The Dolly Rocker Girl's Guide to London: Stores

I'm in love with shopping. And to quote both the Shangri-Las and the New York Dolls, "when I say I'm in love, you best believe I'm in love, L-U-V." It's a love affair that blossomed early on in the twenty-plus years I've been alive, and it is one of the reasons that I live and breathe as a happy, healthy person on this earth. Shopping lifts me up where I belong, it's the wind beneath my wings. It's probably the greatest love I will ever know.

So of course I've spent the majority of my time in London seeking out various vintage shops, stalls at markets, department stores, and boutiques to grasp what British style is all about. I've been told (and I readily agreed!) that I dress in a rather London way, more so than I dress American. I certainly do not dress like I am from Dallas, where heels, tight clothes, and big hair reigns supreme. Limp locks, patterned frocks and scuffed up shoes work quite well for me! 

I can certainly get more specific about the stores that I like if people would prefer to know great vintage shops or hole-in-the-wall boutiques, but these are my ultimate shopping destinations. 

My Five Favorite Stores:

1. Topshop (Oxford Circus): a mega-store if there ever was one. Five floors of glorious shoes, jewelry, accessories, and clothes - for both gals and guys - Topshop is my go-to place when I need something fantastic but I'm not sure what. The bottom floor houses up-and-coming designers that are really diverse in aesthetics -- from The Ragged Priest to Oh My Love, there's no limit to what Topshop will offer.

2. Dolly Dare (Spitalfields): the British answer to Betsey Johnson's wild fashions, over-the-top girliness, and maximalist approach to dressing. I admittedly went into the store because it had 'Dolly' in its name, but I am so glad that I did - I picked up the most amazing slinky black velvet minidress that was trimmed with long fringe and covered with zig-zagged gold glitter. It's the ultimate rock star dress. Go to Dolly Dare for lace, ruffles and ruching, flouncy skirts, dresses with petticoats, and shoes by brands like Irregular Choice.

3. Selfridges (Oxford St): one of the many massive stores in London (from Harrods and House of Fraser to Debenhams and Liberty, the list goes on and on), Selfridges is like my heaven. If you can't afford the Balenciaga and Missoni upstairs, check out the Topshop and Miss Selfridge sections on the lower floors. That way you won't break the bank, but you still get one of those traffic-stopping yellow shopping bags. I've had lunch a few times at Dolly's, the resident tea café for the department store that was named after the Dolly sisters, both lovers of store founder Harry Gordon Selfridge.

4. Mary Quant (Chelsea): this store is sparsely stocked (which is true of most every designer boutique) but there's a whole lot to want in the pristinely white Chelsea store. Classic Quant designs like wool shift dresses and miniskirts hang alongside more contemporary-inspired pieces to create a whole collection that any stylish girl would be insane not to want.

5. What Katie Did (Notting Hill): this retro-inspired lingerie company has its home in Portobello Green, a covered area of shops on Portobello Road. Popular among celebs -- the brand has been rocked by everyone from Kate Moss to Gwyneth Paltrow and was the exclusive supplier of the fab undergarments in My Week With Marilyn -- What Katie Did offers comfortable but luxurious items like bullet bras, high-waisted knickers, satin robes, marabou mules, and corsets.

The Dolly Rocker Girl's Guide to London: Markets

One of the best things about living in London is the number of markets in this city. Some are only weekend affairs, like Portobello Road Market, while some happen everyday like Camden and Alfies, but one thing is for certain - if you ever make it to London, a market is a must-do.

My Five Favorite Markets:

1. Borough Market (Southwark): a foodie's dream. Open Thursday through Saturday, this food market -- located near the Globe Theatre -- is a heavenly blend of artisan chocolates, cheeses, breads, juices, wines, vegetables, teas, and basically every other exotic, luxurious, delicious food that you can think of. Stock up on groceries for the week or have lunch on the cheap by filling up on the market's many free samples.

2. Alfies Antique Market (Marylebone): an amazing assortment of vintage clothes, decadent jewelry, fantastic antiques and light fixtures. There is also a charming rooftop restaurant where you can stop in for a quick bite to eat while shopping. It's one of the few indoor markets I've been too, which means that regardless of rain or shine you can go to the market on its days open Tuesday through Saturday.

3. Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill): arguably the most famous market in London. It attracts tons of tourists and locals alike for its mix of costume jewelry, vintage clothing, and local foods. The stalls are open Saturday only, but it's worth it to check out Portobello Road during the week to visit stores like Cath Kidston and All Saints, and vintages shops like Dolly Diamond and One of a Kind.

4. Camden Stables Market (Camden): Camden Market is an umbrella term that covers four different markets and streets of stores open every day. My favorite is the Stables, which are literally old horse stables converted into stalls where you can find alternative and vintage fashions, ethnic foods, vinyl records, screen-printed tee shirts, furniture and global housewares.

5. Spitalfields Market (Spitalfields/near Liverpool St): open five days-a-week, Spitalfields offers vintage clothes, pieces from local designers, jewelry both homemade and antique, and a wide range of old books (I picked up a first edition of A Twist of Lennon here for five pounds!) and comics, pastries, kebabs, fur gilets, leather shoes, manual cameras, and compasses.

The Dolly Rocker Girl's Guide to London: Sweet Places

It's no secret that I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Thankfully, London is home to some of the best sweet parlors and dessert shops that I've had the immense pleasure of visiting. Whether you want a little taste of Paris from Maison Bertaux or Ladurée or want to relive your childhood at Hope and Greenwood, there's a place for everyone to indulge in London.

My Five Favorite Sweet Places:

1. Ladurée (Covent Garden): there are several locations for this famous French dessert house throughout the city, but the Covent Garden location is beautiful and fairly quiet (in comparison to the Ladurée in Harrods). A mix of salted caramel and raspberry macarons is the perfect Sunday treat for myself.

