The Marianne Chronicles: The Demeanor

Marianne Faithfull is intensely intelligent, fiercely witty, and the kind of alluring free spirit that attracts countless hoards of people. Alain Delon, her Motorcycle costar, once said, "She is a happening all to herself. She is the type of girl men fought dragons for in mythology, the type that duels have been fought over." Not only is that the best thing that anyone has said about anyone ever, it's also really damn true. Nowadays she is a world-weary chanteuse, one who has lived through everything and is still here to sing about her adventures, but back in the sixties, she was a dreamer. She saw no end to what she hoped to accomplish and who she hoped to be. In Faithfull, she detailed how "between the ages of 17 and 19 I shed any number of old lives and grew new ones overnight without any of them seeming quite real to me; I discarded them as cavalierly as a child who moves from one game to another. Pursued in interest, any one of these might have led to a reasonably happy life. But then again, I wasn't interested in happiness. I was looking for the Holy Grail." I feel like that speaks to a lot of us young dollies out there who are looking for our own 'Holy Grail' (preferably one that includes Mick Jagger!)
Marianne was fiercely independent and never apologized for her behavior - she followed her heart no matter what. Whether that meant leaving John Dunbar for Mick, or doing some pretty drastic things to shake off her convent girl persona, Marianne was never satisfied following convention.

tucker by gaby basora, fall 2011

I am kinda really obsessed with the Fall 2011 collection for Tucker by Gaby Basora. I've long been a fan of Tucker (my measly high school allowance allowed me to finally get my hands on a few pieces years back with the Tucker/Target collaboration). There is such an amazing mix of inspiration throughout this collection - from the 1920s antique Oriental fan print to the Biba-esque wrap dresses and hot pants. The collection is a fantastic mix of great structured pieces matched with floaty items, all with the bold statement-making prints that Tucker is known so well for - perfect for the vintage-minded, bohemian gal with places to go!

There is a long history regarding my love affair with black lace - it all started with my brief-but-overwhelming Madonna stage while I was in the seventh grade, and after that I never looked back. Miss Basora's take on the black lace is a little more 'like a sophisticate' than "Like a Virgin"

The prints in this collection are dynamite. I love the sweet innocence of the Pleated Skirt, shown in the first picture, as well as the Gather Panel Dress in the far right photo for its utter seventies sophistication - I could imagine a gal like Ali MacGraw slipping on this number while going out on the town with Steve McQueen

These hot pants are technically called 'Short Briefs' but they're still hot! In these wild patterns and paired with those thigh-highs, the looks remind me of Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver - which is always a good thing!

I love this mix of rich browns - isn't that silk jacket with the moon fan print (second from the left) absolutely to die for? And I love the sashes tied around the neck in the first and third pictures

Another great example of Tucker's diverse mix of prints - the purple dress in the middle is called The Disco Dress, which I love. It's so appropriately titled - I could see any number of Studio 54 gals rocking this number. 

This is one of my favorite looks from the collection - it features the Yoke Blouse with knee-length Pleated Skirt and Slingback Peep Toe heels all in fun prints and earthy colors. It's such a dreamy combination of 1970s chic with 1930s cuts and proportions

A genius mix of pleated silk pants, ruched printed blouses and jumpsuits 

All the great shoes from the collection

If you're interested in buying pieces from the Tucker by Gaby Basora collection, visit Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter, Shopbop,    

she was a working girl north of england way, now she's hit the big time in the usa

I am currently so inspired by the swinging sixties fashions of the 1968 film Petulia, starring Julie Christie - fresh from her megastar-turning roles in Doctor Zhivago and Fahrenheit 451 - in the title role. Directed by Dick Lester (the kook genius behind both the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Help!), the film tells the story of a young San Franciscan socialite named Petulia who is unhappily married to an abusive man. At the start of the film, Christie's character announces, "My name's Petulia Danner. I've been married for six months and I haven't had an affair yet." Well, this fact quickly changes when Petulia becomes smitten with a doctor by the name of Archie Bollen, falling for him after she watched him treat an injured young boy. On their first formal evening together, Petulia tells him that they ought to get a hotel room and details for him her plans for their marriage. As luck would have it, Bollen has recently begun divorcing his wife and is able to begin a relationship with the beautiful Petulia as he seeks to sort out his now complicated relationships with his ex-wife (and her new boyfriend), his children, and friends. 

The film is a treat not just for it's fashions, but also for it's appearances by a Janis Joplin-led Big Brother & The Holding Co. and the Grateful Dead. Fourth down on the far left side of the collage is a photo of Petulia taken out of an apartment on a stretcher, and you can see members of the Dead as well as Janis among the hippie onlookers. 

I think this film is one of the most important films of the Swinging Sixties period in London - not just for its fashions (which are to die for - there were too many outfits for me to even include!) but for its daring plot, quirky take on romance and marriage, and it's cutting edge non-linear structure. 

Title: from "Honey Pie" (The Beatles)

Then and Now: Romy Schneider and Elisabeth Moss

I think that there is a striking similarity features-wise between cinema queen Romy Schneider and Mad Men starlet Elisabeth Moss - both have beautiful, slightly cherubic faces that light up the screen. Last year, Elisabeth even lightened her signature brunette locks to a warm honey shade similar to the color that Romy often sported. The only thing missing is for Miss Moss to find an Alain Delon all her own!

a very fabb recap

It may have been raining cats and dogs on Wednesday, but that didn’t stop me and probably 200 other fantastically fashionable bloggers from coming out the Apella for Lucky Magazine’s second FABB Conference. As promised, here is my rundown of one of the best days of my life!

