Posts in Inspiration
1930s Fashion: How Charm Bracelets Held Hollywood's Secrets (And Still Do)

When I was a little girl, my mother gave me a charm bracelet she had worn as a child. Picked up from a souvenir shop in San Francisco, the bracelet oozed with kitsch... a small spinner with a true/false dial could tell the future, much like a Magic 8 ball. A small telephone had a rotary dial that actually spun! I was so mesmerized that later in life, I used various events in my life... including my first trip to Europe... to collect charms to tell the story of where I had been. Gibraltar was a monkey... Santiago de Compostela was a shell with a tiny cross inside... and for the Tower of London, a miniature guillotine (macabre, I know!).  

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Grace Kelly Fashion Inspiration: my thrift store wedding dress

Most girls dream about what their wedding dress will look like when they grow up... and the $ they are willing to spend on their dream dress once they get there is, to some, bordering on insanity. The national average is over $1400! That is a lot of money for a dress you are going to wear once, although I am all about unique life experiences so I can't begrudge any gal her one day of being a princess. 

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The Golden Age of Cinema, From Photoplay to... Photoshop???

When it comes to old films, I have some favorites, and Pillow Talk is one of them. Starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson, it may not be fodder for an Academy Award but who cares? It's hilarious!  

Doris Day plays a non-nonsense woman who falls in love with a complete womanizer (think Sam on Cheers! or Will Smith's Hitch). He even has his own jingle to charm his lady-friends. "You are my inspiration... Eileeeeeeen..." he croons. All he has to do is switch out the name of his targeted female at the end of the line. It's brilliant. More men should do it just to get a laugh.

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Channeling Joan Crawford's Incredible Method to Overcome Any Fear

Oh Joan.

Is there anyone who inspires more images of kind of terrifying, vamp-like makeup and images of wire hangers?

If you don't know what I am talking about and you are in the mood for a deeply disturbing film, go watch Mommie Dearest. But honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. I made my poor husband sit down and watch it with me in preparation for FX's "Feud". When Joan wanders into her little girl's room and sees wire hangers in her closet, she screams like a banshee, "NO... WIRE... HANGERS!!!"

 

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Debbie Reynolds Tribute: How Very Special Are We.

When I heard the news last night that Debbie Reynolds had passed away, my heart felt the loss of yet another Hollywood great. I was reminded of a chance meeting I had with her a few years back. I had gone to a bar in Los Angeles, completely unaware it was popular with many of the Classic Hollywood film set. To my surprise, she was there enjoying a little bit of jazz and dinner with her friends. 

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