted suicide, citing a 'boredom with life' as the cause, though those who knew him noted he was in serious debt at the time.

Nine Husbands

Zsa Zsa's acting career teetered along in no particular direction; she appeared in a few quirky films and scored a few cameo roles on televison,. However hercalculated have-as-many-husbands-as-you-can plan was right on track. There were nine in all, too many too explore here in any depth:

Burhan Belge Turkish diplomat, married in 1937, divorced in 1941
Conrad Hiltonhotel founder, m.arried 1942, divorced in 1947,
George Sanders(actor, married in 1949, divorced in 1954
Herbert Hunter, financial consultant, married in 1964, divorced in1966
Joshua S. Cosden, Jr. oil heir, married in 1966, divorced in 1967
Jack Patrick Ryan Barbie doll designer, married in 1975, divorced in 1976
Michael O'Hara , attorney, married in 1977, divorced in 1982
Felipe De Alba, Mexican actor, married. 1982, annulled, lasted one day
Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, married 1986, still going...

Peas in a pod. Zsa Zsa and sister Eva (left)

Feisty Gabor

Reputedly Zsa Zsa has a strong, volatile personality which has landed her in hot water from time to time. Some very public incidents include: slapping a bellboy, being removed from a plane after it came to light that, among other convenient memory lapses, she had left an upaid bill behind, drunk driving and suing her own daughter for fraud. Controversial to the end, it was reported in the tabloids recently that Zsa Zsa, having already lost a leg to illness and now in her nineties, (although her birthdate, like everything else, is murky) and her sixty-seven year old husband, were last heard trying to have a baby via any means possible. Never say die.

The Eternal Celebrity

In many ways Zsa Zsa was a precursor to the kind of 21st century vacuous celebrity to be found via the likes of her niece, Paris Hilton - infamously famous for being infamously famous. The Hungarian/American glamor queen personified a certain type of woman through the ages - she was a Hollywood Queen, a courtesan, a socialite, notorious husband hunter, a pampered princess and most of all...a priceless treasure in the annals of the kitsch, rich, society beauty sphere.

Diplomacy the Game

2013-05-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Diplomacy

The other evening I was wandering aimlessly through the games section of Amazon, as is my want, when I came across a product that stirred a strange little memory - partly warm and fuzzy, partly uncomfortable. It was a board game called Diplomacyand when I spotted it I felt a zap of recognition and surprise because I hadn't seen it for years.

My older brother and sister and their friends used to play this game when I was growing up and frankly, as an onlooker, it drove me mad. As I was apparently "too young" too understand the cutthroat and complicated nature of international diplomatic relations, I was excluded from play. I still haven't played it, so this isn't a review but I can attest to the dedication, seriousness and profound involvement it inspires in its players.

The game of Diplomacy

Diplomacy

Amazon Price: $22.99
List Price: $29.99

Political Intrigue and Alliances

The game of Diplomacy usually involves seven players who become totally consumed by the game play, which can go on for many hours, during which time alliances will be formed, traitorous actions performed, slimy promises made, heated words exchanged and copious amounts of tea, coffee and various snacks consumed.

Long suffering little sisters who are not allowed to play will often be sent on tedious missions to provide these nourishments and non players will get annoyed and frustrated as living areas are completly taken over by the game.

Oft described as game of "intrigue, trust and treachery" this is not a game for the faint hearted and in truth I'm not sure how hard it is. As a young teen, I could never make head or tail of it but then, I was never given the chance to learn properly. I mentioned this re-encouter to my star Diplomacy playing brother recently and I don't whether this may be an unfortunate, innate sexism within him but he tells me my older sister, who wasallowed to particpate, never really understood the game either: according to him, she just "pretended too". (Oh my, I know she'll be furious if she reads this.)

The Birth of Diplomacy

Diplomacy has been commercially available since 1959 and was created by Alan B. Calhamer in 1954. The story goes that, as a boy he was intrigued by an old geography book found in an attic that showed a map of the world prior to WWI. Years later, while at Harvard Law School and recalling the geography book, he developed a game of strategy and alliance, which put seven players in charge of the major world powers.