Diane Von Furstenberg was the first up at the conference and she was more lovely and funny than I could have ever hoped! During her chat with Editor-in-chief Brandon Holley, DVF explained her love for Angry Birds and Solitaire, showed off her fabulous turquoise jewels and her new Harper-Connect bag (which I want, despite not having an iPad), as well as offering up some valuable life lessons: value the relationship you have with yourself above all others, have an identity outside of your career, all women should have children. I can still hear DVF saying, "The job and children are easy - husbands are the hard part." Other choice quotes from Diane are: "You learn most from your criticism. People who say 'I love you,' that's great - but you don't learn from that" and - one of my newest mantras - "when it's bullshit, it remains bullshit; when it's real, it remains real."  

Next up was a discussion on "Building Your Brand" with Scott Lipps (president of One Management), Coco Rocha, Rachel Roy, Essie Weingarten (of Essie Cosmetics) and Rebecca Minkoff. Rachel and Essie got into a bit of a tiff over the rights of high street companies to make copies of designer items. Each woman had a valid point - Essie, from the anti-knockoff standpoint, said that it is difficult with a new line of polishes expected every 90 days to compensate for cheaper brands who copy her colors. Rachel, speaking from her background as a child and teen who wasn't able to afford designer items, praised these companies, saying "Thank god for H&M, Macy's and Zara!" She told an endearing story about how she once aspired to shop at Macy's, and that was why she chose them as the place to do her Rachel Rachel Roy line. 

The next panel discussed brands and bloggers working together, something that piqued the interest of many in the room. People from Club Monaco and White House Black Market offered the perspective of big brands, sitting alongside The Glamourai's Kelly Framel and NYU's Professor of Marketing Scott Galloway. 

Around lunchtime rolled in “Hurricane Kardashian” – Kourtney, Khloé and Kim, with momager Kris and an entire reality tv camera crew in tow – to discuss their latest projects, including their Kardashian Kollection at Sears and to drop hints about their new novel. The girls even answered one of my questions - "who is your fashion hero?" I expected maybe names like Sophia Loren and Kate Moss to be tossed around, but the girls explained their great fashion icon was their mama, telling stories how when they were younger they would sit in their mom's closet and divvy up her clothes for 'after she died' - which was equal parts horrible and hysterical to hear.   

To discuss "Setting the Trends," Lucky brought in execs from Bare Escentuals, High Line Venture Partners and Morpheus Media, as well as Phil Oh, the photographer behind Street Peeper, and Leandra Medine, the Man Repeller herself. 

Next was a discussion on "Building a Business," which included Lisa Gavales, the CMO of Express, the founders of The Coveteur (Erin Kleinberg and Stephanie Mark) and Thrillist (Adam Rich), as well as Rachel Zoe's other half Rodger Berman. To hear how people built their websites into lifestyle brands was fascinating, as was hearing how Rachel and Rodger started out. 

The final panel explored "What Platforms Are Right For You?" and included the cofounder of Birchbox, the marketing manager of Klout, and two of my favorite speakers - John Jannuzzi (editor of Lucky's Style Collective) and Ben Silbermann (cofounder of Pinterest), both of whom were really funny.   

During the cocktail party that followed, Ellie Goulding performed, which was amazing because I've been wanting to see her live for months! At this point I was practically chugging champagne because I was so nervous about the awards. I met my "competition" Marian Kihogo in the bathroom and we discussed my imminent move to London in a few months. She generously and graciously offered me advice about my move - I was distracted though by her electric bubblegum pink lipstick, which was gorgeous!

Basically after that is a blur of nerves, excitement, happiness, and champagne bubbles. You can watch the conference (and my nerdy little 'speech') here - but if you do, you have to promise not to tease me! I was in such a state. That night, I returned to my lovely room at the Chatwal Hotel on cloud nine. I've basically been in a dream ever since. 

Please enjoy some of my low-quality iPhone pics from the event!

The fab Diane Von Furstenberg shows off her jewelry

Rebecca Minkoff, Rachel Roy and Coco Rocha pose for a picture, while Scott Lipps, Essie Weingarten, and Fashion News & Features Director (and all around awesome gal!) Jen Ford chat as Lucky's Caroline Waxler introduces their panel

Rachel Roy exits the stage

The Glamourai's Kelly Framel sits alongside Ann Watson, VP of Marketing & Communications for Club Monaco

Khloé, Kim and Kourtney discuss

fashion, turn to the left, fashion, turn to the right

Hello dollies! I am still recovering from my whirlwind trip to NYC for Lucky Magazine's FABB Conference, so I will keep this post short and do a more in-depth follow up post tomorrow. Honestly, I am still a bit starstruck from all the faces I saw yesterday - the Kardashians (so tiny!), Emily Weiss (so tall!), Diane Von Furstenberg (so funny!), Ellie Goulding (so amazing!), and the gals from The Coveteur, The Glamourai, and The Man Repeller (so stylish!).
I want to thank Lucky Magazine for such an amazing time, as well as awarding Dolly Rocker Girl the 'Best Voice - Fashion' title. I am still floating on air!

My award!

Title: from "Fashion" (David Bowie)

when she goes to work you can hear the strings, grace finds beauty in everything

I love photos of the ever-so-stunning and talented Grace Coddington. Known as the Creative Director of Vogue, as well as Anna Wintour's right-hand flame-haired woman, many of us didn't know that Grace was a highly successful model during the sixties. I was struck by her beauty when she shared photos of her modeling days with the documentary The September Issue, which I saw a few months back and have continued to watch and re-watch. She had an angular yet petite face that could off anything - from a mid sixties pixie cut to those Biba-inspired finger waves. And those signature fiery locks! Oh, how I love her hair - it's so beautiful and it's so distinctly Grace.

Title: from "Grace" (U2)