Beauty Icon Wednesday: An Ode to Vivienne Westwood

Name: Dame Vivienne Westwood, born Vivienne Isabel Swire on April 8th, 1941

Known for: first creating the artfully slashed tees and bondage trousers worn by Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols in the punk Seventies, tripping up catwalk bitch Naomi Campbell with a pair of nine inch platform heels during a 1993 runway show, and gifting Carrie Bradshaw with her now-iconic wedding dress in the first Sex and The City movie. 


Vivienne Westwood is my favourite fashion designer. In keeping with the rock n' rebel theme that's been rolling through my life this week, I felt that Auntie Viv - as I so lovingly refer to her... I wish! - was the best and only choice for this week's Icon. 


One of my fondest memories of living in London was the circuit I would make during my lunch hours. I worked on Oxford Street, and at least once a week I'd routinely make a pilgrimage in homage to this Grande Dame. I would usually make my way first down New Bond Street, well away from the throngs of the main shopping drag, to the multi-level flagship store on Conduit Street that housed all three of Westwood's labels - Gold, Red and Anglomania. Then, after about twenty minutes of torturing myself there with things my beauty counter salary couldn't really afford, I would make the agony complete by heading across Berkeley Street, round the Square and up to her intimate and achingly beautiful Davies Street boutique. Sometimes I would reverse the order, starting at Davies before moving on to Conduit Street, but I would never fail to hit both locations. 




What I think I love most about my Auntie Viv is that she seems to incorporate everything I've ever idolized into her design aesthetic. Her nod to 17th and 18th century fashion history of boned corsets and bustles, her ubiquitous use of plaid, her moderately offensive t-shirts and safety pinned trousers designed as though it were a thumbing of her nose at mainstream society. And it would seem that Westwood's desire to shake things up shows no signs of abating; she has become quite active politically with regular and passionate campaigns for human rights and nuclear disarmament. And though it cannot hope to compete with her own sizable contribution to fashion history, the legacy will live on with her son Joseph, the founder of luxury lingerie brand Agent Provocateur. 


Although Westwood has no formal fashion training, having studied art and worked as a
 primary schoolteacher, her way of cutting clothes to best flatter and celebrate the female figure seems almost instinctive. And that would be the true female figure, with boobs and bum, and not that of a twelve year old anorexic boy. For me, she represents living, breathing proof that a woman can be or do anything and still be sexy, regardless of her age or lot in life. 


And so with that in mind, I ask you: what's not to love??

Beauty Icon Wednesday: Going Ga-Ga for Gaga

Name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, born March 28th, 1986 in New York City. You would know her better as Lady Gaga

Known for: outrageous stage ensembles, often bizarre taste in headwear and sometimes edible fashion choices






Ahhh, Lady Gaga. 

The name alone conjures up all sorts of theatrical imagery, doesn't it? Not to mention controversy. Lady Gaga is following closely from the playbook of the pop icons that came before, most notably Madonna, where the cardinal rule is any press is good press. You may be wondering exactly why it is that she's featured here on Beauty Icon Wednesday. Gaga is more Leigh Bowery than Vivien Leigh. She doesn't exactly fit the mold of what most people would define as beautiful. But that's precisely why she's been included. Because she represents, albeit in a rather contrived performance art sort of way, a different idea of what it means to be beautiful. Something more than the cookie cutter blonde hair and blue eyes that is so prevalent on stage and screen these days. 


It's not like what Gaga is doing is all that original - Madonna, Cher and even David Bowie and Boy George had all done it even before she was born. And although I can admit she's quite talented, especially when compared to most of the drivel that counts as pop music, to be truthful I’m not that big a fan of her music. Sure, I loved the song Paparazzi from her debut album and watched the video on an almost constant basis, but there may have been other contributing factors - chief among them being Alexander Skarsgard and those blond triplets that comprise Swedish hair band Snakes of Eden. I’m only human, after all. 


No, what I really admire about Lady Gaga is that she's not afraid to make herself 'ugly' should the situation call for it. And for any woman to have the - for lack of a better word - balls to put on a meat dress and mirrored gimp mask in the name of art earns her a place on my Icon list.