For those who really get into Diplomacy in a big way, there have been tournaments held since the 1970's and playing Diplomacy by mail and now emailhas been an option since the 80's. Not so surprisingly, it's Henry Kissinger's favourite game and evidently John F Kennedy was also a fan.You'd think these politicians would have got enough cuttroat intrigue in real life wouldn't you? Apparently not.

Rules of Diplomacy

There are no dice in this game - it's all about negotiation. The game is set around the turn of the 20th Century, when the major world powers vie for supremacy. According to the folks at boardgames.canada.com,who seem to know all about it:

Military forces invade and withdraw, shifting borders and altering empires with subtle maneuvers and daring gambits. Form alliances and unhatch your traitorous plots as you negotiate and outwitin a delicate balance of cooperation and competition to gain dominance of the continent! In Diplomacy, your success hinges not on the luck of the dice, but your cunning and cleverness.

Yes, from memory that sounds about right. One of these days, I'll get around to playing this game and what's more, I'll damn well win! I know how to be ruthless if I have to...

The Diplomacy Board. Image from boardgamescanada.com

Doris Day Hairstyles

2013-04-07T18:51:00.001-07:00

Doris Day -1954 covergirl

Fresh as a Daisy and Clean as a Whistle

soft and romantic...a very young Doris Day

I confess, in my callow youth I was critical of Doris Day - her appearance, manner and general aura, which seemed so pert, accommodating and just generally reeking of repressed glass-of-white-milk niceness. At that time, the 50s era hadn't yet taken on it's cool retro cachet and it seemed to my sensitive fashion palette an era of excessive bad taste mingled with blatant sexism. I was a 70s snob (yes I know, the 70's! In itself, a fashion disaster).

However, over the years, I've changed my mind about Ms Day. Whether this can be put down to to general maturity or a growing nostalgic wistfulness for the 1950s, I can't say but I'm now prepared to admit that there was more to Doris than meets the eye. She had something...a je ne sais quo, that stretched beyond the full skirted curviness of her figure, white teeth, sparkling blue eyes, the sexy, whispery, breathless....and yet, forceful way of talking and of course her, powerful singing voice. How she used to belt out those numbers, with a voice as clear and clean as rain on a tin roof.

But down to hair...

the blonde is beautiful philosophy

It seemed to me and still does, that much of Doris's fetching perkiness emanated form her crisp blonde hairstyles and the hair itself, with it's suggestive synthentic doll texture and luminous, equally manufactured colour tones. So Hollywood and yet at the same time, so housewife/good girl. Less tarty than Lana Turner's platinum poof but more oomphy than June Alyson's anal bob. How did she pull it off?

Doris Day could never have been dark. It wouldn't have worked. So much of her image relied on the clean clear purity of a golden halo. She was a kind of refined Betty Grable, with perky Ginger Rogers overtones. Never an obvious vamp in the blonde Jean Harlow sense... but rather a dangerous woman of a more subtle, complex strain - exuding part worldly, womanly vixen and part homespun, earthy domestic warmth. Wow, she was hot!

So young..so nice

Decades of Day

Day's hair went through several transmutations over the decades but it's luminous essence remained the same : always blonde, cute and fresh, with fetching waves and contrivances in the right places.

Early Days

Doris Day, from romance on the high seas

Born in 1922, the singer had her first big hit in 1945, with the classic melody, Sentimental Journey and from that pivotal point, she never looked back, career-wise. that early musical success led to a lengthy movie career and she made 39 films in all, beginning with the technicolor extravaganza, romance on the High seas, in the late 1940s. Here, Day's hair was moulded into typically 40s, stylised oomph concoction, with bushy, careful, long curls and scrolled up bangs. and of course, very blonde. It was, for the times, a young, bouncy look that perfectly suited day's vivacious personality.

In the 1950s Doris's hair took on a more sophisticated look, in keeping with the changing styles of a new, modern post-war era. Shorter hair was the go, but it was no less blonde. In this decade, Doris wore her hair pinned up or cut into a classically 50s short bob. It was a more mature look but no less pert than the previous decade. Doris's hair was nothing, if not assertive.

pinned up glamour with Cary grant in that touch of mink

One of Day's biggest film role in the 50s was her portrayal of singer Ruth Etting in the 1955 film love me or leave me, co-starring with legend, James Cagney and her hair radiated the jazzy, sexy appeal of a 50s gamine. The film was a critical and commercial success and further cemented Doris Day as a major talent, as well as a considerable box office draw.

doris day, hot as hades in love me or leave me, 1955.

classic day and hudson, from pillow talk, 1959

Toward the end of the decade, Day launched into the series of profitable, light romantic comedies with hollywood gay hunks Rock Hudson and Cary Grant, for which she is perhaps best known - think pillow Talk. in these films our heroine's hair was less sexy round the edges and more cute and respectable bobsy, in keeping with the squeaky clean tone of the films. It was, after all, the twin bed era.

