Meet the Staff: The Sketchbook
· Blog Home
· Profile
· MySpace
· Contact Us
· FAQ/TOS
On This Page
· Just Notes: This, that and the other 1
· Culture Notes: Rave on
· Culture Notes: Coty lipstick & Weird Al
· Culture Notes: Random unremembered unremembereds
· Culture Notes: More 80's Style
· Fashion Notes: making your own jewelry
· Then and now: more 1980's
· Another 80's moment...
· Beauty Notes: Makeup inspired by the 80s, a fall makeup forecast
· Fashion Notes: How to dress around a bottom
· Fashion Notes: Cultural references aren't like metaphors
· 1980's style: makeup
· Yet another 80s video...
· 1980's style: Cyndi Lauper vs. Madonna
· Beauty & Fashion Notes: July 7, 2007
· Culture Notes: The 50s
Comments
· May 12, 2008 8:59 PM by
Dain
· May 12, 2008 10:15 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· May 12, 2008 10:23 PM by
Dain
· July 26, 2007 5:33 PM by
Audrey_H
· July 26, 2007 11:11 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· July 26, 2007 11:57 PM by
Dain
· July 22, 2007 4:43 PM by
Audrey_H
· July 25, 2007 4:03 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· July 8, 2007 2:51 AM by
Dain
· July 8, 2007 12:47 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· July 7, 2007 4:16 PM by
cmm
· July 7, 2007 7:29 PM by
Dain
· July 7, 2007 10:06 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· July 7, 2007 11:36 PM by
Dain
· July 7, 2007 12:54 AM by
Colleen Shirazi
· July 7, 2007 8:11 AM by
cmm
· July 7, 2007 7:35 PM by
Dain
· July 7, 2007 10:11 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
Archives
· Beauty Blog (2003-2004)
· Fashion Blog (archive)
· New Releases Blog (archive)
· Beauty Articles (archive)
· April 2005
· May 2005
· June 2005
· July 2005
· August 2005
· September 2005
· October 2005
· November 2005
· December 2005
· January 2006
· February 2006
· March 2006
· April 2006
· May 2006
· June 2006
· July 2006
· August 2006
· September 2006
· October 2006
· November 2006
· December 2006
· January 2007
· February 2007
· March 2007
· April 2007
· May 2007
· June 2007
· July 2007
· August 2007
· September 2007
· October 2007
· November 2007
· December 2007
· January 2008
· February 2008
· March 2008
· April 2008
· May 2008
· June 2008
· July 2008
Recent blog posts:
Links
Barneys
refinery29
The Sartorialist
Jargol
Perfume Shrine
Ambre Gris
Polyvore
The Fashioniste
The Powder Group
LA-Story.com
Dain's Literary Attempts
Colleen's Beading Blog
Colleen's Adult Acne Blog
The Beauty Blog Network
Eponym Blog Directory.
TBF Project:Blog
The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty & Fashion Blog
Just Notes: This, that and the other 1
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, May 12, 2008 12:00 AM (Eastern)
So...I had an interesting weekend, and I hope you did too.
I got this killer dress from a consignment shop. Quintessential late 80's/early 90's, new with tags, and fitted out with linebacker shoulder pads and little elastic "belt" in the back. A cool Indian design; this type of clothing had always been made in India before the apparel market began to drown in Chinese-made goods. The dress was fashioned entirely of a creamy ivory lace, with a built-in sheer dress underneath it.
Went home, snipped out the shoulder pads...the built-in sheer dress was attached to the lace overlay by the same stitching, so of course it came out. I'm sewing-challenged but have never minded mending, so I sewed it back together, and discovered a hole in the lace overlay (don't ask me how a new dress already had a hole in it). At first I wanted to do a fancy darning thing with ivory thread but ended up simply sewing the hole shut, as it showed less that way. With the genius of the dress design, the hole barely showed even when it was open (the bottom of the dress is an intricate design of pieces of lace sewn together to create a small froth).
While I was doing that, I found a hole in the built-in sheer dress, near the bottom in the side seam. It looked as if someone had cut a tag out using pinking shears. Jeesh! What's wrong with people. I sewed that one shut as well, and though the dress was clearly marked "dry clean only," I washed it in the machine (cold water, delicate cycle, Woolite). I can hardly wait to wear it, though I am pondering whether it's too ornate to wear to work.
