god gave me style and gave me grace, god put a smile upon my face

Alexa Chung stars in a photo shoot inspired by the mod fashions of the Swingin' Sixties for the October issue of Harper's Bazaar UK, wearing the throwback threads of Stella McCartney, Chloe, Prada, and Burberry that includes a rotation of minidresses that would make everyone from Twiggy to Jane Asher jealous. The accompanying interview is very sixties-centric, with Chung discussing everything from her favorite muses of the decade (Jane Birkin, Marianne Faithfull, Astrid Kircherr, and Jean Shrimpton are among the girls who make the list) and her decision to dress à la Birkin for the Met gala in a Christopher Kane creation. 

Here are some choice quotes from the article: 

On why the Sixties suit her body type: “My ex-boyfriend [photographer David Titlow] showed me Antonioni’s 1966 film Blow-Up in my late teens. I remember seeing Jane Birkin. And I couldn’t believe it. She even made just wearing a pair of tights look sexy. . . I think the Sixties vibe suits my body type, which is skinny legs and a boyish frame.”

On loving the Sixties vibe: “It’s the groupie vibe that I’m attracted to. They had these amazing love affairs, and both the men and the women were made amazing by them. The girls in the Sixties were never overshadowed by the men they dated. You can talk about Jane Shrimpton without having to mention Bailey or Terence Stamp first.”

On her own sixties-inspired A/W 11 collection with Madewell, J Crew: “I’ve invented this tartan mac, it’s like something the Shrimp would have worn. It’s got a round collar and a tie on it, so you can wear it like a cape without your hands in your sleeves.”

On falling out of love with the Sixties … briefly: “I fell out of love with the Sixties for a while. I think because I was so identified with it. It’s like Sienna Miller when she did boho, then suddenly stopped because she was like, ‘Fuck. What else can I do, because I’ve done it?’ Everyone copied my sodding coat for a while too. It was my Harrods kid’s vintage one. Every girl suddenly had one and I was like, ‘Arrgh!’ I got really bored of smock dresses and loafers for a while. But I feel like I’m ready to fall in lve all over again.”

Quotes from here

Title: from "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" (Coldplay)

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)

i'm so excited, and i just can't hide it

Hi dolls! I am so excited to tell all of you that I was nominated, along with four other fabby bloggers, for Lucky Magazine's Best Fashion Voice Award at this September's FABB (Fashion & Beauty Blogging) Conference. I am so beyond honored to have been chosen - Lucky Magazine has supported DRG and helped it to blossom in so many ways that I cannot thank them enough. 
I am so excited to go to the conference because so many women (and a few boys too!) who I admire will be there: Diane von Furstenberg, Coco Rocha, Kelly Framel of the Glamourai, designer extraordinaire Rebecca Minkoff, Rodger Berman, and Kim, Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian, just to name a few. I fully intend to stalk down the Kardashian sisters - I think they must know the well-established fact that I am a 'Kim' and that my mother contends she is the 'Khloé' of our family. 
With the conference less than a week away, I am left with a bunch of butterflies in my stomach that I can hardly concentrate on anything - homework, emails, even this post! 
Because I am a jumble of nervous energy, I call on all you dolls to help me with this all important question: what do I wear? I have narrowed down my choices to either Annie Hall menswear chic or a Brigitte Bardot-inspired wiggle dress. I simply cannot decide between the two (maybe I'll do like those obnoxious teens on My Super Sweet Sixteen did and have multiple outfit changes throughout the day). 
More importantly, are there any other bloggers out there who will be attending the conference - and perhaps want to hang out with little ole me? 

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

Dollyween Costume: Fashion Heavyweights

Anna Wintour (and if you can find someone, go with your own Andre Leon Talley)

Get yourself a pair of oversized black shades, a fab honey-blonde pageboy bob wig, and some fantastically fashionable outfit. Anna tends to wear bright florals and loud patterns in simple, clean cuts. Extra points if you wear her favored fur stoles and a Starbucks cup. Venti, naturally.

Anna Piaggi

How epically fantastic this costume would be! The chance to sport Piaggi's heavily rouged cheeks and blue hair without fear of scorn because you are copying the original. Isn't that what Halloween is all about?

Other ideas for dressing up as a Fashion Heavyweight:

• Isabella Blow: the grand dame of fanciful fashion and muse to Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy, Isabella Blow would be the perfect costume for the avant-garde fashionista this October 31st. 
• Betsey Johnson: dread your hair, wear hot pink and psychedlic prints, load up on charms and bangles, and cartwheel the night away as the former Factory favorite. 
• Rachel Zoe: take a note from Kelly Ripa (who parodied Zoe on the Halloween episode of Regis & Kelly) by copying Rachel's signature fur vests, oversized sunnies, and deadpan tone of speech.