2. Amorino (Soho): this gourmet gelato shop can also be found in Chelsea, but I've only visited the one in Soho. My fave flavors are the chocolate-hazelnut (tastes exactly like Nutella!) and salted caramel. It's simply the best gelato I've ever had!

3. Hope and Greenwood (Covent Garden): an old-fashioned sweet shop specializing in retro candies, Hope and Greenwood is a treat to visit. Visually it's everything you wished a sweet shop would be -- darling and jam-packed with goodies, it's the closest I've found to a real-life Candyland.

4. Maison Bertaux (Soho): Soho's oldest (and best) pâtisserie captures the essence of all things French in a charming and authentic café setting. Come here for yummy pain au chocolat and to check out the gallery inside. 

5. Prestat (near Piccadilly Circus): London's oldest chocolate house is so delicious that it's gained the approval of the Queen mum herself, garnering two Royal Warrants. Prestat is so widespread throughout London that boxes of the chocolate can be found in Waitrose grocery stores.

The Dolly Rocker Girl's Guide to London: Pubs and Taverns

You aren't truly getting the London experience if you don't visit a pub or two. Whether you go for a pint of beer or just some fish and chips, the pubbing experience is an important element of London life. No matter where you go you'll find a pub, but some of them are too commercial or too limited in choices for my taste. But for the amount of pubs I've been disappointed by, there is a healthy number of pubs that have truly delighted me.

My Five Favorite Pubs and Taverns:
1. The Princess Louise (Bloomsbury/High Holborn St): one of the nicest pubs in London. With etched glass creating cubicles for private drinking, the pub has an authentic Victorian feel to it, which is kind of rare for pubs as a lot of them have been commercialized and purchased by massive chains. It also has some of the best cider in the city.
2. The Lamb (Bloomsbury): rumor has it that Charles Dickens used to come to The Lamb all of the time to write, but this pub is worth visiting even if you're not a Dickensian scholar for it's beer and traditional English pub food.
3. The Fitzroy Tavern (Fitzrovia): let's just say that there's a reason why this tavern was famous among many literary figures such as Dylan Thomas, George Orwell, and Augustus John. Now a popular hangout for UCL students, the Fitzroy is different from many other pubs I've been to -- there's interaction between customers and a really lively atmosphere.
4. Cross Keys (Covent Garden): a gorgeously decorated pub with tons of shrubbery covering the outside and knickknacks covering the inside. If you go to one pub in Covent Garden, make it Cross Keys.
5. Ye Olde Chesire Cheese (City of London): located in the financial district on Fleet Street (of Sweeney Todd fame), this pub dates back to the 17th century, with previous pubs located there since the 13th century. This pub has good food and a selection of drinks to choose from, but it's definitely worth it to come here just because of the history.

The Dolly Rocker Girl's Guide to London: Restaurants

As my time in London is winding down (I leave this Saturday sadly), I thought it best to do a few closing posts about my favorite adopted home. In the next few entries I will muse on my favorite spots in London -- shops, restaurants, clubs, and markets, all (or at least I hope all!) will be covered. If you have any special requests for lists of my favorites -- like my favorite vintage shops or bookshops -- drop a note in the comments section or send me a line via email and I will gladly comply!

Despite its reputation, London has some really excellent food. From Greek to Mexican, Indian and Italian, this city has an endless array of options for a truly great dining experience.

My Five Favorite Restaurants:

(Some of these restaurants have several locations, so I am just noting the places that I frequented)

1. Bumpkin (Notting Hill): though there are three locations all over London, I went to the one in Notting Hill for brunch and it was incredible! The food was delicious, the decor was charming -- and they have the best Bloody Mary that I've ever tasted. 

2. Hummus Bros (Bloomsbury/Holborn): a range of nontraditional hummus options. I always get the guacamole hummus -- it's perfect with one of their mint and ginger lemonades.

3. Cantina Laredo (Covent Garden): True, I like this place because it reminds me of home (there are a few Cantina Laredos in Dallas) but this is one of the only spots in London that I've found can do a proper margarita. Come here if you're in desperate need for some tequila, chips and salsa.

4. Bloomsbury Coffee House (Bloomsbury): I learned about this place from my friend Anna, of The Puddle Jumper, and now it's my favorite place in the city to get an iced coffee, a yummy breakfast, and do some work. A chill atmosphere and great soundtrack round out a truly fantastic coffee house experience. 

5. Dishoom (Covent Garden): a self-titled "Bombay café," Dishoom specializes in Bombay cuisine that goes beyond typical Indian fare that you can get in London. With tapas-style dishes that have incredible spice, flavor, and heat (something hard to come by in some London restaurants!), Dishoom is unique in an never-ending sea of restaurants in Covent Garden. 

a real bang up job

I've long had an obsession with bangs, or 'fringe' as they say here in the UK. Last year I took the plunge and gave myself bangs - a decision born out of the stress of exams week at university. I immediately regretted the decision (the decision to use eyebrow scissors and Fiskars as my hairstyling instruments wasn't my finest choice) and pushed the bangs off of my face for the ensuing weeks until my hair grew out enough to push behind my ears in embarrassment.
I have been feeling an itch in recent weeks to do something different - I am contemplating Debbie Harry levels of blondeness or going back to my tried and true ombre look. It was Friday morning when I was scrolling through pictures of Taylor Swift in a recent issue of Vogue that I decided what my change would be: I would get good and proper fringe.
I went to the Rush Salon on Oxford Street after begging to come in for a lunchtime appointment. Upon arrival, I sat down in a comfy swivel chair while my stylist Georgia and I discussed what I wanted. I desired something thick but not heavy across my forehead - something that could be worn messy and wavy as well as stick straight. I told her about my Taylor Swift revelation and showed her pictures of Emma Stone, Kate Moss, Felicity Jones and Zooey Deschanel that I pulled up on my iPhone.
After twenty minutes and inches and inches of hair had fallen to the floor, I had myself a new pair of bangs. I had mixed feelings - on the one hand I loved them because they were fun and edgy, on the other hand I didn't know how to style them nor did I think I had the confidence to pull them off. I am still struggling with styling them - I am trying to do sideswept bangs, braids, and the full-on blunt fringe look, but I still get a little nervous going out into public with the full-on bang look. I'm sure it will come with time - everything takes some time to get used to, at least for me. But hey, I'm having fun taking modeling pics of myself on Photo Booth.