Shoes...I trekked out to one of the shops around here that carries Cydwoqs, Rabat in Berkeley.
Hm. This was the first time I'd been to Rabat, and I'll have to admit I was disappointed. Instead of a wide selection of Cydwoqs, they had something like three kinds of the shoes, and maybe three or four kinds of the sandals. I wasn't interested in sandals; of the minute choice of shoes, they had Sprint, Force, and another which I don't recognize on the Cydwoq site.
Force was kind of neat. The model they had on the floor was the exact color I wanted...a brown so dark it looked black at first, so could be worn as a black shoe, or as a brown one.
But...if you expect someone to pay upward of $300 for shoes, you really should have more of a selection on hand. However you look at it, it's a lot of money. So I didn't buy.
The only other standout there was Salpy, another American-made shoe even spendier than the Cydwoqs, but with two amazing leathers...dark shoes with designs traced in gold.
I'll probably get out to Nordstrom next weekend, since I need the shoes now. I'm fairly sure Cydwoqs go on sale seasonally (I've seen their boots on sale online now), so it might be a matter of waiting for a better price.
Labels: cydwoq, just notes, retro, shoes
Culture Notes: Rave on
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 8:06 PM (Eastern)
Originally I was going to do a feature on songs about radio...now that we've all been Clear Channeled ad infinitum, no one sings about the radio anymore. Oh I know that's simplistic; without the Net to replace radio in the first place, the likelihood of the once-brilliant medium boiling down to muzak would have been slim.
So I got together three videos: Donna Summer's On the Radio, R.E.M.'s Radio Song, and Queen's Radio Ga-Ga.
Decided against Elvis Costello's Radio Radio...and yet...here, Costello is doing Buddy Holly, the way everyone else does Elvis. I had a sudden desire to hear Buddy Holly again.
RAVE ON - BUDDY HOLLY
What popped up when I was searching for Holly:
Rave On by John Lennon
So I thought I'd share this moment rather than the radio-on-radio concept. I'd never heard this cover before, in all the odd bootleg Beatles recordings I've heard over the years. Thanks icepick141!
If you're old enough to remember this song, you're probably old enough to know it commemorates the day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash, along with the pilot of the plane, Roger Peterson. It's a sad song, yet I loved it when I was a kid, and its many references to various pop bands of the time make it a bit historic as well.
Don McLean - American Pie
Labels: culture notes, music, retro
Culture Notes: Coty lipstick & Weird Al
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Monday, December 17, 2007 11:50 PM (Eastern)
What with the stress of the holidays, sometimes it's nice to just step back and breathe. I've had this Coty lipstick video in my bookmarks for a considerable time, and play it every once in a while to cheer myself up. Though the color of the film has degraded to the point many of the shades now look alike, its charm remains, with the bright red lips, graceful dancing, and carefully-composed graphical effects.
1950's Coty Lipstick Commercial
I had this sudden urge today to search for Weird Al Yankovic on Youtube. Came across this gem, from The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. Don't laugh, it was a very cool show--one of the first and last U.S. television shows to feature The Clash (you bet I stayed up to watch that one).
Weird Al Yankovic -Another One Rides the Bus
This of course is a parody of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust."
"I Lost On Jeopardy"--perhaps the funniest aspect is it's just as catchy as the original song, maybe more so. Greg Kihn Band "Jeopardy" (John's Live Performance Video)
Greg Kihn is still around btw; he works as a DJ. I try to catch his show now and again (the station it's on is kind of fuzzy from here).
"Weird Al" Yankovic - I Lost On Jeopardy
Featuring the original host of Jeopardy, Art Fleming, a cameo of Dr. Demento, and Kihn himself.
Culture Notes: Random unremembered unremembereds
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Wednesday, September 26, 2007 3:51 PM (Eastern)
Perhaps a quote from Donald Rumsfeld is in order.
"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
On the basis of that quote alone, it would appear Mr. Rumsfeld would have made a far better computer programmer than, say, a Secretary of Defense or some such thing. It makes perfect sense to me.
