like a true nature’s child, we were born, born to be wild

Nicole Richie is a modern day fashion icon of mine for her effortless(-looking) earth mama-meets-glittering socialite style. She's one of those gals who I would term a 'rich hippie'. She runs around Hollywood in her long worn-out maxidresses, oversized tunics, ripped jeans, spike-high Louboutins, scuffed-up Balenciaga bag, and stacks of bracelets and beads. It is no coincidence that her style heavily draws influence from the 60s and 70s bohemian threads that I am obsessed with - whether wearing retro originals or hippie-inspired fashions from her own lines, Winter Kate and House of Harlow 1960, Nicole always looks like she has just stepped out of the pages of Us Weekly from another decade. Honestly, I want every single thing from her clothing and accessories collections - a wonderful assortment of paisleys and prints in deep earthy colors make up much of the Winter Kate line, and fantastic statement-making jewelry (like giant cocktail rings, stackable gold bangles, ethnic-inspired shapes) and oversized sunglasses - similar to those that first launched Nicole to style stardom years ago when she worked with Rachel Zoe - can be found a-plenty in the House of Harlow.

Title: from "Born to be Wild" (Steppenwolf)

pretty pink hair, big brown dress hair eyes, gotta get to your pink house

I was inspired by my lovely friend Melissa over at Glamoretta to do a post about my strangely deep love of pink hair. I've known Melissa since we were eleven years old - she's one of the few girls in the blogosphere that I know in the 'real' world. She has really great style and is so gorge - I definitely recommend that you check out her blog. We've already decided we are going to take over the fashion world, so there's that. Plus she's really awesome.
Okay, enough fawning - onto the post. At the end of last school year, one of my best friends Meg and I decided on a whim to dye our hair streaks of color. I chose pink and Meg chose blue. We were stone cold sober, I might add. I don't know why, but people tend to assume that this was a drunken decision. But no. Actually, dyeing my hair was pretty much the extent of my teenage rebellion. Pretty pathetic in the scope of other kids my age "livin' on the edge," but adding a little Kool-Aid color (or kolor, if you will) was enough for me. (But to be fair, it's pretty much a fact that pink hair isn't for the faint of heart. As Rizzo said of Sandy in Grease, "she's too pure to be pink").
Of course, once I came home after semester's end, my mother made an appointment at our salon to have the pink situation 'corrected.' So here is an ode to pink hair. Because obviously nothing says Christmas quite like dyeing one's hair to resemble cotton candy.

Here's the image from Glamoretta that started it all 

Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation. And of course, who can forget the lovely pink tinted hair that ScarJo sported in the Louis Vuitton SS'07 ad campaign? 

One of my favorite modern-day models, Abbey Lee Kershaw

Anja Rubic, with hair resembling the color and texture of sugar-spun cotton candy

I don't really know what Audrey Kitching does ... except have hot hot pink hair and every Tarina Tarantino necklace that I've ever wanted

Avril Lavigne - I really love her eye make up here too

Dree Hemingway does a subtle pink tint, a less dramatic version of the look she sported in the Valentino S'10 advertisements 

Pink hair doesn't always have to be a drastic statement of rebellion. This light pink shade looks the picture of ladylike perfection, with a hue that even matches tulip petals

Another sophisticated take on pink hair. This light shade hovers between pink and lavender, which is another beautiful color to do. I like that this model sports a bit of an Ombre look here - with the pink at its deepest color at the roots, moving to pure platinum blonde at the ends

Lustworthy pink hair and chubby (faux) fur coat - a union of my two great loves

Gwen Stefani sported bright pink hair during her early days in No Doubt and again when she first branched out in her solo career, in tandem with her launch of L.A.M.B.

