when we’re old and full of cancer, it doesn’t matter now, come on get happy ‘cause nothing lasts forever and i will always love you

It's an almost surreal experience to hear an icon of yours - for style, music, and attitude - being so frank about their insecurities and perceived flaws. This is what occurred for me when reading the transcribed interview with Debbie Harry on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs today. Along with frankly discussing about her drug habit - from which she has long recovered from - and admitting her regrets about not having children, the rock star revealed her insecurities regarding growing older. Harry said, "As far as aging goes, it's rough. It's hard. I rely on looks a lot. Women's calling cards, unfortunately, are based on their looks." And as much as a die-hard Blondie fan (like I) doesn't want to admit it, Harry's success wasn't completely based on her immense talent - it did, in part, have to do with her looks. I remember reading a book on Patti Smith a few months back by Victor Bockris, and in it friends and fellow 70s scenesters discussed Smith's contempt for Debbie Harry as a performer back in the day. Debbie was the physical embodiment of all the women Patti worshipped - she was blonde, wide-eyed, and beautiful. Patti loved the likes of Anita, Marianne, Nico, and Edie for their ethereal beauty, but hated it in Debbie. Perhaps because Patti loved these beauties as they were seen as muses, the inspirations for poetry and music - not the writers of the music itself. Debbie integrated herself in the same scene as Patti, and had talent to match the reigning Princess of Punk. Bockris writes, “Debbie had all the physical attributes of the women that Patti celebrated in her poetry: blondeness, beauty, and charisma. However, those attributes encountered in the flesh, combined with talent, a voice, and a healthy dose of ambition, constituted a threat” to Patti, who fancied herself the female Keith Richards and physically mirrored the Stone to androgynous success. There was a moment when Patti admitted both her dislike and love for Debbie, telling the Blondie singer to get out of rock'n'roll and they could run off together, as detailed in an interview with the High Times Reader. Debbie in turn interpreted it as Patti's declaration that there was only room enough for one of them in music and Debbie wasn't good enough to withstand Patti's talents. 

Thank goodness Debbie didn't let any intimidations from Miss Smith or any of the other numerous critics get to her, because if she lacked a steely resilience and undying passion for music, we might not have Blondie in our iPods blasting on our way to work. Harry seems to have the same view in coming to terms with how her outward appearance altered her music and life, concluding to Radio 4 that, despite everything, "I'm glad I've had all the radical experiences in my life. I have a better perspective." 

Title: from "Don't Forget Me" (Marianne Faithfull)

Boy Meets Girl

I've always been a fan of fashion that is both masculine and feminine. A certain level of androgyny is gorgeous on anyone. Whether adding subtle touches to your look, like a pair of Oxfords or a tailored vest, or going all out in a suit and tie (and suspenders, vest, hat, dress shoes, and cane), the tomboy look is a go-to alternative that everyone should have in their closet. The sharp menswear look is not just a passing trend, but a timeless style that has had major moments for the last seven or so decades.

Here's some inspiration:

Woody Allen's then-flame Diane Keaton in her most famous role Annie Hall, wearing a mix of Ralph Lauren menswear and her own boyish pieces.

Audrey Tatou looks contemplative in a still from Coco Before Chanel, outfitted in own of Chanel's signature tailored tuxes.

A Brian Jones-era Anita Pallenberg is seen running through the streets in her pinstriped suit.

Cate Blanchett is shown getting into her role as a young Bob Dylan in I'm Not There.

Another famous figure that Blanchett once portrayed, Katharine Hepburn, is seen smoking a cigarette on set of Woman of the Year in her trademark tailored trousers and blazer.

Marianne Faithfull outside of a London courthouse following the Redlands bust.

Kristen Stewart pals around with her Twilight castmates Kellan Lutz and Robert Pattinson, while wearing a white suit.

Wonder Woman Lynda Carter with date Ron Samuels in his-and-hers tuxedoes at the Golden Globes in 1977.

Bird of Britain Pattie Boyd wears a baggy suit and tie (borrowed from George, perhaps?)

The lovely Kirsten Dunst looks every bit a fashion icon in her androgynous look, adding a feminine flare with her Louboutin heels.

Patti Smith, long known for her music and her tomboyish style, on the cover of her debut album Horses, from 1975.

Studio 54 regular and rock star wife Bianca Jagger swaggers along in her white tux, bowler hat, and cane.

Yé-yé darling Francoise Hardy is shown out and about in the mid-60s in a menswear-inspired look.

Milla Jovovich matches her boyish suit with a cropped 'do and minimal makeup.

Yves Saint Laurent's famous Le Smoking tuxedo suit for women.

Kate Hepburn, again shown in her classic menswear: a bowler hat, tailored vest, and slouchy trousers.

Pattie Boyd, in an Ossie Clark ensemble, gives hubby George Harrison a run for his (sartorial) money in her white suit, while traveling to the Cannes Film Festival in 1968 for the premiere of Wonderwall.

An early fan of the feminine tux, Marlene Dietrich topped off her look with patent oxford dress shoes and a top hat.

For Twiggy, all she needed was a fashion-forward tie, worn with a minidress and button down, to complete her androgynous style.

Anita Pallenberg dresses like just one of the boys in the airport with Mick, Keith, and baby Marlon in the early 1970s.

Alexa Chung, shown on the city streets, in several tomboyish pieces.

In 2009, Rihanna, Twiggy, and Lake Bell all adopted the tuxedo look for the Met Ball.