J.B. Taylor

Lizzie Loves Bette.

Now presenting . . . the very first entry by The Vintager's new official co-author, Lizzie! She's not only my lil' sis, but a secondhand sweetheart, a frock designer, fashion photographer, and total vintage guru. Here, she muses about a new found love for the Divine Miss. M., in her first of many dazzling entries to come . . .

Dearest Divine Miss M.,   

It has finally happened. You made me love you. I didn’t wanna do it, but you made me love you.  I guess I’m just another fan of yours and I thought I’d write and tell you so.

In an attempt to better understand your role in my heart as a Divine Miss. Muse, I have spent many a night drinking lattes and studying your movies. Thanks to Netflix, my T.V. set has been transformed into a Divine Miss. Masterpiece Theater, with frequent screenings of Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Rose, Beaches, and your biography. I learned some enchanting facts… You were born a Honolulu honey, named after Bette Davis. Your career took off in the 1970s, whilst performing in a gay bathhouse with Barry Manilow tickling the ivories along to your wildly sparkling tunes. Your nickname during this time was "Bathhouse Betty". You were the first woman in history to sell out Carnegie Hall before an album had actually been released. All of this dazzling information has been deeply satisfying, though I still have a few questions going round & round in the carousel of my mind. When you find a free moment, i'd be delighted if you'd answer the following… 

1) Where are your show-stopping ensembles and furnishings from the 1970s? Are they in storage, or maybe at your daughter’s house? Have they been so kindly auctioned to benefit a worthy cause? Perhaps you'd be interested in donating a few fancy frills to my closet? Believe me, it’s a good cause. I particularly like what I see in these photos…

 

 

2) Did you really date Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls? Tell me more! Was he always wearing shades? Did your heart take a leap and skip a beat? Was he tall? Did you have to look up? Did he wear big bulky sweaters to match his eyes? I hear he was good/bad, but not evil. Google couldn’t offer assistance in locating a photo of you & Jerry, but it did offer these gems…

3) I just found this incredible satin tour jacket on eBay… Do you happen to have an extra one lying around in your closet with “Bette” embroidered on the front? Just wondering.

I hope this wasn’t too much trouble. If so, it’s all your fault. You made me love you. You are a national treasure and a true inspiration. In conclusion, I love this quote of yours… “Cherish forever what makes you unique, 'cuz you're really a yawn if it goes.”

Yours truly,

~ Lizzie B.

Photos: corbis, getty, Kenn Duncan, Rolling Stone

It girl.

I've been "tagged" by The Catalyst, so now, i'm officially it!

The rules are:

1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.
2. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

What is your current obsession? Paper maché, cooking organic food from local farm-stands, hunting for vintage crafting and cookbooks, and growin' herbs in our little greenhouse:

What do you see outside your window? A forest of trees, yellow daffodils, a chipmunk hanging out on a rock, the Hudson River, and sailboats floating by (for reals). See photo below of the view from where I work (though it was taken in the Fall):

If you could have any super power what would it be? Time travel.

What is your favorite color? Coral, ever since Bob Mackie told me it was "my color" (and who's to argue with the God of glitz himself?)

Who was the last person you hugged? Nic and Ali Baba (group hug).

Which animal would you be? A sweet fancy rich lady's spoiled tabby cat.

What’s for dinner? Homemade gluten-free pizza, covered in tomato sauce, veggies, basil, grated parmesean, and grilled chicken from a local free-range farm.

What was the last thing you bought? A Holly Hobbie-esque patchwork dress on eBay.

What are you listening to right now? Kate Bush's The Kick Inside.

What are your current favorite films? Harold & Maude, Paper Moon, Slaves of New York, The Long Goodbye, Wonderwall, Qui est-vous Polly Maggoo?, Pretty in Pink, My Man Godfrey, Sullivan's Travels, Blade Runner, The Misfits, Bell Book & Candle, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Annie Hall, Working Girl, Xanadu, Cabaret, Phantom of the Paradise . . .

What’s on your beside table? I'm actually on the hunt for the perfect vintage nightstand, but am using 2 antique suitcases for now. On them I keep; Weleda hand creme, Burt's Bee's lip balm, Barry Paris' book about Garbo, a highlighter for interesting quotes, faux bois mug (bought at the Maryland Renaissance Fair), chamomile tea, and the Lonely Planet's new East Coast Trips book.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you: Miss. Jenny, I adore your blog, and feel you are a fancy lady after my own heart. I'd love to meet you in purrson one day, preferably at an old ice cream parlour, a cowboy ghost town, or Disneyland. I'd also love for you to come visit me in beautiful Upstate, NY, so we can go on a vintaging adventure together. Vive le cats (and Pugs)!