Regardless of whether I understand it or not.

Beauty Icon Wednesday: She's a Wonder... Wonder Woman!

Name: Born in December 1941 as Diana of Themyscira, a Princess of the Amazons, before she became First Class Petty Officer Yeoman Diana Prince; the world knows her best as Wonder Woman.

Known for: a patriotic sense of style, her practical use of accessories, and having one of the smallest waistlines in television history.





Every little girl (or gay man, for that matter) who grew up in a certain timeperiod will have at least one childhood memory in common. Twirling round and round in a circle on the spot, and to turn from the mild-mannered girl they usually were into that super-hero of comic book and television fame, Wonder Woman. She's an integral part of the female collective unconscious. And why wouldn't she be? Wonder Woman, perhaps even more than the other DC comic-book characters, had the coolest and above all useful gadgets: bulletproof bracelets to protect herself from the lesser-evolved bad guys, the Lasso of Truth with which she could bring them to justice, and an invisible plane with which she can quickly jet off her next assignment.

Okay sure, the red and gold corset with blue star-printed hot pants would be less than ideal in our Canadian climate, but she's an Amazon princess. She doesn't even feel the cold when she's busy fighting crime! And yes, I'm well aware that Wonder Woman is not real, that she is a character who began life as a drawing in a comic book. But really, would that make her so much different from any of the Hollywood starlets or pop sensations we tend to base our ideas of beauty on? Aren't they in their own way just as fictional?

Wow...that was a little too deep for a Wednesday night, wasn't it? Sorry about that - I really didn't mean to turn this week's Beauty Icon Wednesday posting into some feminist treatise on the amalgamation of fiction and beauty throughout pop culture history. But it appears that half-degree in sociology is rearing its ugly head once again at the most inopportune time... Pardon me whilst I put it back in its cage.

Back to the important bits: how was Wonder Woman's hair able to spin effortlessly from a tightly secured, Diana Prince bun to a perfect Seventies bouffant blowout complete with gold tiara? And where did she find a lipstick that matched so seamlessly with the red in her breastplate? That, my friends, is talent.

Makeover in A Minute: When Trademark Becomes Trap

In fashion and makeup, it’s always been important to cultivate a signature look. Something that works like a physical signature, a specific piece that proudly proclaims ‘This is who I am’. A trademark. However, at what point does a trademark become a just another boring old pattern? Isn't one of the best things about makeup is that it will always wash off. You can try new things, test new colours or play with different textures and application methods, and if it doesn't work out you can always go back and start over. 

Marilyn had her red, glossy lips which became synonymous with sex appeal. Audrey, whose cropped haircut and matching cropped trouser made her the dictionary definition of 'gamine'. Twiggy had the dark eye makeup paired with a nude lip, the ubiquitous Mod Girl uniform. You get the idea. And just in case you don't, here are some more contemporary examples of women who have mastered the art of the Signature Look. 


Perhaps to the point of becoming victim to it. 

Angelina Jolie is living, breathing, gorgeous proof of that old beauty adage Less is More. But I suppose when you're this insanely beautiful, you can't really go far wrong when it comes to makeup. 


What I like about her look is that she doesn't feel the need to try too hard, and she's always consistent. That being said, there are really no surprises with her anymore. Angelina shows up on a red carpet with a strongly defined yet never overdone eye and neutral colour playing down those famous full lips of hers. Safe. Almost wholesome. It kind of makes me long for the days where she was cutting herself, wearing Billy Bob's blood in a vial round her neck and inappropriately kissing her brother at the Academy Awards. 

Dita Von Teese occupies what might be considered the opposite side of the makeup spectrum, but the two women are not without their similarities. Like Angelina, Dita is always consistent with her retro pin-up brand of beauty. But there is nothing that's not overdone here. The carefully powdered milky white skin, bow lips perfectly painted deep red, the winged edge of her black eyeliner creating the textbook cat-eye... it's always the same. 


Don't get me wrong - I love the look. This is classic beauty at its finest, taken from the Golden Age of makeup and done with such precision it's enough to make the picky artist in me weep. But, just once, wouldn't you like to see Dita rock some turquoise eye shadow with a coral glossy lip? Because I know I would. 
                  