I've been experiencing a similar phenomenon lately, only it's unremembered unremembereds rather than unknown unknowns. Unremembered unremembereds are things you don't remember you don't remember, and only upon recalling them, do you recall you'd forgotten them in the first place.
Take Urgh! A Music War. Urgh! was a movie released in 1981, when I was sixteen. It featured various punk and new wave acts, some of which went on to greater fame, some of which became even less visible after the film was shown, if that were possible.
How I stumbled upon this unremembered unremembered...I was looking for a video for Oingo Boingo's "Weird Science." It's not a very good song, has even been described as the band's least favorite as it was a rush production. Oingo Boingo was a terrific band...not my favorite of the era, yet an interesting blend of their roots as a performance art group, the odd things Danny Elfman did with his voice, and the fact that much of their hit songs were woven into films. They were intrinsically theatrical, and very Los Angeles (if you can imagine anything more exotic to a native Virginian).
My favorite Oingo Boingo song is probably Stay, or even Just Another Day. Visually though, it's hard to beat "Dead Man's Party":
Oingo Boingo Dead Man's Party
Once I delved into the Oingo Boingo "thread" (what do they call that Google thing in Youtube, where they read your mind?), I glimpsed their song on Urgh!: Ain't This the Life?
Urgh! had some wonderful songs. Take "Total Eclipse," the late Klaus Nomi's part-cabaret, part-opera, all-entertaining song about a nuclear attack:
Klaus Nomi - Total Eclipse (live)
(I had seen Nomi prior to that on Saturday Night Live with David Bowie and a gentleman in a red dress.)
In the same prevailing Cold War groove, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark:
OMD - Enola Gay (live)
For every Pere Ubu (I'm not linking to that; even by the standards of the day, it was odd), there were The Go-Go's, Devo, Steel Pulse, UB40...oh, let's let The Police roll through the lineup:
the Police - outro 'So Lonely'
I haven't heard many of these songs easily in twenty years, or at least since I stopped playing them (I had the record). Funny to go back eh?
Labels: culture notes, music, retro
Culture Notes: More 80's Style
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, August 30, 2007 3:51 PM (Eastern)
"Ello, I'm Gizzard Puke, mugger to the gentry, and anyone who says punk's dead, will be."
"This morning, I spilled coffee all over my wife's dressing gown! Serves me right for wearing it!"
"Me faddah ust'a yell at me so much when I was a kid, I ust'a think me name was 'Shaddup!'"
Hm, looks like someone took down the Kenny Everett Show video I posted earlier. So here is a fresh new 80's video, of one of my favorite U2 songs.
U2 Hattem 1982 - Another Time, Another Place
I haven't actually liked U2 since The Joshua Tree, unless you count "Angel of Harlem." Very few rock bands should, imo, continue playing when they get old. Rock requires the sheer kinetic energy of youth, the ability to run up hills, to stay up three nights in a row, and to be optimistic that things can change.
I still recall Boy as influential however, as genuinely different and almost freakishly good. Perhaps it's all in the drummer, or in the rough lyrics, that uncannily captured the dark shadows of youth, when you caught glimpses of things that didn't make sense at the time.
I'm running in the rain
I'm caught in a late night play
It's all; it's everything
I'm soaking through the skin
Twilight...darkened day
Twilight...lost my way
Twilight...night and day
Twilight...can't find my way
Labels: culture notes, music, retro
Fashion Notes: making your own jewelry
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Tuesday, July 31, 2007 3:44 PM (Eastern)
I haven't done this for a while; every year, since I started in 2005, I've taken a few months off from making jewelry.The short version is it's an exhausting process. Unless you have the fortune of apprenticing with someone else, it's on you to winnow the vast number of suppliers and supplies (mastering the techniques is easy relative to that).
Even something like wire...there are four kinds of goldfilled wire, generally sold at two tempers, with four widely used gauges (and more gauges than that). Wire labeled "goldfilled" is meaningless, except it means 1/20 of the wire is karat gold of some sort. Silver...could be fine silver, sterling silver, or argentium sterling silver (recommended), with the same range of tempers and gauges.
