ICONS

While I do like the way some contemporary celebrities dress, style and present themselves (e.g Lou Doillon, Chloe Sevigny, Cat Power/Chan Marshall and the enchangtingly whimsical Agnes Varda...) I'm much more drawn to fictional heroines and historic superstarts.

Here's a little selection:

(NB: you'll have to click on two of the pics as they are too big to be viewed in full and I don't know how to re-format them. Aah, help me!)

This is Else Laske-Schüler, a German poet who is infamous for her bizarre apparel. Her style was so batty that it lead to her being arrested -- twice. Sadly, there are only very few photos of her floating around the ether, but her style is described wonderfully by several of her contemporaries (including Franz Kafka, who loathed her poems) and, if you're a true fan, you can look at pictures of her in hardcopy publications.

This is Dominique Swain as Lolita in the 1997 film adaption of Nabokov's novel. Seeing this film when one is 14 years old can lead to a serious addiction to cherries & raspberries, skimpy shorts, braids, red lipstick and naked feet.

This is Jane March as The Young Girl in the 1992 film "The Lover". Though I find Jane March stunningly beautiful is this movie my love for the character's style came whilst reading the novel by Marguerite Duras when I was quite young, perhaps 13. I was androgynous looking, with very short-cropped hair, army boots and my grandfather's old military coat, but after reading about The Young Girl's uniform - which consists of a silk slip dress, her mother's high heeled shoes and a man's fedora hat - I was inspired to adopt a more feminine style.



Bombshell! I know, right? Patricia Arquette as Alabama in "True Romance". I never dressed quite as crazysexycool as her, but I love her whole personae to death.



And here is Maria Schneider in "The Passenger" by Antonioni. For about two years I had the same haircut and wore similar clothes (blouses and shirts tucked into trousers). In fact, I feel an urge to wear a shirt and trousers right now!

And who could not adore Carmen Miranda? Muaa!

Let it be known that whilst making this post I am wearing a tiny jumper which I've had since I was 13 (complete with fake leather Tom Sawyer patches at the elbows... I should toss it out but it's just so cute and dwarf-like), a pair of my mother's cast-off grey silk cocktail trousers from the early 90s and San Francisco "gold toe" socks. A great style icon indeed, over and out.