Doris Day, mature and stylish in a pillbox hat. from midnight lace 1960

the 60s and beyond

still a bob - but longer. Doris Day in the 60s

As the radical 60s swung into action, Doris grooved things up in the hair department, growing her still gold locks into a longer bob and later, for her tv series, the Doris Day how, which ran from 1968 to 73 a youthful ponytail. By now in her 40s [and in the 70s] her 50s, she still looked good. throughout her career, the hugely successful singer/actress managed to project a fun and sexy, yet level-headed image that women aspired to and men admired. Ms Day was the quintessential all-round gal.

a top notch and a bob...such indecision

Hayley Mills: 60s Teen Icon

2013-04-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hayley Mills: a golden glow

Hayley Mills made her acting debut at the age of thirteen, when she appeared in the 1959 film Tiger Bay,with her famous actor father, John MIlls and which she won a Bafta Award for, as Best Newcomer. Originally, a boy had been planned for the role but since director, J Lee Thompson was having trouble finding the right boy, Mills suggested his daughter Hayley for the role.

Tiger Bay had an authenticity to it, which Hayley's performance enhanced and her natural charm, beauty and unaffected attitude caught the eye of Walt Disney's wife, Lilian, who suggeted her for the role of Pollyanna (1960) which led to a string of work with the Disney Studio, including The Parent Trap(1961), Summer Magic and That Darn Cat (1965).

Hayley Mills in a still shot from Tiger Bay

Hayley Mills in her Pollyanna days

A Star

As a young performer, Hayley proved to be very popular with baby-boomer audiences world-wide and wonan Oscar for Best Juvenile Performance for Pollyanna. Visually, the camera loved her and her soft, English wispy voice was innocently seductive. Not so great for singing however and although she made it to number 8 on the charts with the theme for The Parent Trap and had some success with a few other promotional songs, after her debut album, Let's Get Together, her singing career went not much further. Her chart success had more to do with her personal charms and popularity than her vocals.

Mills came from an established show biz family herself. Her father John Mills was already an established star long before she appeared in Tiger Bay, her elder sister Juliet Mills, is also an actress and her Mother Mary, Hayley Bell was an authoress, who wrote Whistle Down the Wind (Hayley starred in the film version),Sky West and Crooked, and The Winged Boy. Playwright Noel Coward and consumate actor Laurence Olivier were her god fathers.

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Hayley's debut musical album

Most Popular Teen of the Decade

Hayley's star rose in paralell with the sixties generation and she was in some ways an amalgamation of two eras. An attractive style and modern parlance and clothes ensured her relevance but she was also a darling of the older generation - polite, squeaky clean, respectful and mannered in a way that was reminiscent of the fifties. It was only when she began to lose her innocence and take on more adult character roles that her luminous star waned.

Poster by Paul Wenzel, 1963, for Walt Disney's "Summer Magic"

Hayley, Roy and son Crispian

Hayley's Marriage to Roy Boulting

In 1971 Hayley Mills stirred the pot by marrying film direct Roy Boutling, thirty-three years hers senior. The pair had met on the set of The Family Way (1967) , which Roy directed and it was a milestone film, not only because of their relationship but it had shattered the sugary sweet, innocent image of Hayley Mills - it was her first real adult film.

Along with his identical twin brother John, Roy was a part of the directing team known as The Boulting Brothers, who produced some classic comedies in the late 1950's and 1960's. Roy and Hayley divorced in the late 1970's and produced a son, Crispian from the union. A second son, Jason Lawson, was born in 1977, the result of a subsequent relationship with British actor Leigh Lawson, who went on to marry Iconic sixties model Twiggy.

Of relationships, Hayley once remarked: “You are either old souls who connect and share the same interests... or you are not.”

