From the desk of Mrs Gorman

Friday night

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:36:09 +0000

Friday night at 5.30:

Friday night at 9.30:

Dance it out

Building the body

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:57:19 +0000

Tonight at the Petrie Musem in London, Marilyn Bruce-Mitford, now Luscombe, is talking to Dr Carole Reeves about her experiences as a ground breaking female body-building champion in the 1980s. Marilyn wrote a book on body building in 1985 and appeared on TV on the chat show Wogan to promote it, she is now putting together her memories of the challenges she faced, both building her body and attitudes towards her. Go!

“I was 43, so I was a lot older than most of the girls who had by then started to train and compete, but seven years of training beat youth hands down.”

Marilyn in the seventies:

You can still buy Marilyn’s book “Designer Body”, or read Linder Sterling’s book which touches on her bodybuilding in the 1980s.

Film inspiration: White Mischief

MrsGorman — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:18:49 +0000

Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance star in this dramatisation of a murder which took place in Kenya’s Happy Valley during World War Two. The case brought to public attention the dissolute lives of the British aristocrats living in Kenya - drinking, gambling and sleeping with one another’s wives.

White Mischief was made in 1987 - Marit Allen worked on the costumes and it shows. Sarah Miles plays a wicked and wonderful Alice de Janze, who masturbates over her dead lover at the morgue.

It’s a book and a film and both are highly recommended.

Damn!

MrsGorman — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:24:57 +0000

Vintage Chevignon Cosmos Bomber Jacket from ZONE7STYLE. Always reliable.

Ways of seeing

MrsGorman — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:23:16 +0000

Yara De Nicola’s photographs of fashion week in Milan and Paris for Self Service magazine.

Nijinsky 1912

MrsGorman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:41:51 +0000

Christian Comte animated stills of Nijinsky taken by Baron Adolph de Meyer. These beguiling short films give a glimpse his genius or are an insult to his memory and his insistence never to be captured on film - depending how you look at it. See more here.

Adolph de Meyer himself was a favorite of Diana Vreeland and Cecil Beaton and features heavily in the former’s wonderful book Allure, the first edition of which I was lucky enough to receive as a Christmas gift from Mr G.

Carré Otis

MrsGorman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:43:17 +0000

Just loved Carré Otis in the 90s.

In black leather:

And white denim:

The last image, by Michael Roberts, is a personal favorite. I could look at her all day.

A little light reading: Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir: The Carre Otis Story

Johnson’s at Chelsea Space

MrsGorman — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:23:12 +0000

This is my favorite image from the Johnson’s exhibition at Chelsea Space curated by Mr G.

I like the idea that the clothes at Johnson’s had a strong costume element to them, that Lloyd was interested in revisiting the youth cults of the post-war period - mods, rockers, beatniks - and making their looks contemporary. Unlike Ralph Lauren, another retailer with a line in myth-making, It’s all very exuberant and tongue-in-cheek. It’s the perfect 80s pop scenario - a one-stop-shop for the one-hit-wonder requiring some enduring youth cult appeal and stage worthy flash.

I love this staff member with her big sleeve roll-up, quiff and bola tie. I’m off to go learn me a buckaroo knot.

Happy Birthday Madoorrrnnnaaaarrr

MrsGorman — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:45:45 +0000

Madonna in Katharine Hamnett in the Washington DC special premiere of Dick Tracy.

Nicked from FuckYeahEarlyMadonna with respect.

Warpaint

MrsGorman — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:44:04 +0000

It’s been a strange week in London and the girls from Warpaint have been accompanying me on my ipod on my daily walks. Their sound seems to suit the mood. Aussie drummer - a good thing.

As much as I love them I hope I’ll be back listening to something a little lighthearted soon…