The inspiration: 

The result:

I am kind of obsessed with my fringe at the moment, especially when I am by myself in the bathroom primping, but I lack the confidence to really own them when I go out in public. Does anyone with fringe have any tips or suggestions for a newly banged person such as myself? 

the game of elevens

I was tagged by Julie of the girl with kaleidoscope eyes to complete something called The Game of Elevens. Thankfully, eleven is one of the few odd numbers that I like, so I decided to participate.

Here are the rules:
1) You must re-post these rules
2) Round One: post eleven random things about yourself
3) Round Two: answer the questions the tagger posed to you in their post
4) Round Three: create eleven new questions for the people you tag to answer
5) Tag people and go to their blog and tell them that they've been tagged for the game

Round One

1) I have six piercings, all in my ears.
2) My favorite war is World War II.
3) I have an obsession with lingerie and retro undergarments. Today I found the website What Katie Did and I am obsessed with the idea of getting a pair of high-waisted knickers and a bullet bra.
4) A dream of mine would be to develop, produce, and star in a biopic on Jean Seberg.
5) I believe in black magic and the occult.
6) Much of my 2011 was focused on finding the perfect kimono bed jacket.
7) In my mind, I am best friends with Kanye West.
8) Because I can't access The Daily Show on Hulu in the UK, I know considerably (and ashamedly) less about current events.
9) I am tragically uncool in most walks of life.
10) Try as I might, I can't whistle for the life of me.
11) I am contemplating dyeing my hair peroxide Debbie Harry blonde and darkening my eyebrows dark brown, because I've decided that I need a change.

Round Two

1) What do you want to major in when you go to college? 
Well, I am a junior in college and I am a Creative Writing major with a minor in Film and Media Studies.
2) What exactly is in your purse right now? 
An umbrella from the MoMA for that unpredictable London weather, my wallet, my passport (in its obnoxious hot pink leather case), loose pounds and bills, tissues, Dolce Vita lipstick by NARS, Boscia oil-absorbing sheets, a journal for all my thoughts and recollections, and my bright yellow Kate Spade 'Taxi' mittens.
3) What is your favorite movie, book, band, and song? 
I don't really have a favorite movie - I love films too much to choose just one. Though, that being said, Hitchcock's Notorious is a pretty perfect film. I have two favorite books - Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull and Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. Favorite band would - obviously - be a tie between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. I don't really have a favorite song, but I have a weirdly strong connection to George's moody "Long, Long, Long."
4) What is your least favorite movie, book, band, and song?
I love films of all sorts, so I don't really hate any of them - I guess closest to hate would be not understanding them. I don't understand a lot of avant garde films - they're so confusing to me. Same goes for books, bands, and songs - I tend not to hate them, I just don't 'get' them.
5) What are you wearing right now? 
A vintage ivory slip dress paired with an ivory lace bed jacket from Lily. J and ivory satin ballet flats from Topshop
6) You have five million dollars and three hours to spend it. How do you do it and what do you spend it on? 
I would love to donate a large portion of it and spend the rest paying my parents back for everything they've given me in life, as well as treat them to a few nice things for themselves. I'd keep about $2000 so that I could buy myself a classic Balenciaga bag.
7) What is the last thing you heard? What are the exact words or lyrics? 
"The carrots have kind of mashed themselves."
8) What is your guilty pleasure TV show? Movie? Band / artist? 
Guilty pleasure TV show would have to be really anything that they play on E!, any of the Law and Orders, or Glee. Actually, all of the above. Guilty pleasure movie would have to be something unabashedly girly and probably starring Amanda Seyfried. Guilty pleasure band / artist would have to be Taylor Swift - I lived with girls freshman year of school who adored her, so as a result I know most all of her songs.
9) What is your favorite perfume? 
I own way too much perfume to have a favorite. But currently I am using Tocca's Stella and Boss Orange Sunset. I am eager to pick up a bottle of Penhaligon's Bluebell and I am about to order Child perfume to try out.
10) If you could only do one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
I would write - I always feel so much more productive and better about myself after I write, even if it's about nothing. If not that, I would get massages and eat ice cream for the rest of my life.
11) What is your favorite thing to look at? 
My face. Obviously. (Just kidding)

Round Three

1) If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be and who makes it (be it your mother or your favorite little diner)? 

2) What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe? Favorite piece of jewelry? 

3) What is your go-to karaoke song? 

4) What is your can't-live-without-it beauty product? 

5) Which foreign accent is your favorite? 

6) What song is the soundtrack to your life? 

7) What's the last law that you've broken? 

8) What's the one piece of advice that you can't live without and where did you get it from? 

9) What's your favorite word? Favorite curse word? 

10) What are your thoughts on Ryan Gosling? 

11) Which fellow blogger do you wish you were best friends with in real life?