John Galliano's runway models rock painted-on pink hair

Julia Roberts with a very subtle, mama-approved take on the look

Kate Moss, who has accomplished the amazing feat of matching her lipstick to her locks

With wigs that have touched on every color in the spectrum, it's no surprise that Lady Gaga has tried out pink hair

Lily Allen turned heads when she dyed her entire head Barbie pink

Mary-Kate Olsen does a dirty bohemian take on pink hair

Natalia Vodianova in W Magazine (September 2006), shot by Craig McDean 

I'm not well-acquainted with the stripper world, but I'm guessing that most of those ladies aren't nearly as lovely as Natalie Portman's alluring Alice in Closer

I remember being unhealthily in love with Rachel McAdams and her pink streaks when I was in high school. I distinctly remember pouring over her editorial in Elle Magazine where she wore the newest haute couture gowns instead of studying for my course exams during our March finals week. I studied her look so intensely, I can remember of the top of my head one of the dresses - a light seafoam color Chanel HC gown with feathers and sequins - that was worn by Kirsten Dunst to the Oscars (though I preferred Rachel, plus the pink)

Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed in Thirteen

Post-shaved head and umbrella-gate, at least Britney could still make a few good decisions on her own: pink bobbed wig and a leopard print dress

I know it's a massive cultural generalization to say, but I don't think it's offensive if it's true. That being said, Asian countries like China and Japan are the source of trendy, cutting-edge hairstyles. These girls are never afraid to experiment - they were the first to rock the Ombre hair (a look that I am now sporting) and so many other looks. This young Tokyo fashion maven takes inspiration from the split-dye look from Vivienne Westwood's runway events

Blog-stars Carolina Engman and Krystal Simpson

The lovely Sharon Tate with pink locks

Dress Like Cher from "Clueless"

Back in the day, I aspired to be Alicia Silverstone in "Clueless." I envied her perfectly straight long blonde hair, her computer outfit selector, and her ability to negotiate her way from a C+ to an A- (totally based on the power of her persuasion). I too wanted an a-dork-able stepbrother who can't dance, a backpack that looked like a skinned Collie, and the be-all and end-all of nineties fashion: the white Calvin Klein dress Cher wears when she goes out with Christian. (Did you think I was going to say the red Alaïa? Well, while Alaïa is "like a totally important designer," nothing gets between me and my Calvin.)

Finally, my (and most likely yours as well) fashion prayers have been answered. Francisco Costa, director of Calvin Klein, has remade the dress per the request of Ilaria Urbinati, the co-owned of Confederacy. The dress, priced at a cool $916, is available in both its signature white as well as red. While this frock is a little bit too pricey for little ole me, it won't stop me from drooling over the idea of finally becoming Cher Horowitz.

For the fashionistas out there ready to score a fashion fix, head to Confederacy to pick one up. I guarantee, in this dress, no one will confuse you with being a full-on Monet.

Top Ten "Jailbait" Movies

In order to sound like as little of a creep as possible, let me put into context how I thought of making this list. When I was in my young teens (mostly between the ages of 14-17) I had several encounters with men who would somehow make a Lolita inference during our conversation. I always thought this was equal parts disturbing and flattering. It was sometimes nice to know that my crushes on inappropriately older gentlemen weren't always entirely one-sided. For any gal who has every been "Hot for Teacher" or longed for a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, this list is for you.

So to start off the list, I give you the girl who started it all...

Dolores 'Lolita' Haze (Sue Lyon) in Lolita, 1962

I've never seen the remake with Dominique Swain in the title role, but I'm still going to say that this is my preferred version. I love Sue Lyon's portrayal of the flirtatious fourteen-year-old - especially in those moments where she's allowed to be a little bit darker than what the censors would normally allow and explore more of the depth to this character. Plastic heart-shaped sunglasses have become a little bit less childish since this movie's release. Fun fact: Though she was the star of the film, Sue wasn't allowed into the premiere of Lolita because she was a few months shy of her sixteenth birthday (16 being the minimum age required to enter the screening).

Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman) in Léon: The Professional, 1994

In the film, Portman plays the twelve-year-old neighbor of a hitman in Little Italy named Léon. After her family is murdered, including her four-year-old brother (the only one in the family she actually loved, she says), Mathilda begs Léon to teach her his skills so that she can avenge her family's murders. Natalie Portman looked badass in her big black boots, choker necklaces, striped tee shirts, and her sleek bob that could put Mia Wallace to shame.

Iris 'Easy' Steensma (Jodie Foster) in Taxi Driver, 1976

Never before this movie did I ever say "Gee, I wish I were a twelve-year-old prostitute." As Iris, a New York 'lady of the streets', Jodie Foster got to wear some of the most killer seventies clothing. I'd die for the dusty pink hot pants and red suede wedges she wears when she meets Travis Bickle (Robert de Niro). Though she's onscreen for only a fraction of the movie, Foster's role as Iris and her relationship with Bickle drives the second half of the narrative.

Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) in Manhattan, 1979

As Tracy, the seventeen-year-old love of Woody Allen's philandering 42-year-old Isaac Davis, Mariel Hemingway earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. And with good reason. Giving the most soft, subtle performance in a film of neurotic characters, Hemingway's Tracy comes off as the most intelligent and mature of the whole lot. She also gets to utter one of the famous last lines, "Not everyone gets corrupted ... you have to have a little faith in people."

Violet (Brooke Shields) in Pretty Baby, 1978

Perhaps the jailbait actress of the century, practically anything from her early career could have made this list (The Blue Lagoon, Endless Love, her Calvin Klein ads), but here is Brooke in her first major (and most jailbait-iest) film role. The film is set in 1917 New Orleans during the last months of legal prostitution. Brooke plays Violet, the twelve-year-old daughter of a prostitute (Susan Sarandon being gorgeous, as per usual), whose virginity is auctioned off by her mother's madame. A photographer by the name of Ernest J. Bellocq is fascinated by Violet's beauty and youth, and marries the girl. Although Brooke is undoubtedly gorgeous, there is still something I find so unsettling about seeing such a young girl painted with makeup and made to be so overtly sexualized ... especially when you consider that this was partially a true story.

Charlotte Goodall (Sue Lyon) in The Night of the Iguana, 1964

Sue Lyon really made a career out of playing over-sexualized teenage girls. Here our little Lolita travels to Puerto Vallarta to pursue the affections of Richard Burton, but she faces some stiff competition from Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner. Fun fact: Although director John Huston did not have a problem with the international ruckus that Burton and his lover Elizabeth Taylor were causing on the Puerto Vallarta set, Huston banned Sue Lyon's fiance from the set after interfering with film production too many times.

Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) in American Beauty, 1999

Mena Suvari kind of ruined the entire idea of red rose petals for me, but it was still a stellar film.

Ivy (Drew Barrymore) in Poison Ivy, 1992

After befriending schoolmate Sylvie Cooper, Ivy - a seductive scholarship student at an exclusive Beverly Hills prep school - makes designs on Sylvie's father. Ivy is a calculating young girl who was ready and willing to do anything to get something she wanted. Drew Barrymore's fifteen-year-old femme fatale is far and away the most dangerous girl on this list.

Baby Doll Meighan (Carroll Baker) in Baby Doll, 1956

In this Elia Kazan picture, Baker plays "Baby Doll," the sweetly uneducated teenage bride of Karl Malden. In order to compound this fact, Baker sucks her thumb a lot. The film was widely condemned upon its release, with Time Magazine saying in its review at the time that it was the "dirtiest American-made motion picture that had ever been legally exhibited." The Legion of Decency even succeeded in getting the film withdrawn from theatres because of it's "immoral content." Fun fact: Despite being thirty-years-old at the time, Marilyn Monroe was chosen by Tennessee Williams personally to star in the film. Monroe, who wanted the role badly, was finishing up her year-long exile from Hollywood to improve her acting talent and almost got the role. Kazan ultimately went with film newcomer Carroll Baker, who had worked together at the Actor's Studio.

Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) in An Education, 2009

In 1961 England, sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Jenny is swept up in a romance with the charming and sophisticated David, who is over twice her age. With Mulligan racking up the awards this past year, it goes without saying that her portrayal of the young, impressionable schoolgirl was a hit among critics and audiences alike. The film is set in the same year as Kubrick was filming his version of Lolita, so I think that completes a beautiful circle there, doesn't it?

and in the dark and in the past, i thought 'oh god my chance has come at last'

This weekend marked the first time ever I had seen Inglourious Basterds. Which is surprising, because I am quite the Tarantino nut. In fondness of the film, I dedicate this post to the lovely ladies of the Basterds, Shosanna Dreyfus, played by Melanie Laurent, and Bridgit von Hammersmark, portrayed by Diane Kruger.

Shosanna Dreyfus (also known as: Emmanuelle Mimieux)

Few other characters in cinematic history embody the phrase "revenge is a dish best served cold" than Shosanna Dreyfus. After her family is brutally killed at the order of Co. Hans Landa, Shosanna manages to concoct her revenge almost four years later when a pro-Nazi film is set to premiere at her local theatre.

During the day, Shosanna relies on slouchy menswear pieces to complete her look. Baggy trousers, overcoats, and sweaters are not unusual, nor are suspenders and her requisite newsboy cap. During 'Operation-Kino' Shosanna channels her inner vixen and dresses at the ultimate Lady in Red. In a body-skimming scarlett gown, paired with a veiled hat, Shosanna makes a memorable last impression on celluloid.

Mélanie Laurent

I have recently come to admire the personal style of the actress behind the Basterd Shosanna, played by the beautiful Paris-born-and-bred actress Melanie (with an accent) Laurent. While she doesn't possess the polished Parisian style of Catherine Deneuve (another French icon of style), Laurent's look is something more akin to Vanessa Paradis. This messy, sexy, and edgy look is precisely what I love most about how French women dress. Laurent has the enviable quality about her that makes her hair look better when it goes unbrushed, and she looks gorgeous in makeup from the night before.

I like that she plays around with different styles, moving seamlessly from detailed little black frocks to romantic silk gowns, before switching it up with leather or marabou feathers. Laurent has experimented with her hair as well - dark blonde, brunette, strawberry blonde, platinum (her current hue), with heavy blunt fringe, shoulder-length, long, short, and everything in between. Her beauty mainstays are subtly smoky eyes and a dramatic lip, often alternating between a nude gloss or a dark red stain.

Bridgit von Hammersmark

Bridgit is the ultimate German film star. With her ice blonde hair and Nordic good looks, it is not difficult to imagine von Hammersmark to be an international celebrity en par with Bergman and Dietrich - she has the alluring accent and a demeanor that is equally as such.
Very much a character in tune with the times, Bridgit sports feminine tailored pieces, like her khaki skirt suit with belted blazer. She adds a bit of an edge with her dramatic hat with a feather poking out the back. At the premiere of Nation's Pride, the film-within-the-film, she embraces true Hollywood glamour in a mostly-backless black gown, white opera gloves, tons of diamond jewelry, and an oversized white fur stole. She finishes the look with subtle makeup - little more that red lipstick - and an orchid piece set in her hair.

Diane Kruger

I have always really admired the way that Kruger dresses. She is one of the few actresses in Hollywood that doesn't use a stylist. Instead, she dresses herself in some of the most stunning pieces I've ever seen - occasionally, she even (gasp!) does her own hair and makeup for the red carpet. She consistently comes out on the Best Dressed list for her gorgeous, unique choices.

