Show Stopper

Step right up and feast your eyes on the circus queen! I love the spectacle and glamor that surrounds a show girl. There is something magical that inspires awe and transports the audience into a world of cotton candy clouds and twinkling diamonds. A high that's hard to come down from.

I had so much fun creating this costume!

The images below represent a life time of visual inspiration for this project. I hope my version lives up to the fantasy!

Madonna

The White Stripes

Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge

Madonna 

 Marilyn Monroe- I love the strangeness of this glamor shot.

My favorite show girl: Madonna 

It can be yours...HERE!

Behind the Lace Curtain

When done right, there is nothing like black lace. It is a timeless classic that, when used properly, can instantly transform the everyday into a naughty mystery. Think femme fatale, film noir, dangerous glamour, and major trend. I too fell under it's spell at an early age, influenced by the "Vogue" video, old Hollywood, and Joan Collins. Here is a collection of sheer genius.

Dolce and Gabbana

Dolce and Gabbana bustier in V Magazine

Duke and Dutchess Lace Crop Jacket

 Maison Michel Bunny Ear Hat with Veil

Decadent Designz

Prada

Balmain

Alexander McQueen

Madonna

Dottie's Delights

Marilyn Monroe

40 Volume to Freedom

A blonde bombshell is like a caged panther: powerful, beautiful, elegant, and unreachable. Like most brunettes I have longed to be a platinum blonde. About 5 years ago I managed to achieve a shade of gold even Gwen could be proud of! Eventually I had to admit defeat. I could not keep up with the maintenance, but I vowed to one day revisit the blonde. I am on my way now-my platinum highlights are quickly multiplying.

Photographic proof of my blonde ambition! photo by Genevieve Dietz

Kate Moss

Chloe Sevigne

Drew Barrymore

Gwen Stefani

Lara Stone

Madonna circa 1991

 Madonna True Blue

Marilyn Monroe the Original

GOLD: Jean Paul Gaultier for Target

Jean Paul Gaultier is one of my all time favorite designers, and not just because he designed the infamous Madonna cone bra. When I found out he was doing a low price line for Target I felt like I had hit the jackpot! I love the contrast of the sexy little dresses and the hard edge of the leather jackets and the graphic t-shirts. My picks are the trench, the black dress with the eye detail, and the sailor top. Hits stores March 7...happy shopping!

 

 

The Elle Magazine spread read here

Idol Worship

When I was a kid in the eighties, I was mostly a tom boy, but I always had a crazy obsession with glamour and sparkle. It probably all started with the Lawrence Welk Show. I religiously watched this every week. What with the bubbles and the chiffon and the dancing, it probably set the wheels in motion. I also had two much older half sisters, one of whom resembled the back up singers in the Robert Palmer video "Addicted to Love". I quickly moved on to watching Dynasty. Alexis Colby became my instant favorite. She had all the best clothes and an attitude to match.

Next came Moonlighting. I had a terrible crush on David Addison and secretly wanted to be Maddy Hayes. It got so bad that on a family vacation I had a crying fit because I couldn't watch the season finale!

Around the same time we went to stay with my Grandma Johnson who lives in the Bay Area. She had cable at the time-something I had never heard of. The moment I was allowed to pick something I wanted to see I flipped it straight to MTV. And what happened to be on? Madonna in the Like A Virgin video. I remember being completely infatuated. I wanted her hair and her clothes. Looking back, it was a little sick.



When I was around 5 my Dad bought Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on beta and I watched it over and over. The nightclub scene was my favorite. Sequins, tap dancing, diamonds, Harrison Ford, oh my!

Around this same time I discovered Marilyn Monroe, a bombshell to end all bombshells.

About 4 years later came Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Dick Tracy. That was a summer that sticks out in my mind. I loved those movies and couldn't wait to get them on video. And once I did, I got the songs and dance moves memorized. Jessica Rabbit was an over the top unattainable version of what I wanted to be. Basically, being a night club singer was on my list of career paths.

Above all Breathless Mahoney was my favorite. I loved, loved, loved Madonna in that role. In fact I won the 6th grade talent show singing "More" from the Dick Tracy soundtrack in a floor length evening gown and rhinestones!

And, well I guess all of that laid the foundation for my fascination with fashion, glamour, and the femme fatale.