What is our fascination with Lizzie Borden? Is it that she possibly got away with the grisly murders of her father and step mother back in 1892? Oh yes, most definitely a major reason, and its this mystery that keeps fascinating new generations everyday.
We may never know, but that’s the beauty in a good mystery! The spaces between not solidified can be filled with many possibilities, and that’s what the new film “Lizzie” starring Kristen Stewart and Chloë Sevigny seems to explore.
If you know us well, and I hope you do, you know that Chloë Sevigny is just one of those people on the top tiers of everything. Goddess of style, art, a muse to many, and obviously one of the coolest women of all time…so needless to say, we are psyched for this film!
Check out the trailer, and you will see why!
Spicy stuff! Looks like a real nail biter, and the period details are absolutely on-point! Have a little bit of a feel where they are going with the story, but excited to see it play out in real life!
Glad to see Kristen Stewart staying dedicated to unique artful films since her return to the screen.
Two modern muses! SIDENOTE: Can huge Edwardian sleeves just take over the scene, already!!! Can’t wait for more inspiration to come…
Fresh off our VMP DRAG FASHION FLAUNT at this year’s Vintage Marketplace, we can’t stop thinking about how incredible drag queens are, especially those of the {PAST} who paved the way for the {PRESENT} culture and creativity and will continue to invoke its {FUTURE}.
We know everyone who is anyone keeps up with RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the past season’s ALL STARS edition featured a wickedly hilarious Snatch Game that had Brooklyn babe AJA take on one of Herstory’s most legendary queens – founder of the House of LaBeija, and star of the cult 1968 documentary “The Queen”, Crystal LaBeija!
And she took her on with gusto and glamour, and also delivered this beautiful spirit back into the forum of the mainstream…much in the way Jinx Monsoon brought us Little Edie of “Grey Gardens”, and Sasha Velour took on Marlene Dietrich; keeping these divinities alive for younger generations is absolutely key!
How sad it is when you hear a young man or woman denote they have no idea who these iconic legends are . . . stay educated, kids!
“The Queen” is a fabulous film directed by Frank Simon, and provides an up close and candid look at the behind of the scenes of the 1967 All-America Camp Beauty Contest in New York City. It is a wonderful portrait of a time gone by. . . New York City is rough and tough, and men from all around America shack up in tiny hotel rooms in anticipation of the pageant discussing the difficulties of being gay in America. They are all fabulous, and its wonderful to see their final transformations from the male versions of them you see in rehearsals. This transformation truly proves the power of style and image to invoke strength from within.
Illustrated herstory by Laurel Lynn-Leake
By far, the most fabulous moment has to be Crystal’s freak out when she is named fourth place storms out and then rips everyone a new one backstage. Absolutely ICONIC…you are going to have to see it to believe it! And if you are a fan of Drag Race, you will really appreciate what Aja brought to the table even more.
We stumbled upon a full version of the film on Youtube, so check it out below and enjoy!
+Look out for Andy Warhol’s cameo (he was a judge in the pageant)+
We love moments like this in pop culture where the {PAST} races into the {PRESENT} and ultimately shapes our {FUTURE}. . . rebel queens like Crystal LaBeija will live on far past those who chose not to be the truest, most incredible versions of themselves.
I don’t need you to tell me I’m beautiful! I KNOW I’M BEAUTIFUL!!!
And really, we should all fell this way! Screw the haters- you rock!
Listen to that spirit within you, and let it free…
There must have been a really urgent calling to help young men who suffered from social anxiety during the Post War period, because this is just one of dozens of educational films distributed to schools throughout America dealing with this.
This one is one of the best called “SHY GUY” and stars Dick York who played the first Darrin Stephens in the cult classic “Bewitched”!
Its quite entertaining, and on top of that, the classic vintage styles of these high school students are on fleek! Special shout out to the many wicked graphic sweaters that the “popular” kids are ALL rocking.
“Whats he got that makes people like him so much?”
attitude.
I think its best to be yourself, but this boy trades out his dapper suit and ties for the more relaxed cool kid vibe of some trousers and a graphic sweater, but sure enough it works, so what do I know?! So many cool jackets and bombers, and then there’s the classic hair!!!
They don’t make them like they used to! Enough hype, watch the video below courtesy of Old Time TV on Youtube!
BEST ADVICE FROM DAD: Just observe what people are doing then imitate them (well, essentially that’s what he says)….thanks Dad! Sociopath much?! As always, I say be yourself and the rest will follow.
“…you don’t know how to get people to like you and you end up holding a grudge against them…”
Life can be so hard for your average teen!
We have some pieces in the {SHOP} we thought reminded us of the “SHY GUY” vibe!
