Grace Jones is the statuesque, androgynous, infamously angular singer-actress from the 1980s. Although she had success with her singing & acting career, it is her style for which I know her for & which I love the best! I love that she's not a 'traditional' beauty, it only makes her all the more fantastic in my opinion!


What does Grace think of Andy Warhol’s legacy in commercial art?
“It’s like a museum. My Warhol’s — the ones he did of me, a series of small hamburgers, and photographs and Polaroid’s, because we spent so much time together. What Andy did do was make it possible for artists to make money while they were still alive. This was his genius. But he was very generous with me. That whole lot just loved doing art, you know — it was more about that. Creating.”


She has a reputation for being a bit wild - keeping interviewers waiting for hours (in one interviewer's case, five days) and, of course, slapping a talk show host across the face when he turned his back on her. "I have no regrets. He was misbehaving, which is why I thumped him. We had a rehearsal of the show but when we got on air, Russell completely changed it and turned his back on me. I fumed: "Why have I flown in all this way from America just to be ignored? I'm not having this." So I thumped him." - Daily Mail


It's really refreshing to read about someone so honest, so politically incorrect, & so openly accepting & proud of who they are & what they achieved. How can you not admire someone like that?

x

p.s I've been thinking about these 'Style Icons' posts for a while & have decided to focus on women who I think are inspiring, as well as stylish. I mean stylish ladies like, say, Agyness Dean or even Twiggy are great, but they don't really fill me with inspiration the way Grace Jones & Isabella Blow do. What do you think?

Otherwise known (by me) as 'the lady with the fabulous hats', Isabella Blow is a true style icon. Credited with discovering Alexander McQueen and Sophie Dahl (whom she found sobbing in a doorway and described as "a blow up doll with brains"), Blow was also editor of Tatler magazine. To many, she was the very pinnacle of English eccentricity, she was certainly hard to ignore and she is a fashionable icon to anyone out of the ordinary.

At his graduation show, Blow asked to buy McQueen's entire collection - it cost her £5, 000, which she paid off in weekly installments of £100. She said, "When I said, 'I know this sounds weird, but I want to buy the whole of your collection', Alexander McQueen offered to sell me a coat for £350. I said, 'That's a lot for a student'. He said, 'But I made it'. In the end I bought it all for £5, 000, but it took me a long time to pay for it." - Vogue UK

"If you met Isabella, the sort of charm of Isabella's hat wearing is that she wears hats like she's not really wearing a hat at all. She feels much more normal when she's wearing hats than when she's not. She really doesn't think there's anything strange about this sort of hat." - Philip Treacy.

After deciding on a medieval theme for her wedding dress, Blow asked Treacy to create a suitable head-dress. He said, "I wanted to base the hat on a 1930s play called The Miracle... I couldn't believe I'd hit upon the one person who didn't expect tulle and veiling and pearls and that for her wedding hat". Blow then let Treacy work out of her London flat, and subsequently opened up shop next door. He has since designed couture hats for Chanel, Valentino, and Givenchy.- Design Museum

Blow at her 1989 wedding to Detmar Blow

"It's not a mad hatter's tea party," she says sternly. "It's meant to be a sensual, erotic display. You're there to get a new husband, a new boyfriend, a new girlfriend, whatever. And you can get it. The hat is a means to an end, a marriage contract. It's everything. It's a sensual thing - the idea of catching somebody like a spider in a web. It's the old fashioned cock-and-hen story, the mating dance. Men love hats. They love it because it's something they have to take off in order to fuck you. Anyone can wear a hat." - The Guardian

Tragically, Blow passed away on the 7th of May, 2007. She reportedly died from suicide. Her obituary read:

"Heads would invariably swivel as Blow entered any fashion arena - be it a run-down warehouse in the East End or a rarefied atelier in Paris. Her dress-code remained an elegant version of the fashion cliché " classic with a twist". Teetering on satin stiletto Manolos, wearing couture gown, feathered hat and smeared ruby lipstick, Blow was a dishevelled bird of paradise who didn't give a damn about convention. She loved to gossip, talking 20 to the dozen, dropping names, witticisms and acute observations, and invariably ending her sentences with a deafening roar of laughter. In the manner of penniless aristocrats everywhere, Blow was no good with money and identified with Oscar Wilde's assertion that "anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination"."

So, when you're feeling in a bit of a rut, take a cue from Isabella and adorn your beautiful noggin with a hat, sparkly hairclips, beret, feathered headdress, giant lobster or massive bow! Wear it to lunch with your mother, dinner with your boyfriend, to walk the dog, go grocery shopping, attend a lecture, go to a cooking class, to fall in love, kiss your lover, and generally be fabulous!

x

While trends obviously don't give any fashionable long-term solutions, you can't deny that they are fun. However, you don't want to be someone who wears EVERY SINGLE TREND AT ONCE and looks like a fashion victim (who wears leggings as pants, buys exclusively from Supre and has an overly loud, annoying ringtone. You know the type, oui?).

One person who does trends really, really well is Diane Kruger (girlfriend of Pacey from Dawson's Creek, and currently in Inglorious Basterds. I only mention because I LOVE Quentin Tarantino and cannot WAIT to see this film).

Trend: One shouldered dresses

Why it works: It works on Kruger because she keeps the rest of the look minimalist. By incorporating feathers (another trend), she keeps it softer than the body-con, 80's inspired dresses that are usually what you think of when you look at this trend. I also like that while her hair is quite severe, it balances out the blatant girlyness of the dress. Having adorable matching shoes doesn't hurt, either!

Trend: Brights

Why it works: Although this dress is, well, ultra-short, I really like it. I think that the black accessories help to tone it down somewhat, and I like that she's matched the strength of the dress with the cute details on the shoulders.

Trend: Cropped shirts

Why it works: Matching the casual nature of a cropped shirt with tailored black pants makes the outfit seem more polished, somehow. I especially love the casual elegance of the accessories she's chosen - the straw boater and coral-coloured purse - it makes it look like she's off for a weekend in the Hampdens. I think that having killer abs would be the best accessory with a tee this cropped as well?

Trend: 50's elegance

Why it works: Although the retro look works for some very fashionable bloggers, if you're just wearing it for a bit of fun, then you may as well put your own spin on it. Kruger's completely sheer 50's frock with a bodysuit underneath definitely brings the 50's into the modern age, and something about the neckline is really fantastic.

Trend: Off-duty glamour

Why it works: OK, so this isn't really a trend, but it is nice when people make an effort even on their days off, you know? I love the fact that her sunglasses match her boyfriend's, and the gorgeous purple of the dress. Although she looks uber-casual (compared to her other looks, anyway) she still looks fabulous and not dressed down at all. It's nice when people can inject some of their personal aesthetic into every aspect of how they dress.

So, there you have Diane Kruger, trend icon! Although a lot of fashionistas talk up classics, you can always use trends to put some fun & new-ness back into your wardrobe. Take some tips from Diane and make sure to stay true to your personal style & not get too caught up in looking "so-this-minute".

x

One of my favourite musicals is the wonderfully weird, incredibly kitsch Little Shop of Horrors (the movie based on a play based on a movie!). The three chorus girls are called Chiffon, Crystal and Ronnette and have gorgeous cotumes to match the du-wop soundtrack of the film. Director of the 1986 film Frank Oz said that these were his favourite characters in the film, and they're mine too!