Finally, we have Kim Kardasian. Believe it or not, her look has something in common with both of the ladies above. She favours the same strong eye and nude lip look as Angelina, and like Dita, there is nothing subtle about it. 


But that's where the similarities end. Our other ladies are classy. I see no class here.


Seriously, does she not look like a Bratz doll come to life? The layers of lip gloss, the thick liner, the oozing cleavage... it's all just too much. And this is coming from someone who absolutely adores drag queens! I find there's a certain charm in a well-executed queen. With this, I'm afraid all I see is trash trying to be class. 


Does that officially make me old? 




I think that the moral to this posting is simply this: Having a signature look in your makeup is important, but just as important is recognizing when it's time to shake things up a little. 
Never become a slave to your own beauty routine. When a look starts to become too comfortable, or you can put your makeup on with your eyes closed, then it's time to think about the next impression you want to make. 

Beauty Icon Wednesday: The Often-Imitated, Never-Duplicated Audrey Hepburn

Name: Audrey Hepburn, born Audrey Kathleen Ruston, May 4th, 1929

Known for: her face, her graceful figure, Givenchy's muse        

     

Audrey Hepburn has one of the most recognizable, not to mention perfect, faces in cinematic history; it's little wonder that she has consistently topped worldwide lists of beautiful people. Her elegance, warmth and humanitarian efforts made her a delight to watch both on-and-off screen, and set a new standard to strive for in beauty both inside and out. According to iconic fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, who designed her wardrobe for several  films starting with 1954's Sabrina, her measurements did not change in the close to forty years he'd known her. Who amongst us can say the same?

Google the word 'gamine', which was originally a French term for playful, naughty child before being adopted amongst the fashion elite as the way to describe slim, almost boyish-looking young women 

who possess a carefree yet unmistakably chic sense of style. 

You will find Audrey's picture comes up first of more than three hundred thousand results. 

                                                                     

                                                               

Bad Makeup Happens.But It Doesn't Have To.

Come confess your deepest, darkest makeup bag secrets in a safe and nurturing environment. With snacks!

RSVP on our Facebook page, and feel free to bring a friend!

The Votes Have Been Tallied. The Pretty Girls Have Spoken!

Congratulations to Nadia who chose those pretty peach shades of blush like Tease and Go Go Boots that just scream springtime as her favourite from the Shoppette's inaugural collection. And for her trouble, she scored a free blush of her choice. So which shade did she choose, you ask? Cheeky, the eponymous and universally perfect pink shade from Cheeky Cosmetics.

'But I never win anything!' she exclaimed in delight when learned she was our lucky winner. Not bad for simply exercising a basic democratic freedom, am I right? Not to mention a great way to start a Monday.

And in case you're curious, it was definitely the bright pink lipsticks like Lip-Love and Posie that earned most of your votes. The acid bright eyeshadows Blimey and Full Bloom, and the blush both tied for second place.

The month of May was a bit of a whirlwind packed full of firsts: the Dream the became Reality in the form of the Shoppette, the Afternoon of Tea & Beauty that officially introduced it, and the Pretty Girls Vote campaign in celebration of all of the above. For those of you who have been there since the beginning, I can't thank you enough for all of your love and support. And to those lovelies who are just joining us, welcome and make yourself at home.

To all of you, though, I have just this to say: stick around, because there is plenty more fun to come!

Beauty Icon Wednesday: Happy Birthday, Norma Jean, Wherever You Are

Name: Marilyn Monroe, born on June 1st, 1926 as Norma Jeane Mortenson (later, Baker)

Known for: her bedroom eyes, platinum blonde hair, red lips

Marilyn Monroe has long been considered to be the sexiest woman in the world, both then and even today. However a childhood spent bouncing between foster homes, a series of failed relationships and marriages, and the infamous affair with a President that may or may not have led to her untimely death in 1962 at the tender age of thirty-six is proof positive that fame and infinite beauty do not automatically bring happiness. 

And yet, almost fifty years later, she remains for most of us the epitome of what it means to be beautiful and sex personified. 

One can only hope that she was able to finally find the peace and self-acceptance that so eluded her in life.