Visit our {SHOP} for more details on these and more time traveled vintage finds…
That’s right kiddos…everyone’s favourite mystery solving duo is back today with all new episodes! So happy they brought this back. It was awesome to get the revamp last year, but the season was rather short (only 6 episodes), so this 11th season will undoubtedly add something special to the X-Files canon.
[ SIDENOTE: X-FILES Promo Shots are legit THE BEST]
11 is our lucky number so we have FAITH that Chris Carter and his team will be creating something for fans to remember with this one. . .
We thought it apropos to delve into the fantastic and fundamentalstylish-ness of this poignant and severely under-rated film.
Whilst the flower power movement is mostly seen as Woodstock, flower children dancing in parks, peace, love, and rainbows – the counter-culture movement that began to arise from the horrors of the Vietnam War and injustices in America was also an aggressive and violent force ready for radical change.
Parties like The Weathermen, Baader Meinhoff, and the Black Panthers fought for revolutionary change from the capitalist bourgeoise regimes that still run the world to this day.
Much the way Antonioni’s fashionable masterpiece Blow-Up captured the Swinging London of the mid-60s in his chic docu-stylized manner, Zabriskie Point aimed to shed light on this particular moment in time.
The film even features a cameo by THE political power-force and activist Kathleen Cleaver (who is also very due to be inaugurated to the rank of E.O.F. DIVINITY}!
The turbulently good-looking Mark Ferchette plays Mark, an armed student radical on the run from the cops.
While flying an airplane over the desert he spots Daria Halprin who plays Daria, a gorgeous bohemian goddess who may or may not have a thing for wealthy older business execs, and they engage in an erotic (and dusty) desert orgy.
Whilst a desert orgy might seem like a tried and true climax for any film- the real climax drifts dreamily to Daria’s increasing discomfort and disgust over bourgeoise attempts to redevelop the gorgeous Mojave desert.
What follows this moment of realization is a fantastical finale that tells a thousand thoughts, statements, and poetic musings through the universality of cinema.
This final moment cannot be denied.
SPOILER ALERT!
{WATCH THE FINALE BELOW}
If you watched the clip, you can see why Zabriskie Point is really fuelling our psych-rock summer.
Would have to recommend musing over the desert love scene, if you’re in the romantic mood . . .
And whether you’re in it to take in all the timelessly cool/counter-culture chic/boho American stylings of costume designer Ray Summers or the epic psych-rock soundtrack that features a theme song by Roy Orbison, and tracks by the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, The Youngbloods, Patti Page, and the ultimate Pink Floyd– this film is ICONIC in every right!!!
Interestingly, both of the films stars were non-actors who both appeared in exactly three films.
Mark Ferchette was a carpenter discovered during a loud argument on the streets of Boston where he allegedly threw a flower pot at a woman, while Daria Halprin was spotted by Antonioni in the Jack O’Connell documentary ‘Revolution‘ which profiled the counter-culture movement in San Francisco.
The two make for a beautiful All-American bohemian brunette couple, whose enigmatic bond is as mysterious as it is inspiring…
They gained the status of the first counter-culture couple, and actually maintained a real life romance, which later led to them getting a string of magazine covers, TV appearances, and even joining a cult together.
After all, a couple that joins a cult together stays together!
”It put me in a kind of lifestyle and situation that in many, many ways I wasn’t ready to deal with,”
Whilst the film garnered lack lustre reviews at the time for its meandering plot and docu-surrealism which may have just been a little too ahead of its time.
But, that’s what’s great about exploring the {PAST} you have the opportunity of looking at it through the lens of the {PRESENT} and hopefully keep the dialogue going into the {FUTURE}.
In a world as messed up today (if not more than)- a film like Zabriskie Point is a fearless reminder of the people who almost 50 years ago cried for change, the timelessness of true style, and the dreaminess of the desert . . .
Where did this courage and fight go in our day to day? Have we really been brainwashed to believe everything will be OK?
Sometimes it feels like you just might pull a Daria, too?
Talk about American beauty . . . do yourself a favour and watch this film!
The R.M.S. Titanic hits an iceberg and the 20th Century will never be the same.
Imagine how different 1997 would have been without this megalith of a movie hitting the screens?We might not even have the same Kate or Leo we have today?! Winter of 1997/98 wouldn’t have been consumed by 12 theatre viewings of “TITANIC”!!!
We shudder to think . . .
+TITANIC 4 LIFE +
On a serious note; I’m not sure what it is about this majestic ship that has always captured my imagination. I’m guessing its a mixture of the Edwardian elegance, decadence, and grandeur of the ship – the microcosm of society contained within it – and the hubris of the upper echelon whose powers control the world to this day, and the tragedy that ensued as a result.
