Sun is shining, I am off to Soho for Paul Burston's book reading, and the livin' is easy...
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Where did you get that hat?
I have always had a "thing" for hats - whether those of Schiaparelli or Cecil Beaton, Philip Treacy or Mitza Bricard for Dior. Among my greatest style icons are people who can really wear hats - George Melly, Audrey Hepburn, Gloria Swanson, Molly Parkin, Grace Jones, Greta Garbo, Isabella Blow. So it was no surprise, really, that we had to go and see the exhibition Hats - an Anthology at the V&A before it closes tomorrow.
It was a sumptuous extravaganza - so many beautiful and bizarre creations I just wanted to try on!
Influenced by Cecil Beaton's 1971 V&A show Fashion - an Anthology and including 300 examples of millinery and its inspirations throughout history - from an Egyptian Anubis mask dating from 600 BC, a Coptic Fez (ca. 1100), a Tudor knitted beret and a silk and straw bonnet dating from 1807, to the most unusual creations of today - it was collated and artistically inspired by the wunderkind milliner to the stars Stephen Jones.
Born in 1957, Stephen graduated from London's St Martin's School of Art in 1979 and began to make hats for friends - just at the right time for the post-punk Futurist/New Romantic dressing-up world that heralded the early 80s.
At around that time he lived in a squat with Boy George, among others - and as the only squatter with a car, he used to drive the Boy around to the Blitz Club and other arty nights where they would parade their latest outrageous sartorial creations.
As his designs became wildly in demand amongst the uber-hip (Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Steve Strange) within a year of graduating he had his own shop in Covent Garden. Things really took off when Jean-Paul Gaultier saw George wearing one of Stephen's designs in the video for Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? and invited him to design the hats for his latest Paris show.
He went on to acquire the greatest accolade of the age when Princess Diana commissioned him to design for her, and his fame was assured - over the years he has worked with Vivienne Westwood, Claude Montana, Comme des Garcons, Marc Jacobs, Thierry Mugler and John Galliano, and his surreal creations have been worn by just about everyone including the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Alison Goldfrapp, Beyonce Knowles and Dita Von Teese.
Even renowned contemporary and rival surrealist milliner Philip Treacy learned his trade on work placement with Stephen Jones...
A genius - and a brilliant exhibition!
Hats - an Anthology
Stephen Jones Millinery
Friday, 29 May 2009
Almost makes me want to watch 'stenders
News is all over the place that not only has the very lovely Marc Elliott joined the cast of Eastenders as long-lost [yawn] son of the Masood family, but he is to be involved in a gay tryst.
I never watch the soaps, but just looking into the sexy eyes of this man could change my mind...
Gay Muslim story for Eastenders
I never watch the soaps, but just looking into the sexy eyes of this man could change my mind...
Gay Muslim story for Eastenders
Thursday, 28 May 2009
You're into a time-slip...
This makes me feel a little old. Patricia Quinn, forever in our hearts as "Magenta" in The Rocky Horror Picture Show celebrates her 65th birthday today!
Unfortunately for Miss Quinn, she has never really been able to shake off the part that really made her a star around the globe - despite being a first-class actress, with roles in the classic series I, Claudius, Fortunes of War opposite Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, and even Dr Who.
Facts about Patricia Quinn:
- She was born in Belfast.
- She was a Playboy Bunny Girl before becoming an actress.
- From her marriage to the late Sir Robert Stephens, she in fact "Lady Stephens".
- She is is stepmother to Robert's sons by marriage to Maggie Smith: Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin.
- Her nephew Jonny Quinn is the drummer of Snow Patrol.
- She became a London club hostess in 2006, and duetted on stage with Patrick Wolf.
Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born 28th May 1944)
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Horror Hammers
As we raise a glass (of virgin's blood, perhaps?) in toast to Christopher Lee, whose 77th birthday it is today, it is worth pondering on a bizarre coincidence...
Amazingly, fellow horror star Peter Cushing was born on May 26 (yesterday) and Vincent Price was also born on today's date! Three horror icons, contemporaries, sharing birthdays on two consecutive dates. Even better, the three men were good friends.
Of his meeting Christopher Lee in 1968, Vincent Price said, “I had heard he was very pompous, and I was really a little worried about meeting him. Well, we took one look at each other and started laughing… We find each other hysterically funny.”
On meeting Peter Cushing on the set of The Curse of Frankenstein. Christopher Lee wrote, “Our very first encounter began with me storming into his dressing-room and announcing in petulant tones, ‘I haven’t got any lines!’ He looked up, his mouth twitched and he said dryly, ‘You’re lucky. I’ve read the script.” And from that moment on the two men became friends for life.
And here are the three great hams in one of their rare performances together:
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Nothing like a Dame
That magnificent dame of the theatre Serena (Sir Ian McKellen) celebrated his 70th birthday on Monday. He celebrated his night off from Waiting for Godot in style by taking 25 of his friends to La Cage aux Folles, where he acquired a lovely lipstick print on his forehead from one of the "Cagelles".
After the show he continued the festivities at a private birthday in the theatre with the cast, with stars Roger Allam and Philip Quast, and other friends including the wonderful Frances Barber, fab luvvie Simon Callow, and the gorgeous Paul Keating.
Happy birthday to a stalwart of theatre, and of gay rights! For it is another famous anniversary this summer - twenty years ago, the ground-breaking political lobby group Stonewall was founded (allegedly in a meeting in Serena's front room), and its successes are now legendary, not least with the estimable support of Sir Ian McKellen. A marvellous man!
Sir Ian McKellen
Monday, 25 May 2009
Electrify my heart, electrify my soul
OK - it is a Bank Holiday Monday, it's pissing down (as usual), and I reckon the world is well overdue for a dose of possibly the most preposterous German Eurotrash band of all time. Needless to say still very popular in Spain, here's the amazingly tacky Modern Talking...
And, of course...
Modern Talking on Wikipedia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)