It's worth the struggle; I've never doubted that. Making something concrete, in the sense of picking up tools and raw materials, exercises a different part of your brain than that used in creating something abstract. Take software, for example...it's largely created on paper. You can type the finished result into a text file really hard, or really softly; slowly or quickly; it's not going to affect how the program runs. It's all brain work, rather than a fusion of brain and hand.
I was rifling youtube (it's truly momentous btw), looking for an example of the "forgotten 80's." (Why 80's? perhaps it's better-documented than prior decades.) What people remember are the neon colors of clothing, makeup, shoes even; the big hair, the overall...daffiness? innocence?
Of course that's not how I remember it, exactly; the better part of the 80's for me was colored by the late 70's. And in fact this video is from a song released in 1979. But keep in mind, whatever was happening in England in 1979, took several years to percolate down to the villages in the States. lol And that's where I was, in the first half of the 80's.
Why this song? I wanted to illustrate the concept of taking nothing...raw materials...and getting up on a stage and producing something. Concerts these days (oh wait, let me get my walker), seem to have come full circle to the Big Production of the mid 70's--which is what the smaller bands rebelled against in the late 70's, and the energy of that period, imo, fueled much of what is remembered as the 80's.
"Concrete Jungle" by The Specials
Beading Blog - thebroadroom.net
Labels: fashion notes, indie, jewelry, retro
Then and now: more 1980's
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Thursday, July 26, 2007 4:56 PM (Eastern)
I don't recall what the trigger was, but I suddenly recalled one of the most influential movies of the 1980's: Flashdance (1983).
"Maniac" by Michael Sembello
Perhaps this movie, and this song, encapsulate something about the 80's that can't be addressed by the decade's superficialities. I actually feel funny that people now think it's all about the leg warmers. Why leg warmers? Removed from the context of movies like Flashdance, or 1980's Fame:
"Fame" by Irene Cara
...leg warmers seem like...silly knitted tubes, rather than lofty symbols of the dream within.
Fast forwarding to 2007...I came across this video:
"Real Girl" by Mutya Buena
...and couldn't resist matching up the 1980's status quo--women with infinite talent, throwing themselves, in an almost literal sense, against the restraints of the time--with our odd, modern, publish-it-yourself culture, where a woman with a Monroe :) can sing, "I'm not a little girl...I know exactly who I am," against the strains of Lenny Kravitz's "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over."
3 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
July 26, 2007 5:33 PM, Audrey_H said...
... and Lenny's song is SO much better than this one :) July 26, 2007 11:11 PM, Colleen Shirazi said...
I can admit I have a weakness for remakes, or songs that use samples. Off the top of my head...loved P.Diddy's "I'll Be Missing You," Alanis Morisette's covers of "Crazy" and "My Humps" (the latter is funnier than Weird Al), Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" where she sampled the Tom Tom Club...going back to Fun Boy Three's "Our Lips Are Sealed," John Lennon's covers of 1950's songs. I just like it when you're expecting the song to sound a certain way, and then someone does something entirely new with it. July 26, 2007 11:57 PM, Dain said...
I guess people think leg warmers because they're iconic. I mean, it doesn't strike me that people will want to wear them again, except as a costume, so it's an easy and safe thing to identify as "80s". |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Another 80's moment...
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Sunday, July 22, 2007 2:33 PM (Eastern)
I couldn't find a non-lip-synched version of this song, more's the pity. This video would be laugh-out-loud funny, actually, if it weren't for that perfect voice.
2 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
July 22, 2007 4:43 PM, Audrey_H said...
Aaaaaah. Wham. They had the key! (and the moves! haha) July 25, 2007 4:03 PM, Colleen Shirazi said...
I'm definitely jealous. George Michael is one of my favorite singers, it's hard to believe he started out as a "bubblegum singer." :) |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Beauty Notes: Makeup inspired by the 80s, a fall makeup forecast
Posted by Dain, Saturday, July 14, 2007 12:08 AM (Eastern)
Now for some real fun. Am I the only one who's been craving real color in makeup these days? Forget inspiration from the fashion shows; they're largely bland, ugly-faced models with neutral makeup, though I did like the looks at Valentino and Gucci, with cherry brown lipstick and Veronica Lake hair, though the taste for queer faces must go, classic makeup looks odd on distinctly unclassic faces.