If you could have a house totally paid for, and fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would it be? An old Spanish estate in Los Angeles, so my family could live in it together, and start an art commune. The living room would look like something like this:

What is your favorite children's book? From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, and Goodbye Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

A book you're currently reading? Garbo by Barry Paris (it's wonderful).

What would you like to have in your hands right now? Biting a bit off Jenny's answer but, moolah would be nice, as well as tickets to see Marianne Faithfull, and an arepa from Caracas in the E. Village.

What is your favorite tea flavor? Instant Masala Chai Spiced Tea from Kalustyan's indian market in Murray Hill (my old 'hood).

What is your favorite article of clothing? It's a tie between my Russian-style Ossie Clark/Celia Birtwell blouse covered in multi-colored crescent moons, or the white dollybird Erin Fetherston dress I wore on my wedding day (wish I could've found a less "tipsy" photo of the blouse, since as you can see, I'd mistaken "I love you" for the sign of the devil . . . oy veh):

 

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Lana'i, Hawaii (i'm so in need of a major vacay, i'm considering listening to Jimmy Buffett , or the Beach Boys' Kokomo on repeat, and using a margarita machine).

What did you want to become as a child? At first, Vanna White, Since I knew she made lots of money to buy gowns, and barely had to do anything, but then I decided I wanted to open my own mall, called "Jenny's Galleria". I spent hours making sketches of New Wave neon store fronts, and had even planned to wear a gold lamé Contempo dress to the gala opening, which was to take place in 1985, and to which i'd arrive in a red Mercedes convertible with the license plate "PRTYANML" (even though the letters wouldn't really fit).

What posters/pictures do you have on your bedroom wall? Petite silhouettes from the 1800s of aristocratic gentlemen, and surreal old shabby floral still life paintings from the '30s and '40s, found on various cross-country trips, and a figural Greta Garbo clothing hanger from the 1960s.

What is your plan for tomorrow? Get dressed up fancy, take the Hudson line down to Manhattan, attend a cocktail party in honor of Russell Wright, then hear a talk given by Jack Lenor Larsen about Organic Modernism @ the School of Interior Design, grab sushi near Grand Central with my Mr. and my beloved friend C.C., then back home on the train with all the drunkos.

Post a favorite childhood photo:

Tag, you're it!
~ Miss. Lizzie (on facebook)
~ People for the Ethical Treatment of Type
~ Moon Valley
~ L.A. In Bloom
~ Fawn Gehweiler
~ Lord Whimsy
~ Mr. Peacock
~ La Vie En Rose

Vintage Muse: Yma Sumac (1922-2008). Oh, and please VOTE!

The legendary Yma Sumac passed away yesterday, and i've got the blues about it.

Known as the "Peruvian Songbird", Yma's voice was truly otherworldly, stemming from her four-and-a-half octave range, and the ability to sing as different characters within a single song. She was a sensation in the 1950s, due to her exotic looks and regal personae, which may have been entirely of her creation, as she claimed that the Peruvian government officially certified her as an Inca Princess (the direct descendant of ancient Inca kings), and a "Golden Virgin Goddess". It has been rumored though, that she was actually a housewife named Amy Camus, but as the song in the musical Gypsy goes, "ya gotta have a gimmick", so boring Amy became royal Yma, depending on which tale you believe.

She started her career as a performer in both chic NYC night-clubs, and the Catskill's "Borscht Belt", and eventually became so popular that she landed a role opposite Charlton Heston in the 1954 Technicolor film Secret of the Incas. At the height of her popularity, she played sell-out shows all around the world, including The Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. She has recorded 5 awe-inducing albums, my favorite being her 1950 debut, Voice of the Xtabay, but i've been trying to find her lost '70s psychedelia LP, Miracles, for eons, so when I finally find it, my fave may change.


I was lucky to see her perform in the mid-'90s, during the Lounge/Exotica music revival (aka: the Swingers era), at L.A.'s House of Blues, and it is a show i'll never forget . . . she glided onto the  stage in a Grecian gown of flowing green chiffon, covered in sparkling brooches, and belted out Taita Inty (which really lets her show off that astonishing set of pipes), and whenever people would speak too loudly at the bar in the back of the venue, she would stop the song, strike a diva pose (much in the same vein as Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard), and hush everyone in the concert hall with a loud "sshhhhhtttttt!" into the mic. When the entire place was silent, she would resume. Her voice made me cry at several points, it was so crystal clear and flawless in person, sounding even better than her records at times, and to think she was in her late 70's!

What also made it quite memorable, was the fact that her sleeveless Grecian dress kept slipping off her shoulders (and she wasn't wearing a brassiere!), so when it would fall, she would continue to sing with her big tatas on display, until her assistant would run onstage from the sidelines to pull it back up. She had to run back and forth across the stage at least 4 times, and Yma was so lost in the realm of the Sun Gods, I don't think she even noticed. There will never be another like her.