In Basterds, Kruger was given her best-role-to-date as the starlet/double agent Bridgit von Hammersmark. She was able to use her native German and gave a truly stellar performance. Because of her connection to this Tarantino film, Kruger has walked the red carpet for many of the big events for the last eighteen-or-so months. Kruger rarely experiments with her signature bright blonde hair, but everything else is up to chance when it comes to how she looks. There is no definite 'style' for Kruger, except for that she wears some of the most exquisite, romantic clothing. With her blonde hair, peaches-and-cream complexion and her soft flowing pieces, she looks as if she emerged from a dream.

while mona lisa and mad hatters, sons of bankers, sons of lawyers, turn around and say "good morning" to the night

I've always loved hats. Even as a little girl, I never considered my outfit to be complete until I had put on my glitter plastic heels and some variation of a hat on my head. I rocked bonnets (during my hairless toddler days), berets, top hats, newsboy caps, and turbans. I was the suburban five-year-old equivalent of Little Edie of Grey Gardens. Perhaps my love of hats had something to do with my early obsession with The Secret World of Alex Mack, where the main character seemed to have a bevy of hats in her possession (she could also turn into a silver puddle on command, but that's another story). Or perhaps it was a genetic trait inherited from my former hippie mother, who has boxes of polaroids from her younger years where she was sporting all sorts of eccentric accessories atop her cranium.

My favorite style is the wide-brimmed hat. There is something quite alluring about a wide-brimmed hat - it adds an element of bohemian mystery to one's look. Unfortunately, due to my deceptively large head, I cannot wear most store purchased hats. So I will take solace in these photos of several lovely ladies from the past and present:

Mia Farrow is photographed in full Daisy Buchanan costume, including a white afternoon summer hat with dried flowers and lace, on the set of The Great Gatsby.

Sienna Miller with her then-beau (and now again current-beau) Jude Law on set of their film Alfie in a fantastically floppy hat. Though I'm personally not a fan of the film itself, Sienna's role as Nikki, a mentally unstable party girl, made me fall in love with Miss Miller.

Like mother, like daughter: Lisa Bonet and her equally as fashionable spawn Zoe Kravitz stroll the streets of New York in two fantastic head-toppers.

With the perfect hat on top of your head, any moment can seem beautifully romantic. Photographer Sarah Moon captures a lovely moment for the 1972 Pirelli calendar.

The fantastic Kate Moss is seen in a wide-brimmed fedora and her signature unkempt hairstyle.

Mischa Barton, who cites Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg as her main style idols, is photographed for Nylon magazine in an early 1970s-inspired shoot.

In artfully-applied hair and makeup, Jean Shrimpton looks the epitome of chic in a black turtleneck and black hat.

A large hat enthusiast, Marianne Faithfull doubles up on wide-brimmed hats to complete her classic bohemian look.

Wearing several Hollywood It-Girl staples, Vanessa Hudgens walks the Los Angeles streets in an American Apparel hat and Balenciaga motorcycle bag.

Born and bred in Hollywood, actress Tina Aumont looks adorable in her tan felt hat, brown suede vest, and purple top, paired with her signature kohl-rimmed eyes.

French model Vanessa Paradis looks bohemian chic in her wide-brimmed hat and ivory lace top.

The late Francoise Dorleac strikes a pose in a wide-brimmed hat and large knit shirt.

Maria Schneider looks seventies chic with costar Marlon Brando on set of Last Tango in Paris.

Muse to extravagant hat designer Philip Treacy, the late Isabella Blow is captured in her typical eccentrically chic style.

Edie Sedgwick fills every bit her role as a style icon in a black straw hat and Mongolian fur coat during her Ciao! Manhattan.

Zooey Deschanel looks precious in her 1930s-inspired hat.

Brigitte Bardot poses for the camera in a floppy felt hat and her signature sex kitten makeup.

Anna Karina looks fab in her feminine tailored suit and hat during the mid-1960s.

Paris-born model Charlotte Martin, former flame of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, looks hippie chic in a floppy hat adorned with dried flowers.