The gorgeous Laurakitty posted a photo of Gene Tierney on her wonderful Sighs and Whispers blog, which reminded me that I’ve had this photo sitting in my ‘to do’ folder ever since I saw it a few weeks back. I’m completely in love with her look and specifically with this photo, and was just waiting for the right time to share.
This week is going to be a bit busy so my posts might have to be pretty brief, but I’ll try to make them pretty in their briefness.
I have a confession to make; I’m afraid I go weak at the knees for guys in stripes. Not any old stripey thing, I hasten to add, but nicely tailored Sixties or Seventies numbers (and a bit of early Eighties stripey shirt action, Duran-style). I’m not sure where it came from, or why it has such a strange effect on me, but I’m not sure I really care. I’m just enjoying the view…..
(sensory overload….Pattie in Ossie! George in stripes!! Where to look, where to look….)
For various tedious reasons, I’ve been a bit quiet on the old website listing front in the past month. But I’m feeling much perkier now, more inspired and oh boy have I got a lot of goodies (just listed, and in the works…). Watch out world!
Right now I’ve just listed an incredible John Bates for Jean Varon dress (1973, just check out the original advert from Vogue), a chocolate brown rayon crepe Lee Bender for Bus Stop beauty, a Dove Clothing Company deep cobalt blue cord maxi dress (perfect for walking through wintry landscapes), a super romantic cream damask Clobber (a.k.a Jeff Banks) dress with flutter sleeves and trailing ribbons….and finally, a slinky blue Cathy McGowan dress with the most gorgeous sleeves and pleated front detail. Yeah, Cathy McGowan….that’s pretty darned rare!
My hair mood changes daily (last week I had an Austrian milkmaid moment) so my hair inspirations have to be quite varied in general. I was sorting through some of my books the other day and realised that a photo of Veronica Lake in a ‘Film Goddesses’ book I was given many moons ago, with her hair draped over a bearskin rug, must have been quite influential for me. She’s like the proto-Roxy Music girl, non? I have no intention of going blonde any time soon, unless I can magically get this nasty L’Oreal stuff out, but I do enjoy occasionally waving and side parting my hair….
Several years ago, when I was in the first throws of my New Romantic love affair, a friend told me about something she’d seen on ITV a few years prior, called Hunting Venus. It starred Martin Clunes as the floppy-shirted bassist and Neil Morrissey as the flamboyant lead singer of a New-Rom group called The Venus Hunters, who are kidnapped and blackmailed into reforming the group. Danny Webb appears to be doing a mighty fine impression of Andy Taylor, I’m not quite sure which drummer Ben Miller was inspired by but I’m fairly certain Mark Williams is only channeling Nick Rhodes sartorially. Either that or he’s seen some interview I missed out on….
She loved it so much that she bought the soundtrack and recently gifted it to me in a clear-out. By now I’ve got most of the tracks on there anyway, but it’s still a nice thing to have. I never did see it at the time, and I still can’t find any evidence of it having been released on DVD. I desperately want to see it now, of course, especially after finding it on YouTube. In poor quality and with the soundtrack disabled for several parts, I’m not sure I want that to be the first time I get to see it.
Anyway, because the title track (Starburst; co-written by Jools Holland no less) has been stuck in my head ALL day and making me laugh like a drain every time (yes, I have a childish sense of humour) I thought I would inflict share a clip with you. Watch out for Simon Le Bon, Tony Hadley AND Gary Numan making cameo appearances. Why has this not been released? Why??
Okay, maybe I can only summon three to mind whilst writing this [will add more if I can think of them] but still…they do seem to be ageing rather well, don’t they? Recent concert photos of Mr Martin Kemp got me thinking about how dishy he and Mr Nigel Taylor still are – and then I remembered that Mick Karn isn’t doing too badly either. I’m more of a Sylvian kinda girl, but Karn comes a close second with interesting hair and make-up….
Always, always seeking inspiration. Particularly right now while I sit here, staring at listings I need to be doing but failing to have the energy to write my usual [lovingly] flowery descriptions. I want to do these amazing pieces justice.
I also have strong urges to be creating my own….things. Which also requires inspiration. Time and energy are sadly lacking right now; I seek rejuvenation and inspiration. Does anyone have a bottle of pure energy to hand?
So once more, I delve into my magazine pile and fall in love with colour, texture, atmosphere and silhouettes. I particularly love this circus-themed fashion story from Petticoat Magazine, December 1968.
I, for one, would definitely run away to the circus right now…
If you’re on Facebook, and you’re a fan of Vintage-a-Peel, you can now be a fan of Vintage-a-Peel on Facebook. Hurrah!
I promise I’ll be back with a ‘proper’ blog very soon, and some new listings. I just have a few other hats on at the moment [sadly not literal, my head is still large and the bestest hats are too small] and it’s all a bit hecticness around here.
I spotted this the other night within BBC2’s Monty Python evening, but I must also say thank you to Mrs Daniel for commenting on my blog that she’d spotted it which, in turn, reminded me to post about it. I’m always happy to do a bit of Palin-perving as well…
One of these days I’m going to go and do a millinery course, just so that I can stop moaning about my beeg heed and live the life I want to live: running around in all manner of gorgeous hats rather than the measly handful I have now. I want a teeny tiny Vartan head. And all her hats. She really did rather rock the hat-thing back in the day….
Liz Eggleston 