There are many many many fascinating details regarding this ship, but perhaps the most stimulating aspect of the Titanic’s untimely fate is that it was predicted 14 years earlier by a pulp novella entitled The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility which I was lucky to read before the film had even been in production.
Talk about psychic premonitions; author Morgan Robertson (also the self proclaimed inventor of the periscope) chillingly predicts much of the Titanic’s destiny with his fictional telling of an enormous “unsinkable” triple screw British luxury ocean liner named the S.S. TITAN which meets its untimely demise on a cold April night in the North Atlantic after it hits an iceberg losing almost everyone on board due to a lack of lifeboats.
CRAZY, RIGHT?! This is 14 years before the infamous disaster! Designs for Titanic‘s sister ship didn’t even go into production until 1908. How was it that Morgan Robertson could right a tale so shockingly similar to the Titanic’s actual events. Was he psychic? Was it planned?
TIME TRAVEL???
The whole thing is absolutely incredible, and definitely worth looking more into.
It’s a tragedy really that many of our world’s most talented people can go unnoticed for so long. But now, with the advent of the internet, we are constantly rediscovering precious gems of our rich collective history and culture!
Like, Bobby Banas!
Bobby Banas swinging his hips and hair for some major 1960s swag.
You might have noticed this 60s bad ass popping up all over the interweb recently for his wild poppin’, non-stoppin’ style in a 1964 segment of The Judy Garland Show showcasing the latest youth dance craze – the Nitty Gritty!
Go figure that over 50 years after the fact, he would become a viral sensation. Time is funny like that . . .
We say it all the time; style isn’t just what you wear – it’s how you live! And judging from this bad boy’s dance moves, Bobby has enough style to give for all of us.
Tell me after watching this you don’t feel inspired!
We were surprised/not surprised to find out this rebel dancer was also featured in the epitomizing classic masterpiece WEST SIDE STORY in the iconic Jets gang, and also made out with Marilyn Monroe in the 1950 flick “Let’s Make Love”.
To our knowledge, Bobby Banas, a resident New Yorker, is live and well to this day.
Hope he’s enjoying his glory, and hope you are too.
Unveiled is Marlon Brando’s screen test for “Rebel Without a Cause” ; the iconic 1955 film that catapulted James Dean to icon status when the film was released just shortly after his death, making him a tragic martyr to that beloved ‘live fast, die young” attitude that he has come to represent.
Luckily for him, his death made the young boy with glasses a demi-god for being one hell of a misfit. He made it cool to wear jeans, and kept pioneering the t-shirt which had been a style wall knocked down only a few years earlier by the other (original?) bad boy rebel of Hollywood.
The man whom James Dean probably looked up to….
After all, Brando had broken onto the scene first on Broadway as Elia Kazan’s wunderkind playing the ravenously macho Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee William‘s “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1947. Four years later he would revive the role for the movies, and broke new grounds in the fields of style, as more men adapted wearing their white undershirt alone as influenced by Marlon Brando’s portrayal on the screen.
Appropriate then that Dean’s character Jim Stark would be in the know about these type of style choices. Those guys knew he was cool – they just had to test him.
Interestingly this is not the only collision between the two American legends, as Marlon Brando, himself, was appropriately cast for the lead role of this curious new film by Nicholas Ray.
After all, Marlon Brando was THE rebel of Hollywood. Not only was Stanley a staggering symbol for a delinquency from polite society, but don’t forget he also was “The Wild One“.
The studios must have been pushing for him. Johnny had got it done before, and that’s how the Hollywood system (still) likes to do things. If it’s a safe bet – it’s THE bet. A guy’s already got a persona as the rebel and the film is called “Rebel Without a Cause” (actually, in it’s working stages it was titled “Days of Being Wild” which Wong Kar Wai appropriated for his 1991 film)
But, luckily things didn’t work out that way for all of us, because James Dean really brought something special to that role, that no other actor could give.
He does that mumbling thing and is always looking down, pouting his lips, and squinting his eyes. His hair is effortless. He rocks those Levis Jeans. He turned the rebel into an introvert, not some hot-shot tough guy who always likes to start fights (like Stanley or Johnny of “The Wild One”), but is actually a fragile romantic. A poet, really, who can’t see life the way everyone else around him has it planned.
This notion is utterly true to life, I think, and that’s why he has left such an impact on the world.
Brando is surprisingly clean cut in his screen test, and it makes you wonder just what he would have brought to the table. . . somewhere in a different dimension, on another plane, this version exists. I hope one day we get to see it. Watch the video below, and let us know your thoughts!
You can be your own rebel without a cause, by simply being yourself!
Amplify it, and don’t be led by the status quo.
We have plenty of {STYLE-WISE} time traveled treasures in our {SHOP}
