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? 

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.

a notice

I am ashamed by the little amount of posting that I've done these last few weeks. I wish I could say that I had an awesome excuse - I am publishing my first book! I have been vacationing in Ibiza! I was chosen as Woody's newest muse and he's been studying me to craft his latest screenplay around my unparalleled wit! - but no, the sad truth is that I am lazy. Lazy and busy. It's a paradoxical truth for a university student to be both bogged down with work and to not do anything with their time. 

But things are going to change! I am working on several new posts that should be up in the next few days for your reading pleasure. 

So please excuse my current lameness - I am working to overcome it.  

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)

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 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)

life is brief but when it's gone, love goes on and on

It's a wee bit of a collage overload, but ya can't get sick of Jimi!

Sometimes I think it was unfair for God to have ever made Jimi Hendrix. Someone as fantastically beautiful and talented as he was could never have lasted long, and after just giving us a taste of Jimi’s brilliance, God took him away. But moments like these are usually fleeting and are overpowered by my love of this man. Yeah, yeah, I know he was a guitar virtuoso who advanced music a lot, yadda yadda yadda. But I will temporarily ignore this, instead focusing on the intense beauty of Mr. Hendrix. Day-uhmm, he was fine (only Jimi Hendrix warrants this statement ever being uttered by me). I mean, he was simply gorgeous. And his style – I have never seen a man dressed so well. He wore wide-brim hats with plume feathers, tasseled military jackets, gold medallions, velvet coats, paisley headscarves, heavy threads - basically every one of my most lusted-after sixties items (i.e. if I could go back in time and rob 'Granny Takes a Trip' and 'I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet', this is what I would steal...)  

I again curse my way-too-late birth because I feel like we would have made really beautiful babies. And I mean that seriously.   

Title: from "Love" (I believe it's from Robin Hood... yeah, go ahead, judge away)

welcome to my life, tattoo, we've a long time together, me and you, i expect i'll regret you, but the skin graft man won't get you

I got a tattoo last night. Well, to be honest, I got a temporary tattoo last night (I know, I'm such a badass). It's from this really fab kit of temporary tattoos by Betsey Johnson. Done in the same vein as the Chanel Les Trompe L'Oeil 'skin art', the BJ tats can be combined to look like jewelry on the skin.
I decided on a green and pink serpent on my forearm. And apart from the occasional Death Eater allusion, no one was too surprised by my recent addition. I choose to believe it's because people assume I'm daring enough to get a tattoo, not that it was so clearly evident a temp.
My foray into the temporary got me thinking about real body art. I used to have an obsession with tattoos and would plan which one I would get the moment I turned eighteen. I never wanted a monstrously big one - always just a tiny thing that I could appreciate but not advertise to the world. In seventh grade, I wanted a star of my wrist (très Gisele). At fifteen, I wanted a small word or French phrase. By seventeen, I was settled on the idea of getting a small swallow on either my wrist or side of my forearm.
When I actually turned eighteen, I reneighed on my promise. Suddenly, getting a tattoo was something I desperately wanted to avoid. When friends would ask what I thought of tattoos, I would always dismiss them - saying that I would never be able to become First Lady if I had a tat.
But the truth of the matter is a little different. While even the baddest bad gals of retro Hollywood never got tattoos (you'd never see Lana Turner with a tramp stamp), the stigma behind tattoos has definitely changed in the last few decades. Now it's hip - even commonplace - for people to have tattoos. What made me reconsider getting inked was the very nature of tattoos themselves - they are forever. I hated the permanency of it; I'm probably the worst type of person to even consider getting a tattoo - I hate change of any sort, but I'm also extremely noncommittal. Getting inked, even with something smaller than a dime, seemed too revolutionary for me.
I recently read an interview with Olivia Kim, one of the head gals of Opening Ceremony, on Into the Gloss. In addition to her enviable job and lustworthy wardrobe, she had a slew of really cool tattoos. Little birds, hearts, bows, boats, sea ships, and cupcakes adorn her hands. I really loved her quote about tattoos: "I love the idea that it really marks where you are in your life at that time. I think people are scared of that permanence but I feel like, it's ok, you can always move on, you can cover it, you can take it off if you don't like it. I remember everything about each one." I credit Kim with my recent (i.e. last night when I couldn't fall asleep and this afternoon when my friend and I were bored and start googling 'tiny tattoos') change in feelings towards tattoos. The permanency may very well be an attractive aspect, and I just misunderstood. Tattoos are like souvenirs of yourself from a particular moment in time.
Maybe I will reconsider my personal stance on the tattoo. Though, with my parents possibly reading this, maybe I won't.