Tagged Dollies

Being Blinge

Born Late

Lost Muse

Lovely Bohemia

musings & inspiration

Who the Fuck is Mick Jagger

You've got the silver

meet me in london, dear

'Ello dollies! Greetings from London! Sorry for my lack of posting this last month - after returning from Paris, where I celebrated the New Year, I participated in Media Blackout Month - where I stayed away from such necessary evils as blogging, emails, and Facebook - which then that carried over into Move To London Weekend and then Be Lazy And Never Post Week. Suffice to say I have greatly missed blogging and all of you who (hopefully) still will check out my blog. London is incredible - it's everything I've dreamed of and more! I can't even put into words all the great shopping I've done, the pubs/clubs I've been to, the restaurants I've dined at, and the history that I've experienced. I will continue my posts on all things retro fashion, films, and music, but I'm sure to pepper my posts with anecdotes about jolly ole England. 

Cheers dahhhlings!

the 21 club

Today is my twenty-first birthday. So here are twenty things I bet you didn't (or maybe you did, I am quite transparent about certain things) know about me. Why twenty things, and not twenty-one? Check #5.

1. I have been a vegetarian for over a decade. The thing that swayed me into vegetarianism was the cartoon show Brace Face. I saw an episode where Sharon Spitz works at a meatpacking factory, and I've never touched meat since.

2. I don't trust boys who giggle a lot. It's unnatural and I think that it means they are up to something.

3. I compulsively lie all of the time, usually about small things and when it makes my story sound better. And I think admitting that makes me the worst liar of all time... or the best.

4. Besides blogging, I also write for my university newspaper, write poetry, and make experimental short films.

5. I hate odd numbers.

6. My guilty pleasure is watching a marathon of old episodes of "Law and Order: SVU" while eating a scoop of Baskin Robbins' gold medal ribbon ice cream.

7. I don't believe in celebrating my birthday - not in a Jehovah's Witness sort of way, just birthdays always tend to disappoint me so I don't expect much from them.

8. I can quote every line from The Philadelphia Story, Notorious, Help!, A Hard Day's Night, several Andy Hardy movies, Rebel Without a Cause, Almost Famous, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and practically the entire catalogue of films made starring Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe.

9. My favorite authors are Colette, Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lewis Carroll, Ernest Hemingway, David Sedaris, Chuck Klosterman, and Simon Doonan. But my favorite author of all-time is Virginia Woolf. My favorite poets are Frank O'Hara, Sylvia Plath, Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. And I think Bob Dylan is a damn fine poet as well.

10. I change how I feel and who I want to be about a dozen times a day.

11. My favorite words is 'brilliance,' with 'luminescence' (which I am stealing from Michael Cunningham after hearing him say it when he came to one of my classes a few weeks ago) being a close second.

12. Right now, I really want to look like Sienna Miller's character Nikki in the movie Alfie.

13. I have a personal bucket list - among the first things listed are to move to Paris, visit Morocco, follow a band on tour, cut my hair into a pixie cut, live life like an Audrey Hepburn movie for a year (obviously that would include me dating William Holden ... I haven't quite figured out how that'll work yet).

14. I live an incredibly superficial existence, mostly revolving around the shoes I am lusting after at the moment, the beauty products I've decided I cannot live without, and the movie I am incessantly quoting.

15. I have severe crushes on Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino / Troy from Community) and Keith Richards.

16. I want to live inside of a French New Wave movie (preferably one by Godard, if I can make a choice on the matter).

17. In my dream world, I would just quit school and become a rock star.

18. My favorite book would be a tie between Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. A close third would be Infinite Variety, the biography on the Marchesa Luisa Casati.

19. I am a hoarder - I keep all of the makeup I purchase, the magazines I subscribe to, papers I get, and clothes I buy (regardless of if they fit or if I particularly like them or not). Apparently Edie Sedgwick was like this as well, so at least I am in good company.

20. There are so many classes that I want to take (that unfortunately my university doesn't offer): sewing, knitting, French cooking, costume jewelry making, t-shirt printing, pastry making, language classes in Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Italian and German, etc.

tell me, tell me, tell me, c'mon tell me the answer

Both the fabby Nicole of Twist and shout! and lovely Luna of Child of the Moon (whose blog was the one that inspired me to create DRG many moons ago) gave me the Tell Me About Yourself Award, where you tell seven things about yourself and share your favorite blogs. Well, I'm very excited because I looove talking about myself, as well as my fave bloggers. 

So, here are the facts ...

1. I have an obsession with boys in white v-necks. 

Seriously - who can resist the power of the v-neck?

2. I am on a constant search for the ultimate everything - the ultimate perfume, book, lip gloss, person ... 

3. I want to be Karen Elson. 

She's British, she's a gorgeous glamazon model, friends with Anna Sui, is an incredible singer,  and has the most enviable wardrobe. I would be mentally unhinged to not be jealous of her

4. "Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everybody I've ever known." Actually said by Chuck Palahniuk in Invisible Monsters, which shows exactly how unoriginal I can be. 

5. I have a dream to travel just to get lost. 

6. I fully relish in the fact that a lot of people think I'm a bit kooky and out-there, especially in the way I dress and what I think. I like that I tread the line between here and insanity. 

My inner voice is narrated by Michelle Tanner. You got it, dude!

7. I have no clue what I'm doing with my life. I have so many dreams, ambitions, things I want to learn and places I want to go that, as a result, I have no clear direction.


Blogs:
All Babes are Wolves
Ashen Lady
Being Blinge
Born Late
Charlotte's Attic
ChicGeek
Eloise
Glamoretta
London Calling 
Lost Muse
Lovely Bohemia
musings & inspiration
Restless Summers
You've got the silver

on the beach you'll find them there in the sun and salty air, the girls on the beach

I am gearing up for a trip to the beach next week and I've gotten to thinking about how to survive the ocean. As I've said before I hate the ocean, but this time I'll be there with some friends from university so I'm going to buck up and give the beach a second try. While in the process of doing that, I've started contemplating my beach essentials. 

1. Retro-inspired swimsuits like this one from ModCloth, the 'Bathing Beauty' two-piece in black. I own this swimsuit, as well as the 'Beach Blanket Bingo' one-piece in black with white polka-dots and its two-piece version in red.

