she did the freak, never missing a beat

"They still call it the White House
But that's a temporary condition, too."
-"Chocolate City" by Parliament

Tomorrow is a beautiful day.

Last week, I did a post about 20 men I admire. It was a really fun post and there's tons of men I admire, but I would now love to invent a similar meme about 20 women I admire. Most of these women, I have already done a post or two dedicated to them, so I'll link to that if there is one. I will tag 9 people (Keith [the originator of the 20 men meme], Libby, Maya, Mimi, Miss Karen, Jill, copperoranges, twenty.seven.cents and this wheel's on fire) to get it going, but I'm not going to say you have to tag people because, let's face it, that kind of pressure is annoying.

20 Women I Admire:

1. Grace Slick

2. Catherine James

3. Pattie Boyd

4. Anita Pallenberg

5. Eloise

6. Chan Marshall

7. Betty Davis

8. Elaine Benes

9. Erykah Badu

10. Sharon Tate

11. Courtney Brooke

12. Marianne Faithfull

13. Stevie Nicks

14. Pink

15. Fiona Apple

16. Pamela Des Barres

17. Gail Zappa

18. Zooey Deschanel

19. Kathy Griffin

20. Kate Hudson

downy sins of streetlight fancies, chase the costumes she shall wear

I know fur can be a touchy subject, my feelings run along the lines of "eh, anti-fur...who has the energy anymore?" I'm really not an animal person, and I just can't bring mysef to be too bothered about it. Yes, I've seen the "HORRIFYING, OMG, HOW CAN SOMEONE DO THAT" videos taken secretly by PETA (I don't want to get started on them, lest I find some dead tofu on my front steps or anything) members. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just selfish and insensitive (I can live with that, really, anonymous comment leavers), because I love how badass and rock'n'roll a good fur coat looks.
Case in point: Who knows, maybe when I mature a little more, I'll realize what a truly barbaric practice this is, but until then, my fox fur coat (that I am in the process of acquiring from dear Nicola) and I will have many an adventure, and hopefully none of them will involve being doused in blood.
Dream big!

you could say that i'm a terminal case, you could burn up my clothes, smash up my ride - well, maybe not the ride

Continued from last post -

this wheel's on fire asked: "if you could switch your life with someone else's (permanently) who would it be?what's your favorite book? (the fall? dharma bums? stuart little?) Prince or the Artist Formerly Known as Prince? if i was married to mick, would you hate me? ;)patsy or eddie?are you sick of my questions yet? good :)why are you such a cool cat?"

A permanant life switch I would probably choose George Clinton.
My favourite book is The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe.
Prince!
If you were married to Mick, I'd probably just judge you from afar...I couldn't hate you for wanting what I want!
I am not familiar with these people.
No, I'm not!
I'm not sure - I think I was born this way.

Miss Karen asked: "would you rather be the muse or the musician?"
Hmm. Good question! Well, in terms of the person I am of this moment, I'd rather be a muse. In fact, forget what I said yesterday about homemaker, I think muse would be my chosen profession. However, who wouldn't love to be musically gifted?

Cate asked: "1) Have you read 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley and if yes, what did you think of it?2) What do you think about NIRVANA?3) (not so weird) What is your favourite film?"
I haven't read "Brave New World". I've read some other Aldous Huxley, such as "Doors of Perception" and "Island", but not "Brave New World". I'll add it to my list of books I should eventually get around to reading.
Nirvana is obviously a talented band, though not my cup of tea. It's just not the type of music that sets my soul on fire.
My favourite film is Almost Famous.

Sister Libby asked: "I have always (ok, no...just now) wondered what you're top 5 would be...I'm kind of thinking like, High Fidelity here...hm...maybe your Top 5 Loooove Songs, just a starter."

Now, Libby is clearly the type of person who just lives to torture me - a real sadist with a heart of the purest coal rejected by Santa Claus as it was "too much 'tough', not enough 'love'". When you say Top 5 Love Songs, do you mean the Top 5 Most Romantic Songs That I Like? My 5 Favourite Songs that Happen to Be About Love? Since the latter is too generic, here are the Top 5 Songs I Find Most Romantic:

1. "Adore" by Prince - it's cheesy as hell, but I can't help but say "awww". The lyrics seem like a bunch of smooth lines put together, but the sincerity behind them make it just so sweet
2. "Prototype" by Outkast - so beautiful and romantic

3. "Little Wing" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience - I've decided my goal in life is to be the girl in the song