Enough already, here are my top picks for fall.
bold lipstick Whether you opt for a classic red, a punchy coral, or 80s-ready magenta, make it lipstick. Lipgloss is so passé. Mine is the dark and bright raspberry-red of Armanisilk #46 Bordeaux, which satisfies my desire for real color quite spectacularly. We've been so afraid of real lipstick these days, and I'm not sure women will give up their sheers just yet. But you can always test drive brights by buying lowend, such as the classic L'Oreal Sea Fleur (above), or choose a more muted option, like the rich raisin of Elizabeth Arden Beauty (also above), and dab it on for a finger for a softer effect that disguises imperfect lips quite well. In fact, I would recommend a slightly imperfect application in any case, it looks much more fresh with saturated color.
strong brows With strong lipstick, there must be balance elsewhere on the face, or you'll look like a toddler who's gotten into her mother's lipstick, stark and inappropriate. Even if you wear nothing besides black mascara, defined brows will lend support without looking like "makeup".
rich eyes Make bright lipstick your mainstay, and alternate your eyes—somewhat the opposite from previous seasons, when eyes would be invariably smoky. I think there's something retroactively romantic about a woman who wears the same bold lipstick every day, but that doesn't mean you need to stick to any one eye look. For the faint of heart, there's the Bobbi Brown Stonewashed Nude Palette, for the softest of smoky eyes, the silvery cast makes it just a little edgier. For a graphic look, nothing beats the simplicity of black liquid liner, or the punk rock appeal of smudgy black along the inner rim: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack. If you're not afraid of color, pair bright eyes with bright lipstick: I like a metallic gold with red, electric violet with raisin, lime with coral, pewter with raspberry, and the subdued teal of NARS Underworld with magenta. You'll find that a shimmery bronze eyeliner will work wonders as a "base" for eyeshadows with brighter lipsticks.
fresh skin With so much to consider in the way of color, leave skin be. Keep it fresh and dewy, judiciously applied concealer will do, a tinted moisturizer if you really need it. For cheeks, try a tame, healthy flush like NARS Malibu Multiple, a touch of the sun without the fuss of bronzer.
big perfume When I think of 80s perfume, I think it is fortunate that we've moved away from it, because all I can dream up is the word "cloying". But complex, strong perfumes might be an improvement on the watery offerings of today (fruity gourmand revisions on bestsellers, eau de l'été bullshit). Back to strong perfumes for strong women. I'm interested in Fifi Chachnil's absurdly pink retro atomizer, a sexy, flirty juice: rose and tobacco and coriander and amber.
Labels: beauty notes, bobbi brown, elizabeth arden, fifi chachnil, giorgio armani, kevyn aucoin, l'oreal, mac cosmetics, nars, retro
Fashion Notes: How to dress around a bottom
Posted by Dain, Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:23 AM (Eastern)
When building a wardrobe, I always find that the source of inspiration is often the the "bottom". Somehow it sets the tone of the outfit, and if you're careful about your investment, it should walk the fine line between "neutral" (for mxing and matching) and "special" (because I don't like boring clothes). This means that anything too ornamental won't do, with the rare exception, and it needs to be sturdy enough for everyday wear.
I prefer skirts to pants. Honestly, they are more comfortable, and I look better in them. I have a small waist and ankles, and a full knee-length a-line flatters them enormously, and doesn't require heels (a pencil skirt, by contrast, should never be worn with flats unless you've killer stems). Pants are much more difficult; I have short legs. The only drawback is really nasty weather: skirts don't stand up to snow particularly well.
'Tis a long preamble of a tale*. Here is the one I want. It's inspired by a skirt worn in All About Eve, though the film version is more sober. This McQ skirt is more colorful than I really want, but it's really hard to find fall clothes in the middle of July!