Adult Career

After starring in the weird little thriller,The Twisted Nerve in 1968 with Hywell Bennett, Hayley's career began to slide. Apart from the fact that she was now all grown up and a busy mother, her adult performances lacked the zing and charisma of her teen performances. Although she continued to work on stage and in the odd film, plus made-for-TVParent Trap sequels and like many fading stars, dutifully appeared onThe Love Boat (four times... she never matched those early heights of her career again. Perhaps she never felt the need to.

In the 1980's Hayley Mills returned to the small screen with a successful British miniseries The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), and keeping up the African theme, also starred in an ITV series, playing an expatriate British vet's mother-in-law in Wild at Heart(2007) .

Driving a Manual

2013-03-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Slow (and Painful) Death of the Stick-shift?

Once upon a time all cars were manuals and although strictly speaking, the first auto transmission was invented by a Canadian in 1921 (a compressed air affair, not hydraulic fluid) It wasn't until the 1940s that General Motors introduced it's "hydro-matic" marvel, first employed in battle tanks during WW2 and later marketed to the general public in the form auto Oldsmobiles. Drivers took to the new concept and by the time the 1950s rolled around, autos were commonplace in many models.

Now, as the world upshifts jerkily past the first decade of the 21st Century and technology continues its exponential thrust forward, automatic cars have got really, really good and as a result, more and more people are using them, at least in many parts of Asia, Australia and of course, the US, where they've always been very popular. The advantageous savings in fuel economy hitherto enjoyed by manual drivers are now negligible compared to modern autos and ditto for power and thrust. Apparently. On top of this, there are a number of alternatives to the base manual, in the form of manumatics and cvt's.

Perversely, despite all the marvellous strides forward in auto cars I recently chose to buy a basic manual. As a confirmed auto driver who hadn't driven a manual since I was a learner, so long ago I can barely remember, I hadn't intended to, not in my wildest dreams, so why did I do it?

Two sticks?! 1963 Rambler 440 hardtop with twin stick manual overdrive transmission. Source

Well cost, primarily. On a practical level, I could get the second-hand car I wanted hundreds of dollars cheaper but there was also a smaller, niggling reason. Someone had said to me, while discussing the merits of autos and manuals: "you always shy away from a challenge". For murky reasons unknown, that simple statement got to me.

Interesting stick. 1973 Hornet hatchback V8 Source

My attitude to gears had long been, "why muck around with sticks when you can get the car to do it for you?" but as a new manual owner, I now sympathise with the stick-shift lovers. They do offer a more exciting ride and a convincing impression of being *more in control* of the car.

Of course for some people, that can be a deficit. Being in control means you have to make the decisions and more decision-making means more stress, whether the driver is conscious of it or not. Some people would rather let the machine do the thinking and I can understand that view. After all, it was my own view for a long time. Autos just dash around effortlessly and all you need think about is steering, braking and accelerating - it's all so easy. Why create complications?

Stick Stress

Confident manual drivers may scoff but I confess, after 20 odd years of auto driving, the manual was quite fear-inducing in the beginning. Highway driving was fine but in the first week I found myself suffering waves of anxiety in heavy traffic and every time I approached an intersection. What's the best gear for the situation? Should I block change or go down through the gears? Do I sit at the lights in neutral with my foot on the brake or in first gear with my foot on the clutch? There was a lot to think about. What if I roll back on that hill and crush the car behind or....horrors...stall halfway through the intersection, thus creating havoc? I did stall, more than once and I did put in the wrong gear, more than once but it wasn't the end of the world. Stalling generally happens when you're stationary, so at worst you hold up traffic for a few seconds. No-one beeped or tried to attack me with a machete in road rage.

I also made some disturbing mistakes, missing the right gear, after which a truly horrendous crunching sound, accompanied by severe jerking, would ensue. I feared for my car's safety. But hey, it's been a few months and it's all relatively smooth now. I'm zipping around in my baby Mazda and loving it and the gears are almost second nature, if more stressful (and some studies have shown that manual drivers do suffer more driving stress). It is a little more driving work but I'm glad I took up the challenge.

Sexier?
So are manuals sexier? Well, I guess that's debatable but let's face it, the phallic overtones of a nobbed gearstick are hard to avoid...all that caressing and fondling and there is something a tad wimpy about an auto, despite the strides forward. Personally, I think manuals are sexier, if only on an unconscious level and in truth, I feel sexier driving one. I like holding that gear stick. It's a tactile thing.