4. "The Goose" by Parliament - seriously, I don't know if I've heard more romantic lyrics than this: "I'm as happy as a monkey with a peanut machine, since I've found you/Just imagine a monkey with a peanut machine, it's a dream come true/But I don't need no nut machine/Because I'm nuts all over you"

5. "Come Get to This" by Marvin Gaye - my favourite Marvin Gaye song...stunning



jess asked: "What is your favorite school subject?What Parliament songs do yu higly recomend?Who is you style icon?"
I won't lie, not a huge fan of school, but the subject this year I found most interesting was Comparative Civilizations. I loved learning about the Mayans, the Ancient Greeks and Romans, the origin of man - fascinating stuff.
Ahh, hard question. It really depends on the person, so I'll just tell you my favourite Parliament songs: "(I've Been Watching You) Move Your Sexy Body", "Agony of Defeet", "Funkentelechy", "Swing Down Sweet Chariot", "Flashlight", "The Goose", "All Your Goodies Are Gone" and "(You're a Fish and I'm a) Water Sign" - and that's just Parliament. Don't get me started on Funkadelic!

My greatest style icon is probably Anita Pallenberg - a mix of rock'n'roll, rich hippie and whatever the fuck she feels like. The quote that inspires my style is "Look at fashion and what they're doing, and then do what you want" - thanks, Cyndi Lauper!

Well, I suppose this is the "official" end of the questions and answers period, but at any time, if you have any questions, ask me, and I'll respond and let you know. Thank you for sending in questions and reading!

take it easy, baby, take it as it comes

What my past couple weeks has felt like, in pictures:

hana means what mana means and ganda means that too

Readers of this blog know that in terms of fashion inspiration, I often reach back to the 60's and people like Pattie Boyd and Anita Pallenberg. But lately, I've been reaching back a lot further.
My greatest fashion inspiration has been the Native American people.

I know this can be a sensitive subject, as the cruel way their culture has been snatched from them has left them rightly angry. I really want to make it clear that for my entire life, I've had a deep fascination - and respect for - Native American people, and I'm not trying to trivialize their fantastic culture to simply a fashion trend. I really, really don't mean to offend anyone.
When I was little, I had all sorts of politically incorrect books about "Indians". I'm lucky enough to live in an area that is rich with Native American history, as well as the site of the tallest free-standing totem pole in the world. So I've always been surrounded by the culture, but it was just last week that I was digging out my old books that my interest was re-piqued. I will cop to having an intense love for the (I'll admit it, horribly racist) Peter Pan tune "What Made the Red Man Red". I found myself enviously eye-ing the clothes in the book: moccasins, feathers, beads, turquoise, suede, furs and fringe galore...my dream wardrobe.

I hope you find these pictures half as inspiring as I do.

I'm thinking Keith Richards copped his entire public persona from this one picture.
If I could dress like this without offending the local Aboriginal people, I would.
If the Olsens were Native American...
I'm definitely not the first to think like this. Many public figures have let their look be inspired by Native American culture, sometimes subtly, sometimes very bluntly.
Some of the more in-your-face looks that I've liked have been:
Erykah Badu, looking less American Indian and more Aztec, manages to look awesome, unique, modern and stylish.
My favourite member of the P-Funk Mob, Glenn Goins (may he rest in peace), looks absolutely incredible in the feathered headdress and stellar poncho.

This has been my favourite picture of Mary-Kate Olsen since I first saw it.
I know this was a very controversial performance but I think Andre 3000 had an excellent concept, just maybe a bit of an insensitive execution. Still, he and his backup dancers look wicked.

One or two Native American inspired accessories can take an outfit to an entirely new level of genius without looking racially insensitive. When has Anita Pallenberg ever steered me wrong? Fringed boots and a fringed coat might be too much in theory, but somehow, she looks incredible.If I ever encounter a boy wearing this outfit, I will surrender myself to him then and there. That goes double if he looks as great in it as Keith Richards.Now, I'm not a Miley Cyrus fan by any means, but I love this outfit and I adore those electric blue fringed boots.

This picture of Sharon Tate would be perfect if she wasn't wearing so much makeup. Still, she looks gorgeous as always.
I borrowed three pictures from an amazing blog I recently found called Child of the Moon. I hope the ridiculously cool and mysterious owner of this blog does not mind!
I know I should probably stop now, but I'm so filled with Native American love, I just need to share with you a couple paintings that I hope will inspire you as well.
I suppose I've made it clear that I wish that I was 1/32 Blackfoot like Nicola, or simply born into the Osage Tribe a thousand years ago. Until then, I remain on the quest for the perfect pair of fringed boots...