2. A wide-brimmed floppy straw hat to keep your eyes and skin shaded from those damaging sun rays.

3. A speaker to play music - I am partial to the Yuen'to Balloon USB portable speaker because it reminds me of a clown's nose. Also the sound is incredible.
4. A good book, like Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse, which I currently have stashed away in my bag.
5. Cute straw beach bags like this one from Tory Burch.
6. A good sunscreen - I love this Kiehl's Super Fluid formula because it doesn't pill like a lot of other sunblocks out there. And with an SPF of +50 I feel confident that I'm getting good protection.
7. A couple of pairs of oversized sunglasses - the bigger, the better I say! So these sunnies by House of Harlow 1960 more than fit the bill.

Do you have any summertime beach essentials? 

Title: "Girls on the Beach" (Beach Boys)

the british (birds) are coming!

This photo is a testament to my supreme nerdiness; and to assure that this moment - as captured on my computer - will not be used against me as blackmail in future I am sharing it with the entirety of the interwebs. Also, because I am a bragging lil bitch. 

Today I experienced my version of Christmas morning - I received a copy of the much sought-after, hard-to-find coffee table book / dolly girl bible Birds of Britain in the mail today. As you could guess, I am beyond excited about it. The copy I purchased in excellent condition that it doesn't look like it's been around for almost forty-five years - the pages are unwrinkled and the binding is in great condition (this is the nerdy vintage archiver in me coming out now). The photographs are so excellent that they surpass all of my expectations and anticipations. I have seen many of the photos on various websites and blogs discussing the book by John D. Green (or as credited in the book 'John d Green' ... yeah, the sixties were too cool for proper grammar), but the images are such high quality works of art that my retinas are exhausted just looking over the book from cover to cover. 

What I love a lot is the text here - it's amazing on so on-the-nose about all of these girls and the scene they were a part of. The inner flap of the book starts, "Miniskirts and the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and now the Birds. That means girls - feathery and soft, swinging and defiantly independent. London has cracked out of its sober chrysalis into an ultravisual supersonic capital-of-all-the-arts, whose theatre annually swamps Broadway, whose fashions ripple down the Main Streets of the world, and whose girls are its most visible assets." And those are just the first three sentences! I wish I could write that gorgeously all the time - seriously, the mind reels. How can so much excellence and beauty be in one book?! Yeah, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest.  

Tomorrow and the next few days, I will start covering various aspects of the book - including photographs and text regarding this "incandescent maelstrom" of British birds. 

now baby i believe this is real, so take a chance and don't ever look back

Seemingly improbable things have happened to me throughout my life - I've had interactions with people that I know I am not cool enough to be even six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon from. For starters, when I was a just a little whip of a thing, I fell down in front of Sidney Poitier and then proceeded to have a hissy fit in front of him at the Brown Derby restaurant in California (did I mention this was the Hollywood episode of I Love Lucy?). I only calmed down when he told the waitress to give me straws with Disney characters on them. Honestly, I still redden with embarrassment when I watch Lilies of the Field. A few years after that, I flew on Jack Abramoff's jet. Granted it wasn't until watching a certain Kevin Spacey movie with my parents that I was informed whose jet it even was. When I was a teenager, Sophia Bush told me she liked my sweater (well duh, it was a really cute sweater - so that's more props to her I suppose). Most recently in February at the Lucky FABB event, I accidentally insinuated to Brandon Holley and Rebecca Minkoff that my father was gay (he's not - he just really does love Fashion Police). 

I'm not saying any of this to sound braggy or bitchy because, honestly, a lot of these moments are kinda embarrassing to me and I have no reason to boast about my inability to socially interact with people. Telling y'all this is a build-up to what I found today - an event that constitutes one of my most surreal experiences with someone who shouldn't even know I'm alive, that I'm writing blog. Mainly because I sometimes write about them on the site. 

So, just for some more backstory, I'll tell you this: Folks, I don't understand Twitter. I'm intrigued by it, and open to using one, but it's reaaaaally hard for me. I don't know how to use it, how to interpret it, how to understand the '@' signs and hasthtags. And don't even get me started on 'trending' - seriously, don't. So much confusion has stemmed from this phenomenon that apparently everyone else in the universe understands. But being a Twitter twit doesn't stop me from reading other peoples' Twitters. I love to read through the 160-character musings of Kanye West, the humor of Aziz Ansari and Donald Glover, and the sometimes too-true revelations of White Girl Problems. I also occasionally like to search around to see if some of my icons from retrodom have entered the Twitterverse. So imagine my excitement when I come across the twitter site for Bebe Buell. Here I can read goofy comments and muse-ful musings (excuse the corniness of that) of a true rock goddess. I know that there were comments exchanged on this site many, many months ago regarding Buell's book, with my stating that what I liked least about the book was that I didn't feel that it captured her voice as authentically as it could have. But with Twitter - minus rewrites, editors, co-authors, publishers and such - we can take a look at the full-on fabulosity of Miss Buell all by herself. 

So, of course, I stalked the hell of her Twitter. I read as many postings as I could - just one right after the other - until I stopped dead in my Tweet-tracks. What, may you ask, captured my attention so? This glorious little link staring back at me:

A million and a half thoughts came rushing in my head: How did she find my post? What did she think of it? Did she like it? Did she hate it? Was she offended that I thought there could be a style "now" to her "then"? Was this a fake Twitter account and maybe just a fan / loon was acting as her? 

I know I'll never have answers to my questions, and I know it's not nearly the big deal I am making it out to be. It's just a link. But I know I am going to continue to nerd-out and be obsessed with this. Why? Because I really am a huge fan of Bebe Buell, and this is such an awesome thing to me, because I think that this will be as close as I'll get to ever meeting one of my heroes. That ... and because it's summer and I don't have much else going on. 