Gratuitous car shot. The outside of the '63 American Rambler. Source

Edith Head: Costume Queen

2013-03-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Edith Head. Image from Broadway World

Legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head received more Academy Award nominations (35 in all) than any other women in Hollywood and won eight of them. Head was a power house of design, a true original, a trend-setter and fashion-wise, ahead of her time. Even today her severe black hair and eccentric thick-rimmed, tinted glasses would not look out place.

Born Edith Posener of Prussian immigrants, as a child, Head moved around frequently with her mother and step-father, eventually studiying at Berkely. Her list of academic achievements is impressive - she earnt a BA in Letters and Sciences with honors in French in 1919 and an MA in Romance Languages at Stanford the following year

Paulette Goddard in gold bugle beads, designed by Edith Head

A mink and sequins clad Ginger Rogers in a still from "Lady in the Dark"

Luscious Dorothy Lamour in a still from "Hurricane".

Head in Hollywood

After a stint teaching French and Art at the Hollywood School for Girls, Head scored a job with the costume department at Paramount Studios. In the interim she had married Charles Head, whom she divorced in 1938. Although she lter remarried she keptHead as her professional name.

The silent film The Wanderer (1925) was Heads first major project and she designed the costumes for it. The Wanderer was the start of a beaufitul career and by the 1930's she was acclaimed as one of Hollywood's top costume designers. 1938 was a breakthrough year for her, as that was year the studio's prominent designer, Travis Banton, left the studio, allowing Head toshine independently.

Head went from strength to strength and it was during her Paramount years that she was nominated for her academy Awards.Many of the iconic Hollywood fashion items from the period were designed by her; think of Dorothy Lamour's sarong dress from Hurricane , Ginger Roger's mink and sequins gown inLady in the Dark (1944) , Bette Davis's lush suits and gowns in All About Eve (1950) and later after, she joined Universal, Grace Kelly's coolly urban wardrobe in Rear Window(1954).

Critics

Head was not without her critics though, many of whom criticised both her work methods and her opposition to unions, which would have given studio-based designers more clout in the industry. The designer also had a reputation for claiming credit for the work of others, although in the early days of Hollywood, it was common practice for a head of a costume departments to put their own name to the studio designs.

On a personal level, many of her contemporaries speak highly of her warmth and generostiy - she was a great home entertainer and fully enjoyed the company of others.

Edith Head publicity shot. Photo from Cinema Style

Head and Hitchcock

In 1967 Edith Head switched over to Universal, where she stayed until the year of her death in 1881. During this period she also branched out into televesion work as the studi system was changing and many of the great stars she had worked so closely with where no longer around.

At Paramount head had formed a close professional relationship with British director, Alfred Hitchock and the pair worked on many of his films together. Some suggested her move from Paramount was spurred on by Hitchcock's move from Paramount to Universal a few years earlier.

Head and Hitchcock worked on many films together, including Notorious, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, Marnie, The Birds, The Trouble with Harry andFamily Plot

Edith Head died in 1981, four days before her 84th birthday and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.The legendary designer has a studio named after her and her own star on Hollywood Boulevarde but her true legacy will be remembered via the millions of film viewers who continue to admire the many wonderful costumes she created.

Grace Kelly, elegantly dressed by Edith Head for "Rear Window"

Edith Head and friends

Edith Head died in 1981, four days before her 84th birthday and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Her final film was deadMen don't Wear Plaid, starring Steve Martin and the film was deciated to her.

The legendary designer has a Prop Building at Universal Studios Hollywood and a Costume building at Paramount named after her and her own star on Hollywood Boulevarde but her true legacy will be remembered via the millions of film viewers who continue to admire the many wonderful costumes she created.

Grace Kelly in an Edith Head classic from "To Catch a Thief"

Vintage Soft Toy Pattern

2013-02-19T06:18:00.003-08:00

Cutesy +

Saw this 1953 image on Etsy whilst browsing vintage patterns and found it fairly irresistable How cute can a stuffed dog get? The pattern is downloadable here as a PDF file for around $6. If only I could crochet...I'd be tempted to have a go at these.