Photos: Corbis, AP, yma-sumac.com,

And please make sure to VOTE today, especially if you want me to think you're awesome : )

And since this is really a blog about vintage, with the hope of showing you gorgeous things that will bring you inspiration, I don't want to stand on any political soap boxes, but, in regards to the whole McCain/Palin thang, this quote by Fran Lebowitz (the brilliant writer and wit) perfectly sums up how I feel:

“Being the mayor of 9,000 people qualifies a person to be vice president of the United States? Are you kidding me? 9,000 people live on my block. In New York, if you’re waiting for an elevator and there’s only 9,000 people in it, you say, ‘It’s not too bad, I can get in.’ I cannot express strongly enough my contempt for this.”

Vintage Muse: Brigitte Bardot (and More)!

Monday's Muse is the legendary Brigitte Bardot, not only because she is the eternal Parisian bombshell, but because she has always been an activist, for both women's rights, and the humane treatment of helpless creatures around the world (she's been fighting against the Canadian seal hunts since 1977)! When retiring from acting in the 1970s, she famously said "I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals", and I love her for it.



Aside from becoming an icon in Roger Vadim's 1957 film, ...and God Created Woman, she was also a muse To French superstar, Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she was both romantically and musically linked in the mid-1960s.

 

If you are new to worshiping at the curves of B.B., then make sure to rent Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 French New Wave classic, Le Mépris (known in the states as Contempt), give her groovin' "best of" CD a spin, and buy this fabulous French book, which features hundreds of rare Bardot photos.

To add to her outspoken-awesomeness, she had this to say about our upcoming election, and you can read about more of her worthy crusades on the Brigitte Bardot Foundation website.


*And for collectors of vintage and beautiful jewels, please make sure to visit my etsy site, which I've just updated with cute new brooches.

Photos: Corbis

Vintage Muse: Carly Simon

It's dank and rainy here in NYC, and i've been in a deep '70s songwriter mood, so Carly Simon has been in heavy rotation on my turntable all the live-long gray and cloudy day.

Growing up in L.A.. my dad frequently tortured my pre-teen soul with embarrassment by blasting Carly from his convertible (mostly the Let the River Run cassette single, played over & over). At the time, I really hated Carly Simon . . . finding her songs to be disjointed, over-dramatic, and super-white (I was most-likely really into Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam at the time). So it's as much a surprise to me that now in my 30s (at about the same age my pop was when he was rockin' out to the Working Girl soundtrack, i've become a huge fan.

The apex of my Carly-love realization, was while on a gorgeous drive to Nantucket last year, while blasting Lindstrom's Late Night Tales compilation, and from the moment Carly's Why began, with its fabulous '80s bassy beat and the production mastery of Nile Rodgers (of Chic),  I knew that the time had come for me to succumb to the Simon. 

 

 

 

Row by row: Cover of her 1971 LP Anticipation, cover of No Secrets (1972), cover of Playing Possum (1975), Carly shot for Vogue in 1971 wearing a Narcissa dress (photographed by Jack Robinson), 2 more Vogue shots from 1971, cover of Come Upstairs (1980), with then-husband James Taylor at the Waldorf Astoria in 1973, backstage at Madison Square Garden in 1980 (photo: Lynn Goldsmith), with then-beau Cat Stevens in 1970 (during the recording of Anticipation, which was written by Carly as she waited for Stevens to arrive for their first date), Carly in 1973, gorgeous and preggers on the cover of her 1974 LP Hotcakes, disco Carly, sheet music for I Haven't Got Time for the Pain (1974), Carly today (from her blog), with J.T., cover of her 1971 debut LP (a favorite of mine), and on a Japanese single.

Here are links to Carly's personal blog, and her boutique, Midnight Farm, in Martha's Vineyard (I totally want to visit)! I'm off to to listen to more awesome C.S. LP's, while dreaming up designs for my upcoming line of '70s-art-teacher-inspired artisan jewelry.

Photos: Corbis, I am the Child of the Moon, Bob Gruen, style.com, carlysimontouchedbythesun blog

Vintage Muse: Nina Hagen

I've been listening to lots of Nina Hagen lately, which is most-likely a true sign of insanity (in a good way). For those who haven't yet had their minds-blown by her multi-octave voice, Technicolor fashion sense, and uniquely theatrical stage presence, feast your avant-garde-starved eyes upon this video for her song African Reggae...my all-time fave Nina tune.

(L to R) Nina from her 1985 Japanese tour book, Nina in 1998, and as envisioned by Pierre et Gilles in 1995.