Title: from "Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry)

the top ten award

I want to thank the fabulously fashionable Jessica of ChicGeek for giving me the Top 10 Award. This is one of my favorite kinds of awards because it consists of you listing your favorite cosmetics. I am a total beauty product junkie, so I had quite a bit of fun going through all my goodies and deciding which ones I would choose. I had to make some very difficult decisions - choosing Buxom Lips gloss over my trusty Sexy Motherpucker, and opting for my fragrance obsession of the moment (D&G The One) instead of one of my favorite summer scents - a toss-up between Marc Jacobs Blush and Stella by Stella McCartney, and the dirty rose fragrance of my recent go-to for spring, Kate Moss's original scent, which is a bit of a rock'n'roll floral. But these are the crucial choices that every one has to make in their lives.
I kid ... but beauty products do offer considerable importance to me, no matter how vain that sounds. The word 'cosmetic' comes from the Greek word 'kosmos', which means "the order of the universe"*, and makeup products actually do have a mystical hold over my life. I love reading blogs (Into the Gloss is my girl-porn - I'm addicted), magazines, various articles, books and such regarding the world of cosmetics and beauty. I adore women like Eva Chen, the Beauty Editor at Teen Vogue, for making such an interest into a full-fledged job. During my too-regular-for-own-good visits to department store beauty counters and my mecca Sephora, I make out like a pirate with all my goodies; and sometimes look like a pirate too - that much kohl eyeliner is good for Jack Sparrow, but not so good for me. So right now I'll play Beauty Editor pretend and offer my bits of 'wisdom' regarding the best of my beauty booty:

1. Temptu Airbrush Foundation in 002 Ivory: I love how evenly and flawlessly this foundation applies. It's super easy to use - just a few swooshes around the face, and my skin looks better than I've seen it in years. The only downside - I'm unable to apply normal foundation and be satisfied with it anymore. Guess Temptu and I are for life.
2. Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion in Black Brown: I prefer drugstore brands for mascara because why spend twenty-plus dollars on something you have to toss in a few months anyways? I'll admit I still have Benefit BadGal mascara, Urban Decay's Big Fatty and a Lancôme mascara with a scary brush (I'm a bit of an eye makeup whore) but ever since I first had my 'lashes blasted', I've been hooked. I don't think I've found a mascara that is so consistently non-clumpy than this one. It's great to apply on both sides of lashes to make your eyes pop and look like you just stepped out of a Latisse ad.
3. Smashbox Artificial Light Flash Luminizing Lotion: technically a lotion to be mixed with or applied underneath foundation, I actually use this light formula as an illuminator after I've applied foundation and blush. I dab a bit across my cheekbones, my nose, eyelids, forehead and right above my cupid's bow. It's shimmery enough to make my skin look glowy and a bit shimmery without looking like I raided the body glitter collection I hoarded in the third grade.
4. Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Blonde: since I have naturally light blonde hair, I also was given matching blonde eyebrows. It never bothered me until recent years, when I noticed in photographs my brows looked like Whoopi Goldberg (have you ever noticed that she doesn't have eyebrows?). Now, since I've darkened my hair, I hardly ever leave the house without using this light pencil and grooming my brows with its dual-ended comb.
5. Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder: I'm obsessed with the idea of perfect-looking skin. This translucent powder is perfect for all skin tones and literally makes every pore imperfection go away. The powder is loose white (but immediately goes away) and reminds me of the story Kenneth Anger told about the filming of Lucifer Rising that he warned Marianne Faithfull not to bring drugs into Egypt at risk of execution. Faithfull hid the drugs in her makeup box under her face powder, and Anger alleged Faithfull "powdered her face with heroin." ... but that has nothing to do with this.
6. Maybelline The Falsies Volum'Express in Brownish Black: when I want mega-lashes without the added effort of applying actual falsies, I again turn to a trusty drugstore brand. I think it was Cindy Crawford who said that unless you have ultra-dark hair it's better to use brown mascara as it's not so severe. I like brown-black mascaras because I like being just a little bit severe.
7. Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Velvet in Bewitched: a rich chocolate shadow; I apply this to the upper lash line (and to my bottom lash line when I want an uber-dolly look) with a MAC 263 brush.
8. BareMinerals Buxom Lips in Dolly: ahh the name of this gloss's shade says it all for me. Though it doesn't produce the same über-beestung look (or cheekiness in the packaging) as Soap & Glory's Sexy Motherpucker (my fave shade is What a Melon, btw), this gloss is the perfect there-but-not-there shade with just a hint of color, tingle (a bit minty), and shimmer. It's perfect for any occasion. I always have it in my bag.
9. Dolce & Gabanna The One: simply just one of the best smelling fragrances I've had the pleasure of sniffing in my life. One of my friends wears it regularly, and I was obsessed with it and begged her to tell me what she was wearing. She said, "The One." It was as though that's all that needed to be said. Everywhere I went after that when I would smell a hint of it, I would freak out until I sought out the wearer of the perfume ... seriously in order to chat with her about the scent. I love it ... and unless I find a different perfume that I fall in love with more than this, I think I may have found "The One" I want to be my signature scent.
10. Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30: it would be a vast understatement to say that I'm not a sun worshipper. I wear sunscreen and sunnies everyday in order to protect my visage from the the damaging rays of le soleil. This brush-on sun protection powder is such a lifesaver for someone like I, who doesn't reapply sunscreen every few hours and tends to get a bit shiny during the day. I discovered it at Bliss Spa in NYC senior year of high school and I have been a loyal user ever since.