I like its raw edge, and it looks swingy. I like swingy. The fabric isn't delicate, which is good for quotidien dressing. It's too long to be Catholic schoolgirl, it's too well tailored to be grunge. I like the idea of cinching it with a belt, though I don't own a belt—I guess it's high time I got myself one. I would pair this with something more comfortable, ballet flats. Classic styles would work well of course, but these are a more interesting (but not too flashy) offering from Miu Miu ($430):
It is utterly lovely: black suede with purple rosettes. I've been craving purple for some reason lately, and black goes so well with it. Simultaneously mutes and highlights how vibrant a hue it is.
Since this skirt is supposed to have been inspired by 30s style, it seems only appropriate to add some art deco jewelry It is very much a statement, so one major piece would be enough, like this zillion-dollar one-of-a-kind ring from Fred Leighton. A girl can dream, can't she?
Since the bottom is a little richer in texture, I opted for fairly plain tops: a classic buttondown in a soothing lavender stripe from Thomas Pink ($80), jewel tone v-necks from J.Crew ($69.50, very 80s), and secretary blouse with gold stars from Moschino Jeans ($133 at yoox.com), the busiest of all.
*Wife of Bath's Prologue, I forget which line exactly... it's somewhat before the tale begins.
Labels: fashion notes, fred leighton, retro
Fashion Notes: Cultural references aren't like metaphors
Posted by Dain, Monday, July 09, 2007 12:39 AM (Eastern)
They ought to be mixed. There's no point in following a trend too faithfully; you run the risk of looking costumey. You've got to make it modern, and you've got to make it your own. One nod to an 80s trend, a rugged leather jacket (inspired by the one worn in the "Beyond the Silence" video). One nod to a 30s trend, a longer-length skirt in some sort of sober "country" fabric with lots of texture. And finally, a combination of both, in an evening dress and coat.
This ought to be black, for the bona fide 80s punk vibe, worn over tight jeans, but I don't wear black. I much prefer this sleek and creamy nougat hue from Banana Republic ($298)—as long it's sufficiently rugged and tough, and the right length, it has enough rock chic to keep me going.
A true 30s suit would be much more dowdy, but why should I court such a look? (Got to make it modern, got to make it yours.) I've been obsessed with the idea of a plaid skirt (my idea of texture, as I'm bored with bouclé or tweed), and I think this McQ blue plaid skirt ($310) keeps itself away from the Catholic schoolgirl vibe, with its demure length and sophisticated tailoring. The right accessories, too, will keep it from being too casual (which I'll expand on next time).
A glamorous frock is my ideal vision of the 30s, perhaps from watching Gosford Park so often with its parade of elegantly body-conscious evening gowns. This one is Zac Posen FW 2007; I just adore the saturated ultraviolet chiffon petals. And since silk dresses aren't made for warmth, may I suggest this outrageous hot pink fur coat from Armani Privé? There's nothing prettier—or more 80s glam—than hot pink. Might as well pile it on.
Labels: derek lam, fashion notes, giorgio armani, retro
1980's style: makeup
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, Saturday, July 07, 2007 11:34 PM (Eastern)
image courtesy time.com
Here is how people remember 80's makeup: flawless skin, with nary a freckle, wrinkle, circle or bag; lots of mascara and liner; eyeshadow that ranged from "smoky" to "jewel toned," but always definitely "there"; clear pink or fuchsia blush; strong lips, typically red, pink or fuchsia.
In perhaps a more typical implementation, we have "Trillian" (Sandra Dickinson, from the television series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy):
image courtesy news.bbc.co.uk
At the same time, there was a softer, pastel version, with gently tanned skin, soft pearly eyeshadows, mascara (fer sure), and shimmery pink lips, that was the California version of the 80's (and I was jealous of it; they looked so perfect):
image courtesy www.dvdactive.com
Unlike among the famous beauties of today, there wasn't much diversity back then. The majority of models were white. MTV, which still showed music videos at the time, was dominated by white singers and groups. One of the few exceptions was Whitney Houston:
image courtesy youtube.com
And now...my 80's video (I didn't embed Houston's video; I felt a still would show her 80's makeup better):
Okay I have no idea when this was filmed, but the song is from 1984.
2 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
July 8, 2007 2:51 AM, Dain said...
Looking at the current cover of W with Gisele, and the cover of Time with Brooke Shields, similar but different. Big, windblown hair? Check. Strong eyes? Check. Strong lips? Check. Strong face? Check. July 8, 2007 12:47 PM, Colleen Shirazi said...