Her music is a cosmic blend of dub, punk, funk, opera, psychedelia, and New Wave surrealism (with a little yodelling thrown in for good measure). she sings in both German and English, and has been consistently writing groundbreaking tunes since forming her first band, Automobil, in 1974. Nina has recorded over 20 albums, but my favorite is NunSexMonkRock, which I can only describe as "hallucinogenic, inter-planetary disco". I've always had a hunch that the Red Hot Chili Peppers' payed homage to this brilliant album with the title of their 1991 LP, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which would make sense, being that Nina and Anthony Kiedis were an item from 1984-1985.

 
Some of my favorite Nina Hagen LP's above (L to R): NunSexMonkRock (1982), African Reggae EP (1978, In Ekstasy (1985), Nina Hagen Band (1979), New York New York Single (1983)

(Above,, by row) The self-described "Queen of Punk" in 1980, baby-faced Hagen in 1978, pre-Madonna in the '80s with a green bow, Lene fellow New Wave vocalist Lene Lovich, from her 1985 Japanese tour book, still from the 1999 film Punk + Glory, Nina from her Zarah single, a severe look for her 1985 Japanese tour, and a gamine Nina in the mid-'70s

Unlike other performers who hit it big internationally in the '80s, and haven't progressed as artists since, she is constantly creating new, mind-expanding material, inspired by her zen spiritual philosophies, peaceful political stances, and animal rights activism. Not to mention, her shows are still just as crazy as they ever were, and she's still stunning, with bone structure from a galaxy far, far away.

(Above, L to R) Nina rocking colored vinyl as a hat, Nina at an airport in 1984 with her daughter Cosma Shiva (I wonder if they'd let a metallic tinsel wig through security today), and Nina in fabulously frou-frou '80s glam. (Below) when I first saw this collage as a little girl, from the inner sleeve of her Ekstasy LP, I became truly creatively inspired, and began making collages of my own. Thank you Nina! XO's & Manic Panic "Pink Flamingo" hair dye kisses!

Most photos: Barry Lancaster, and here.

I Yi Yi Yi Yi, I Like you Very Much.

If you want proof that the 1940s were actually more colorful, psychedelic, and wild than today, all you have to do is watch Carmen Miranda dance.

Like a painter, or a musician, I can't get through the day without having a muse to feel creatively inspired by, and for the past week Carmen has invaded my mind, covered it in baubles, and topped it off with bunches of plastic fruit. My adoration of the Brazilian Bombshell began as a little girl, when my mom bought me a book of Carmen paper dolls (see below), and once I found out this vibrant cartoon of a lady had actually been a real, living person . . . fuhgettaboutit! It was true Latin love.

 

Shortly thereafter, I rented one of her films (I believe it was Down Argentine Way, with Betty Grable), and once I saw her dazzling half-moony-eyed smile, and heard her magical Portugese purring, I became obsessed, and began piling on my mom's costume jewels for school (I was even permanently benched from my after-school tee-ball team for "over-accessorizing my uniform").

Carmen has always been a powerful style icon for me, and in the mid-'90s I threw a Surrealism themed party for a friends birthday, and dressed as "Carmen Miranda on LSD" (pics below! Check out my doll-parts-bunny-ears headdress! The dude on the right is my friend Scott Free, who is now a fashion stylist, go figure). Also back in the Swingers era, I loved to dress in Technicolor pin-up girl homage to Carmen and Betty Grable's '40s films, like in the photo on the right, which was taken at a luau for my 22nd birthday:
 
But i'm sure you'll be happy to know that even now, I still enjoy piling crazy looking things on my head, in homage to C.M. (pic of me below, on Venice Beach, circa 2006):

Here are some of my favorite shots of the "Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat" herself (click to enlarge):


   
  

At the age of 46, Carmen tragically suffered a heart attack while performing live on the Jimmy Durante show in  1955, and true to form, she kept on dancing. She sadly passed away to Havana-Heaven the following morning. Her heart was weak due to frequent Amphetamine usage, and it has been rumored that to keep her otherworldly energy-up during filming, she used cocaine, which she kept in secret compartments of her platform shoes. If you want to know more about the vibrant, fascinating and groundbreaking life of Ms. Miranda, I highly recommend renting the fabulous documentary, Bananas is my Business. 

Here are some items you will need to achieve the look of Carmen couture:

   

 

* On another note, a big vintage kiss to Linlee for featuring me in her Los Angeles Street Style story for Lucky!

In the photo, I'm standing outside one of my favorite Vintage LA shopping haunts, Golyester . . . never a place to browse if you're broke. There are the most wonderful things everywhere you look . . . from intricately beaded '20s cloches and cute figural animal basket purses, to Rita Hayworth-style gold bathing suits and mystical giant Siamese cuff bracelets!

Photos: Corbis, The Carmen Miranda Museum, carmenmiranda.com, ebay, and my personal ephemera collection.