Don’t Go Into the LightZelda Rubinstein became a part of many of our childhoods thanks to her memorable role as a ghost hunting medium in Poltergeist and now, at the age of 76, she has herself finally gone into the light. Aside from that pivotal role, Rubinstein was a fearless activist against HIV and Aids and spoke out about the dangers before it became fashionable. Rest in peace, Zelda.
Macabre Mistress of DiamondsOh, if I only had a billion dollars, the jewelry of Delfina Delettrez is exactly the kind of glorious insanity I would blow my money on. The heiress (of Fendi) designer’s pieces are wicked, funny, dark and bizarre. Salvador Dali would swoon after tripping over my already swooning body.
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Space PrincessThe on-screen work of the great Carrie Fisher inspired past Halloween costumes of both myself and my sister (see below/after the jump) but it’s the woman herself that I love the most. Her wit, nuttiness, frankness, and wild charm were all clear and on display during her one woman show, Wishful Drinking, that we saw this weekend. She’s spectacular in her flaws.
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Plus Sized BeautyThe Terry Richardson lensed One Size Fits All campaign, with the bodacious Crystal Renn, is one of my favorite fashion spreads of the past few years. Not just because a non waif is presented in the spread like a token freak in a size-specific issue, but because she looks ten times more rocking and amazing than her skin and bones counterpart. I don’t really want to get into the weight debate here, but I do want to praise Renn for outright awesomeness.
Once suffering terribly with an eating disorder, Renn broke the illness’s hold on her and wrote a book about it called Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves. Since then she’s quickly become the most recognized non conformist fashion model to grace the pages of the biggest fashion magazines. Just a few of her looks are below/after the jump. Having thighs that actually touch has never looked or felt so good.
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Believer in SantaShe warmed our hearts in Miracle on 34th St, but Natalie Wood was more than a cutesy little kid. In fact, she was known to be quite a temptress in the Hollywood scene, even in her teens (Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley and Michael Caine were all romantically linked to her). Her career shifted from childhood to more mature work with the classic Rebel Without a Cause, which also happens to be my favorite of her movies. Other key films are Splendor in the Grass, West Side Story, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.
Wood died tragically after falling off a party boat while intoxicated in 1981.
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Vengeful LovelyFull disclosure, I rented Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion for strictly vanity reasons. When I went dark with my hair and got a new brimmed Japanese hat, there was some image in mind that kept popping up. There was a trench coat, ravens, and a sharp knife…
Eventually I tracked down the image and the film series it came from and settled into this wildly stylized exploitation film. I quickly realized, of course, the I look nothing like the stunning Meiko Kaji, being that I am not a stunning Japanese beauty myself, but I can certainly claim her as a personal style icon. The vengeance outfit (trench and brimmed hat) is impeccable, but I also ran out to get liquid eye liner inspired by the perfect dark lids she somehow boasts while hog tied in solitary confinement.
Kaji’s 1973 film, Lady Snowblood was one of the inspirations for the Kill Bill films. Below/after the jump are some of images from the trippy, visually wowzer Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion.
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R.I.P.It was very sad to hear of the passing of artist and muse Jeanne Claude, who along with her husband Christo, transformed Central Park with The Gates, a lovely installation that any one living here could enjoy. (Well, not everyone: I distinctly remember former co-workers bragging about how dumb they told their kids it was). Together over decades, the team has been making people re-examine the world with their bright drapings. Whether you were a fan of their large scale creations or not, a partnership like theirs is one to envy and celebrate. Christo has said he is “committed to honor the promise they made to each other many years ago: that the art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude would continue.”
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ActressI went on a recent binge buying cheap vintage magazines on eBay and while flipping through a Vogue from 1972 I was struck by the spectacular bohemian elegance of Silvana Mangano, a “secret star” who “rejects fame to live on a country farm as the woman she wants to be – a wife and mother.”
I’m floored by her intriguing beauty and her lifestyle but have to admit, I’ve only seen her on screen in here late career role as the Reverend Mother Ramallo in Dune. Must add more to my netflix queue! It turns out that her family is a bit more familiar to me: her husband was the late mega-producer Dino de Laurentis (Barbarella, Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Dune, Manhunter, Blue Velvet, etc); her granddaughter is the shiny toothed food hostess Giada de Laurentiis.
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Prime-time GlitzOh Solid Gold Dancers, how you added sparkle to my childhood.
My sister and I were highly influenced by their Lycra-clad glamor and we’d dance around the basement, Meghan spinning me over her head, The Pointer Sisters blaring, envisioning ourselves as Saturday night television stars.
I also had a long-running joke where I’d ask for ‘salad gold’ for dinner.
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They're terrible, sure… but just to be fair I'll let them defend themselves in their own words. These are some of Heidi's:
'Jesus was persecuted, and I'm going to get persecuted, ya know?'
'I have been the most religious person since I was 2 years old. I always felt this crazy connection to God.'
'I plan to win an Oscar. I'm very ambitious.'
'I grew up watching Britney Spears. That's someone I inspire to be, you know, like, career wise. I think the world is ready for the next pop star and I'm ready to be the next pop galaxy, so here we go.'
'[Joining the Mile High Club] was maybe the best experience I've ever had in my entire life.'
'I'm more of a modern Mother Teresa.'
And Spencer's:
'Not picking Heidi for the vice president, it's just cold.'
[On Heidi's song, “Fashion”]: 'It's the greatest song of my life.'
'My hustle is just too crazy. I'm trying to take over the world!'
'Anyone in Transformers or Twilight — that's cheating. Because if you give me a billion dollar marketing machine behind Speidi, we would be Obama right now.
'We're just heating up the water in the bathtub. It's gonna get hot!'
'I have never been so madly in love as I am with Heidi. She has the world's greatest boyfriend!'
'I secretly am the hottest rapper in the game.'
'Heidi Montag is the “new, modern day, 2010 Michael Jackson”. Like, Michael Jackson's in heaven. The Holy Spirit now has Michael Jackson juice, so boom! For all we know, Heidi gets possessed with Michael Jackson's divine spirit.'
I'm not often on 'corpulent vampire' Al Roker's side, but I do enjoy this clip.