Yeah, I can agree with that. The main difference is the foundation. Which is good. |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Yet another 80s video...
Posted by Dain, 7:07 PM (Eastern)
It's pretty silly, as only the 80s can do it. Am I the only one who finds the 80s jerking-as-dancing funny? This is an amazing video though, it's so excessive!
1980's style: Cyndi Lauper vs. Madonna
Posted by Colleen Shirazi, 2:05 PM (Eastern)
True Colors by Cyndi Lauper (1986)
Madonna - "Get Into the Groove" Music Video
Madonna eclipsed Lauper at one point; it could be argued it was a matter of style over substance, as Lauper was the (tremendously) better singer of the two.
However, Madonna deserves credit for her sheer creativity--a quality which must not be left out of our mid-2007 resurrection of the 80's. Madonna was never about spending money. She was, in her own way, as much a working class hero as Lauper. (In my memory of the period, the two are more twined together than opposed.)
Fashion historians, note Lauper's iconic, flamboyantly dyed orange hair, which has been sprayed and teased to form the ginormous hair (or "big hair") of the day.
Madonna's style contributions are many and varied, from the "wall of bracelets" (she was the first to do this that I know of), to thrift-store chic (perfectly captured in Desperately Seeking Susan)...she borrowed from punk in her all-black ensembles, wore lingerie as if it were outerwear...I remember quite clearly, as I'd thought for years that something as beautiful as lingerie should be seen, somehow... Madonna can't be credited with making inch-long dark roots fashionable, exactly, since Debbie Harry did that in the mid 1970's, but she went a long way toward making DIY a positive thing.
Labels: fashion notes, music, retro
4 comment(s)
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
|
July 7, 2007 4:16 PM, cmm said...
oh, now you're gettin me all teary-eyed and nostalgic!! July 7, 2007 7:29 PM, Dain said...
Madonna is such a pop maverick. I think it's been only recently that she's gotten tasteless; she's always been a tastemaker. Imo, it was when she copied Angelina Jolie and adopted a kid. It may have been a generous gesture, but it was so transparently a publicity gesture, and I don't know... it's ok in showbiz to pretend to be bad because people do it all the time, but somehow, I resent the appearance of virtue. And I think the public does, too. July 7, 2007 10:06 PM, Colleen Shirazi said...
Carol: Youtube is nothing short of amazing. There are videos for very nearly everything, stuff you thought you'd never see again, ever. Plus stuff from around the world. July 7, 2007 11:36 PM, Dain said...
Madonna kind of reminds me of Justin Timberlake now. |
Permalink
. del.icio.us
. Stumble
Beauty & Fashion Notes: July 7, 2007
Posted by Dain, 12:11 AM (Eastern)
Yay! New stuff!
My balmworks.com order came today, and I tried everything but the soap within five minutes. I got a full size of the Burt's Bees Repair Serum, which I've been testing this past week or so with excellent results. I think of it as a mostly rosehip, jojoba, lavender, vitamin E, and evening primrose oil, with some calendula, green tea, neroli, and rose. I rather like the full size bottle; it's unique and pleasing in the hand and eye, though I worry that it might spill or break easily. The Evolving Balm itself is quite nice, with a soft lavender and chamomile scent (in all honesty, I don't smell rose, which is fine by me, I much prefer lavender). It is basically a solidified oil that melts easily, though it may not be so liquid in winter. The search for a multipurpose salve was inspired by trying out my friend's Smith's Minted Rose salve, but I wanted something more thoughtful than glorified petroleum. This is perfect, albeit a little oily. It's lovely as a rich face cream, not at all greasy or heavy. I got the travel size, which is about the same size as the Smith's, in the Lotka set, which gave me the opportunity to try some other Badger products, and what a lovely line it is. The Highland Mint lip balm is nice, on the slippery rather than waxy side, though if I had had my say I'd have tried the Chai Rose scent. The Evolving Body Oil is my new favorite. It's got the same delightful scent as the balm (stronger), and the same great ingredients, save for the beeswax. Mmm... it smells so good! Now all I want is Dr. Bronner's Lavender Magic Soap to match it.