My Awardees:

Gloria of musings & inspiration

JessM of You've Got the Silver

Kaitlyn of Born Late

Kirby of Lost Muse

Louloublue of All Babes are Wolves

Lucia of Who The Fuck Is Mick Jagger

Melissa of Glamoretta

Raquel of Eloise

Smashingbird of Smashingbird

Summer.B of ..Summer Baby

Here's what you do:
- Thank the person who tagged you and link to their blog
- Put the Top 10 Award logo on your blog (the logo is under my 'Kind Words' section if you want to snag it)
- List your top ten favorite cosmetics
- Choose ten bloggers to tag, link to their blogs, and let them know about their award!

* thanks to the book Life is a Movie Starring You by Jennifur Brandt for this fun fact

"the nature of society is to create"

Let me explain the James Baldwin quote I so lazily and pretentiously made to be the title. You see, I was nominated by the lovely Miss Jess from You've Got the Silver for the 'Creative Blogger' Award. This award, in addition to pumping up my ego, entails that I list ten things about myself and then nominate more bloggers that I adore to have the award as well. 

So to get back to Mr. Baldwin, while this sentiment was not the one he was necessarily trying to communicate (the quote continues "...an illusion of safety" - yep, the nature of society is to create an illusion of safety, apparently) but this is the sentiment that I - a twenty-year-old chick who not just passed, but aced, her intro to philosophy class - is making. And we all know that the musings of a self-involved blonde girl are much more interesting than the political insights of a Baldwin not on 30 Rock.

I think that the nature of society - at least the blogosphere society - is to create wonderful works of art, writing, photography, poetry, or (in my case) really fabulous collages, and we share our genius with each other. I think this ability to have a communal use, love and appreciation of each other's work is incredible. Even more incredible is that it's in our very nature. 

Without further ado, here's the main attraction: ten fascinating facts about Barbara Walter's Most Fascinating Person of 2011 

1. I am double jointed. So is my grandmother, but it freaks her out. 

Note: this is not a photograph of me or my grandmother. Neither of us can play the piano. 

2. I am a member of a very eccentric family. We have the type of personalities and dynamics that would only be found on a prime time sitcom (or an E! reality show), in the best possible sense. 

I would be Kim, obvs. 

3. During my brief stint modeling during the ages of 14-16, the agency photographer told me I looked like Christie Brinkley. I was incredibly flattered. Not that I actually knew who that was at the time, though. I have also been told I could be a foot model (And by non-foot fetishists, to boot!)  

4. I love the smell of gasoline. No worries though, apparently so does Kate Moss. 

5. It breaks my heart to eat anything remotely resembling an animal. I can barely bring myself to eat a bunny-shaped chocolate for Easter.

Nor do I encourage the consumption of pug loaf. But this pup is too darn cute to not put up here

6. I think that tuberculosis is a very romantic disease. 

Like Greta Garbo in Camille and Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge. Minus the part where they both die in the end. 

7. I have a not-so-secret desire to be a hip-hop wife. 

I want this to be my life. Just Kidding. Not Really. 

8. I am the biggest wimp when it comes to wearing high heels. With the amount of complaining I do, you'd think that Kathy Bates had gone all Misery on my feet. 

9. When I was much, much younger, I fell into a table that Sidney Poitier was sitting at, and proceeded to cry obnoxiously as Mr. Poitier tried to comfort me. This was at the Brown Derby Restaurant. (Did I mention that this happened in 1954?)

10. One day, I am going to live in Paris. 

In the forthcoming hours, I will include my list of bloggers I would love to nominate for the Creative Blogger Award 

(I know, you're all at the edge of your seats in anticipation)

* I am being entirely sarcastic in the first paragraphs. I love James Baldwin and I know he's not related to Alec. Just throwing that out there. *

pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name

Hello everyone, I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. My name is Alexis, and I am the Dolly Rocker Girl.
Over the last two years that I've had this site, I've played around with different noms de plume - Jane, Queen Jane (I got a wee bit more creative there), I think I was Astrid for a time, the list goes on and on - until I finally just went back to Dolly Rocker Girl as my profile name.
It seemed simple enough - I wanted to be anonymous and to keep the site unattached from my own life, and having the nameless DRG at the helm of these posts seemed like the best option. It was not for the sake of mystery or interest à la Banksy, but there has been a bit of interest in the past about who I was (more often and not, the question was whether or not I was truly a Dolly Rocker Boy). 
But with the appearance in Lucky (after which I did the Facebook equivalent of screaming from the top of a mountaintop about) and the recent influx of emails that I've been getting, it seemed a bit ridiculous to still think I had a 'secret' to keep. All of my friends and family now know that I have a blog, and I felt a bit shady that the great dialogue I was having in these email correspondences was then made awkward when I would sign, "xxo DRG"
Not cool, former shady self.
Because each and every one of you have been so open and lovely and candid with me, I feel like the very least I can do is own up to my own name. While I don't think I'm at the point where I'm comfortable enough to post pictures that I myself take (I'm such a little worry-wart!), I do think that this is a step in a positive direction for DRG. The great thing about this site and so many others like it is that it inspires conversations to be had - on line, in emails, or in person. Knocking down that unnecessary, extra wall that separated us retro-groupies was a healthy, natural progression for the site. I hope that this step is just the start of many more to come - and I hope that you aren't too disappointed that I've destroyed any remaining allure of mystique in the site!