Gisele Bundchen

Angelina Jolie and her many tattoos

Amy Winehouse

Evan Rachel Wood

Kate Moss has several tattoos: an anchor on her right arm, a 'P' on her hip, a star on her ankle, and a small heart on her hand

Lindsay Lohan has many tattoos: a star on her wrist, "Shhh..." on her index finger, 'La bella vita' on her lower back, "Breathe" done in white ink

Marianne Faithfull has a swallow tattooed on her hand

Megan Fox

I love the wings that Nicole Richie has on her back

Sienna Miller has stars on her shoulder and a swallow on her inner wrist

Leighton Meester

Title: from "Tattoo" (The Who)

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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only a week until new year, that's when i'll make a new start

As 2010 is winding down, we are given the chance to reflect on the goals we made for ourselves this past year and evaluate whether or not we made any progress. Even if we've failed or forgotten a lot of our resolutions, we are given the chance to start anew when the stroke of midnight comes on December 31st. With the new year comes renewed promise - we are given 365 days to make some magic happen.
I personally do not want to let 2011 slip by as quickly as 2010 did. I want to do something significant, truly make this the defining year in my life where things began to happen for me. (No pressure or anything, eh?)
Without further ado, here are my list of resolutions for 2011:

1. Say Yes - I've never seen the Jim Carrey movie (despite the dear Zooey Deschanel being in it) but there is some good in saying 'Yes Man' to things that come your way. 
2. Put the sources of things on the blog - work on citing song lyrics, quotes, and pictures as best I can. I know how annoying it is when I stumble across a site that is using my collages (there was a site out there that actually lifted my writing as well - it really irked me) without any credit. 
3. Edit my vocabulary - eliminate curse words, 'like,' and 'uh/umm' from my vernacular. I want to sound like I am living in a glammy 1940s screwball comedy, not a Kevin Smith film.
4. Write in my Moleskine every day - even just a short sentence or two. How can I write my memoirs one day without some reference to when the great events happened in my life? One of my favorite recent rom-coms, Love and Other Disasters, had the most delightful exchange that I think is so marvelously appropriate: "I'm sorry I'm late - I was in the middle of an absolutely gripping book. I couldn't put it down." "What books is that?" "My memoirs, darling. I've decided to publish."   
5. Release my inner free spirit - I want to act more like the girl I know I am on the inside but I'm too afraid to let come out. I want to stop caring what other people think, let go of all my hang-ups regarding judgment, failure, and fear. I want to live life out loud!
6. Find a signature scent - a repeat from last year. I have found some lovely scents (Mûre et Musc by L'Artisan Parfumeur; Kate Moss' original scent; Tom Ford Black Orchid) but I am still on the lookout for one that I cannot bear to part with. 
7. Learn more about classical music and art history - it's been about four years since I took a course on the history of art and music, and I definitely want to revisit some of my favorite artists. 
8. Find a mantra - discover or invent a phrase that I can repeat often and hold close to my soul. 
9. Have confidence - smile more, walk tall and strong, and improve my posture. No more shuffling around looking at the floor!
10. Adopt the Dita Von Teese approach to life - "I advocate glamour. Every day. Every minute." I'm nowhere close to being the beauty that Dita is, nor do I dress myself in the bombshell apparel that she sports (though I've thought about it - I certainly have more of the body for those retro cuts than the bohemian garb I so love but better suits the thin, tall, lanky gals). Still, I think that glamour can be applied to any lifestyle - not just the burlesque-at-heart, but photographers (think Meryl in Out of Africa or Faye Dunaway as Laura Mars), substitute teachers (perhaps a lovely Donna Reed-inspired circle skirt with crinoline and cherry red lips), and even university students like me (Ali MacGraw in Love Story maybe). 
11. Be better to my body - your body is your temple, so they say and I need to treat mine a little better. As important as it is to feed the soul, it is equally as important to feed the body with good things that can actually improve the way I feel, the amount of energy I have, and how productive I am (sans caffeine). I want to try cutting out dairy and processed white sugar, as well as exercise more regularly. 
12. Do these random things - brush up on my French speaking skills; take dance lessons; have media black-out days once a month; meet new people; do something I've always been too afraid to do (karaoke, skydiving, etc.); change my hairstyle; drink more water every day; learn the names of flowers; wear nice undergarments daily; practice yoga more regularly; keep a poetry journal; wear scarves, hats, and driving gloves with outfits; learn to walk in my frighteningly tall Jeffrey Campbell Lita's; learn how to do finger waves and other retro hairstyles

And in the spirit of Resolution #2...

Title: from "A Cold, Cold Christmas" (Stephen Colbert) 

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? 

a fringe effect

I know that I've been mulling over this for practically a year (actually, the idea has been in my mind for years but I didn't have a blog to document my horrendous young teenage years), but I think I've decided that I definitely want to get bangs! The decision comes after seeing Kate Moss step out at Bryan Ferry's album launch the other night wit choppy fringe reminiscent of the look she sported in 2007. Seeing Miss Moss sporting this look stirred those familiar feelings in me again that I want - nay, need - fringe. In my mind, once I get that cut, I'll immediately transform into Pattie Boyd and I'll be endlessly alluring to the fellahs.

I think I like this cut even better than the look she sported three (!) years ago, where she had a long bob and rather blunt fringe. Whereas that look appeared uncharacteristically styled and done at times (especially strange for Moss). This look, with the choppy brow-grazing focus cut and the range in lengths of layers - from long past her shoulders to pieces cut right above her cheekbones, is very loose and natural looking and perfect for her decadent-bohemian Anita Pallenberg-esque vibe that she goes with.