I needed to replace my NARS Gothika (I had lost it), and needed to replace my blush. I had gotten a Revlon cream blush to fill the void, but it just wasn't cutting it. Nice, but every so slightly off, and I like to endorse my products wholeheartedly. I was thinking of NARS Sin, but I wanted a cream blush instead. I was going to check out Stila Convertible Color in Rose or Orchid, but they've discontinued them or something, because they weren't there! I looked at NARS Malibu, universally gorgeous blush, but I prefer more color. So I went to the crème de la crème of cream blushes, Becca. Wild Orchid is probably my favorite blush of all time, but then I saw that they had the Beach Tint in stock. Great stuff: blendable, pigmented (a small dab will do ya), twice as much product as the regular cream blushes, travel-worthy, universally flattering, I just wish it didn't smell like Bonne Bell.
I'm already looking ahead to fall...
It's a strange business, predicting cultural trends. It's easy this time, it's gonna be the 80s, because they are fresh again. Signs of this: the cover of this month's W above, the prevalence of the music at bars (where it no longer sounds tacky), models like Agyness Deyn (who is going to be, as far as I'm concerned, the next supermodel since Gisele), and the ubiquitous skinny jean. It'll take a year or so to get off the ground, and it won't be an exact replication (nor should it be), but the main thing is that the 80s will be popular.
And once a culture becomes popular, there rises a counterculture as a reaction against it. It's way too early to predict the appropriate counterculture with any certainty, but my intuition suggests the 30s. I cannot say why exactly, just a fleeting handful of references barely within my sartorial peripherals, but I suspect the fashion elite will prefer the dark, slightly seedy, and progressive attitude of the 30s. The mysterious quality of 30s style is ideally juxtaposed against the exuberance of the 80s.
I'll follow with specific picks.
Next on the list, skincare!
There's no point in doing this in order, as it's just a fantasy anyway. I want to avoid redundancy, because that is not only the work of dull minds, but also ones that want to cheat you, what Marx calls "creating" the need. For example, I wouldn't offer an anti-aging eye cream, because that's just the same as face cream but pound-for-pound more expensive. It's only when an eye cream addresses a specific need, like puffy eyes or dark circles, that it has any merit. Nor do I want products that are confined to roles; for example, I would offer a good vitamin C and AHA treatment, for its lightening and "anti-aging" properties, but it could also be dabbed on blemishes during the day or used as a nighttime chemical exfoliant. The trick is to create a smart formula.
Minimalist, effective, and aesthetic: those are my goals.
I need to consider what the skin needs, what ingredients are capable of, and how they work together. Skin types are not merely acne, oily, combination, normal, dry, sensitive, mature, though this is how cosmetic companies usually think of them. Dry, mature skin may suffer from acne, and oily skin may have sensitivities. No, we must find a better way to look at the skin. It helps to remember that skincare is layered, one product on top of another, and that certain "star" ingredients, like the aforementioned vitamin C, are capable of multitasking.
Labels: alchemist's apprentice, badger, beauty notes, burt's bees, fashion notes, models, retro
4 comment(s)
|
July 7, 2007 12:54 AM, Colleen Shirazi said...
Yeah, Malibu is almost as much bronze as rose. I can wear lipsticks with brown or bronze in them, without them looking muddy...my coloring "eats" the bronze or brown. July 7, 2007 8:11 AM, cmm said...
Oh dear. The 80's. Not sure if I like that idea or not, having lived through them once. :) |
May 12, 2008 8:59 PM,
Maybe if you wore a boyish, oversize blazer like this one you'd bring it down a notch. I know this is a rather expensive example, but I imagine you can find one for cheap easily, maybe even in the boys' department of some store.
May 12, 2008 10:15 PM,
I may have to wear it for work! There's talk we're going to have a small heat wave. The nice factors are the lace and the white color. A good part of dealing with hot weather is psychological, after all, like wearing green, blue or white.
I'll have to look at it more closely to see if it's long enough to get away with wearing knee-high stockings, another hot-weather trick.
May 12, 2008 10:23 PM,
I'm all for it. If it looks good, it looks good. : )