Yoko

2013-02-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Young Yoko...Image from "Yokos Blog"

In the chunky annals of celebrity romance, few relationships have provoked as much controversy as that between John Lennon and Yoko Ono. They famously met at London's Indico Gallery in 1968 and while love was not immediate, it didn't take too long for the fires of passion to ignite with an explosive force. Of course it was nobody's business but their own but the press and fans didnt see it that way. They rarely do.

No, they were famous figures parading about out there on the world stage, John through his music and Yoko by association, so in media terms, it was open slather. Once it became public knowedge that a hallowed Beatle had not just hooked up with, but was positively flaunting, a strange new girfriend, the criticisms came thick and fast and it was largely Yoko who bore the brunt. Why? What was it about Yoko Ono that people so loved to hate?

Xenophobia

For a start Yoko wasn't mainstream, not even by hip rock n'roll standards. She was an avant garde artist who wore offbeat clothes and no make-up and therefore was not acceptably glamorous in the traditional tabloid-beauty sense.

In interviews and photographs she appeared confident and strong..arrogant even and perhaps not fawning, feminine and visibly appreciative enough about securing one of the world most celebrated sons.

And of course she was Asian. The 1960's wasn't yet far enough away from the Second World war for there not be some residual resentment toward the Japanese. It was not often overtly mentioned but there was an undecurrent of suspicion and distrust; Yoko was described variously in the press as "harsh", "'ugly" ,"scheming', "homewrecker", "ambitious", "crazy",a "gold digger" and "the destroyer of the Beatles".

While she may have been ambitious, Yoko was no gold digger. Already independently wealthy, her background was far more illustrious than John's. Yoko was the great grandaughter of the founder of the Yasuda Bank and in Japan she had been educated at Gakushuin School, widely considered to be the nation's most prestigious private school. The family had relocated toward the end of the war to avoid the bombing threat and in America Yoko went on to study music at Sara Lawrence College. Always experimental, she developed an interest in minimalist art and off the edge music and began staging her own performances and exhibitions from early adulthood.

John and Yoko

Soldiers of Peace. John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Relationships and Volatility

Yoko had had an impressively dramatic and volatile life before John. Her first marriage was to composer and pianist Toshi Ichiyanagi and things had ended badly. While still married she had attempted suicide and was institutionalized for a period in Japan, during which time she met future husband jazz musician Anthony Cox, to whom she became pregnant.

Before their daughter was born, Yoko had divorced Ichiyanagi and married Cox, though it was not a particularly happy union either. Cox was prone to mood swings and erratic behaviour and would later take off with their child Kyoko (whom he had custody of) raising her amid a Christian cult called the The Walk.

That Yoko and John Lennon were both still married when passion rained down on them like sheets of water in a hurricane, added fuel to the bad press fire but if they cared too much, they didn't show it. Theirs was a publically defiant union - and the world -and the Beatles, could shove it. Far from shrinking into the shadows they staged public events, that were often quirky and attention getting and made loud noises about world peace.

Yoko formed the Plastic Ono Band but apart from one hit, Give Peace a Chance, featuring John on vocals, the public didn't warm to Yoko's shrill, off the radar music which has been bagged by some critics for being as melodious as "nails on chalk". Yoko always did blend art with music, somehow in the process rendering it inaccesible to the mainstream.

Eventually, with the birth of their son Sean, the couple settled into a version of domesticity, but by the close of the seventies, more music was on the horizon . The Double Fantasy album came out in 1980 and in an event that rattled the world, John was murdered by Mark Chapman at the entrance to the Dakota Apartment Building later that year.

Still Screaming

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

~ Dylan Thomas

After Lennon's death Yoko went through a quiet period, largely out of the public eye but eventually resurfaced through various art and music projects as well as her comittments to world peace.

Never shy of self-expression, Yoko is still screaming in her 70s (she was born in '33). The artist/musician/squillionaire has been blamed and criticised for many things. Perhaps some of it has been justified, some of it not. Did she break up the Beatles? Doubtful -it seems likely a split was inevitable; nothing is forever. and they were pursuing their own interests, going their own way. Probably above all else, she's been criticized for just being herself but love her or hate her, Yoko Ono is an original. Keep on screamin'.

Cynthia Lennon writes