Title: from "Sympathy for the Devil" (The Rolling Stones)

and they say, she's so lucky

I started sneaking issues of Lucky Magazine when I was in the eighth grade. The library at my school had subscriptions to every magazine under the sun and I remember my friends and I spending our precious study hall hours pouring over the latest Seventeens, Elles, and Teen Peoples. My monthly of choice was Lucky. A shopping-and-style-centric magazine was perfect for the shopaholic young pubescent I was (and still am). Like a kid who steals cigarettes from his father's packs of Marlboros, I felt sneaky reading a magazine that I considered so mature and sophisticated. Though I could never realistically afford anything in the magazine based on my $40-a-month allowance, I used every last one of those stickers to mark every gorgeous cocktail dress (an essential for a fourteen-year-old) and all the obscenely priced shoes I would never be able to walk in.
At sixteen, I got my own subscription to Lucky. Four years later, I'm still as addicted to the magazine as the day I received an issue with my name in the bottom right corner. My attachment to the magazine was made all the more special when, about a month ago, I was contacted by a photography assistant with the possibility of having DRG featured in the magazine. Well, I just about flipped! While the Dolly Rocker Girl blog is such a consuming passion of mine, I still feel like a very small part of the blogging world, and I definite do not hold a candle to all of these other fantastic writers.
I received my issue of the February 2011 magazine in the mail today and squealed at decibels so loud I swear every dog on the block could hear me. On the Editor's Letter page, Brandon Holley, the editrix of the magazine, wrote a piece about the power of the blogosphere. I was beyond honored to see that Dolly Rocker Girl was listed alongside blogs that I am obsessed with. The very fact that I was mentioned on the same page as Anna Dello Russo, whom I am infatuated with, simply sent me to the moon!
This may be a little self-serving, but I hope anyone out there who reads this post can go to their local newsstand and pick up a copy. Though, unfortunately for those who live in my area, my mother may have cleared out magazine stands of the issue. Nicole Richie is on the cover, which is so perfect because I absolutely adore Nicole. I maintain that her being the cover girl this month is way beyond wonderful to simply be a coincidence. The question now is - can Nicole and I become friends now on this basis?

Title: from "Lucky" (Britney Spears) - the anthem of my life circa 2000

well, i heard so much about london, i decided to check it out

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i thought it was strange, you said everything changed

The final hours of my teenage life are coming to a close. By the time I wake up in the morning, I will be twenty years old. Ugh, twenty. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it.

This is the single most depressing event that has happened to me in a long time. To me, birthdays are always similar to New Year’s – they are always hyped up to be something great, but they always just end up making you disappointed. Because as many times as you tell yourself that you don’t care, that it’s just a day like any other, there is a secret part of you – the part that makes you feel butterflies in your stomach when the most-out-of-your-league guy in the universe walks past you, the part that always hopes for an A right before you find out you got a B, the part that makes you cross your fingers and wish to win an award even when you’re pretty sure you weren’t even nominated … basically the part of you that you never want to acknowledge – that part is telling you that this year could be something different.

You are supposed to feel special and recognized on your birthday – it’s your day, after all! The one day out of the entire year that people should lavish attention on you. But that is never truly the case for me.

Getting older has always seemed so depressing and un-celebratory to me. Its one of the few things Bella Swan and I have in common. Except my desire to stay young has nothing to do with wanting to get busy with a member of the undead.

Besides the fact that no exciting privilege comes along with turning the big 2-0, this is such a sad number for me to be at. When I was a precociously OCD little girl, I made goals for myself, I structured my life by the things I wanted to do according to each year of my life. These goals were usually outlandish and nearly impossible, but hey what’s all too new with that? I promised myself that I would become a success by twenty years old. I have no clue why I chose twenty to be the peak of my achievements, but it was probably because I assumed youth ended once entering your twenties. But with the looming arrival of my twentieth year, I don’t feel any different from any other day.

Being twenty is particularly troubling for me because in so many of the biographies that I’ve read, the person has achieved something stellar by the age of nineteen. By nineteen, Rimbaud has already written his greatest masterpieces. Marie Antoinette became the Queen of France. Marianne Faithfull had already gotten married, had a kid, slept with three Rolling Stones, and was shacking up with Mick by the time she was nineteen. Pattie Boyd was a famous model and being lusted after by George freaking Harrison. And I’m pretty sure Lindsay Lohan already had at least one or two breakdowns at nineteen.

Even the less high-profile people that I admire had done something when they were younger than me. Catherine James was living (platonically) with Eric Clapton, helping him cope with his unrequited love for Pattie. Bebe Buell was signed to Ford Models and being wooed by Todd Rundgren (not my cup of tea, but still – it’s the principal of the matter). I, on the other hand, was not crushed on by any musicians, nor was I even asked to move in with any of them to help them do the dishes!

And the time comes closer when I have to give up my title as a nineteen-year-old, I’m forced to ask myself: where am I? Who am I? 

nothing from nothing leaves nothing

Thank you to all your dolly girls for your advice during my quarter-life crisis in my previous post. I have a lot to think over in regard to this site - I love blogging and it's such a great outlet for me, but I want to make sure that it's not a one-way street and that y'all can actually have fun reading this as well. There are so many blogs out there that I envy/lust after and I hope to one day become that site for at least one young doll (or dude) who is beginning their journey into retro-dom and has no clue who Marianne Faithfull is and can't tell their Godard from their Truffaut.
For me, while feedback and comments are always nice, what people say isn't what takes the cake for me at the end of the day. I love knowing that there are kids out there just like me that care about this stuff just as much, if not more, than I do. I'm obsessive about things that my real-life friends deem strange (too random to be 'quirky' I suppose), so more often than not I don't tell them about what I'm into at the moment. In fact, none of my real-life friends know that I have a blog. But knowing there are people who emulate Penny Lane, who lust after Anita Pallenberg's jewelry and want to sleep with Serge Gainsbourg and George Harrison as much as I do is really comforting for me, because it lets me know that we are not alone. Maybe all we have to link us to one another is this strange, strange thing called the internet world, but thank God for it! I would be so scared if this were an alternate universe where I didn't have this outlet and I ended up like one of my Sperry's-and-Nike-shorts-wearing former classmates who only listen to rap and think black-and-white movies are terrible based upon some messed-up principle that black-and-white movies are outdated and lame. And the fact that these fantastic bloggers out there have cared enough to click the 'follow' button means a lot to me.
I don't know, but that's just me. Anyways, I'll get back to regular, non-moping, non-pseudo intellectual blogging very soon!