Showing posts with label It Girl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label It Girl. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

EDIE SEDGWICK; Youthquake.

Edie Sedgwick, as we all know, was an American socialite, actress, model who went on to inspire the likes of Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan.  Now, I suppose I'm being a little bit cliché by writing a style tribute to such an obvious source of inspiration, but with such an individual style as hers, Edie will remain a style icon forever.

The First "It Girl"


A girl of old money embracing the modern way of life, Edie was dubbed "the girl with the black tights" by Life Magazine in 1965; her style stood alone.  She would habitually don nothing more than a black leotard, opaque tights and a sweater, and was admired by men and women alike.  Cropped platinum blonde hair and heavily lined eyes gained Edie her signature look, and perhaps hid the insecurities of her childhood, her tragic family life, her battles with eating disorders, and her frequent drug abuse.




After studying art in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Edie dropped out and moved to New York, soon becoming a part of Andy Warhol's innermost circle of close friends.  Now living life in bohemian Manhattan, Edie quickly blew through her trust fund which she inherited when she turned 21 in 1964.  She was featured in many of Warhol's short films, for example "Vinyl", "Poor Little Rich Girl", "Beauty II" and "Ciao! Manhattan."  

Andy & Edie.


Following the end of her close association with Warhol, Edie moved into the Chelsea Hotel after accidentally burning her Manhattan apartment.  It was here that she became close to Bob Dylan, and it is speculated that this relationship quickly turned to infatuation on her part.  However, after Sedgwick discovered that Dylan had married, their relationship terminated.  By this stage, she had squandered her trust fund and began her downward spiral into the depths of drug and alcohol abuse, her life of glamour no longer apparent.




Though Edie seemed to have turned her life around by 1971, with her marriage to Michael Post, she was soon prescribed pain medication which once again caused a turn for the worse.  By November 16th, 1971, Edie Sedgwick was dead, at only 28 years old, leaving behind her a legacy which would influence generations to come.

My personal favourite- Edie Sedgwick by Andy Warhol.


EMULATING THE SEDGWICK STYLE;
I believe that Edie Sedgwick's style is quite attainable.  Leotards, boat necks, kohl.. These are all things that we have available to us very easily, it's just a matter of combining them.  Here are some ideas I've come up with, American Apparel was really quite useful in trying to imitate this look;

The leotard; Cotton Spandex Short Sleeve T-Shirt Leotard- American Apparel, €28
The tights; Opaque Pantyhose- American Apparel, €14.
The eyeliner; Eye Kohl- MAC.
The striped boat neck; Unisex Sailor Stripe Long Sleeve Pullover- American Apparel, €50.
The fur coat; Whistles Allegra Faux Fur Coat- ASOS, €506.39.
The earrings; Edie Sedgwick Shoulder Duster Earrings- Etsy, $65.
I couldn't really find any examples of a mini dress worth posting here, but definitely stay on the lookout for one of these as well!





Monday, January 10, 2011

SISTER ACT; Peaches Geldof VS. Pixie Geldof.


Daughters of ex Boomtown Rats frontman and founder of Live Aid and Live 8 Bob Geldof, and the tragic Paula Yates, it's really not such a mystery why Peaches and Pixie Geldof are such a fashion icons. 





Both claiming not to follow trends, the girls like to think of themselves as trend setters as opposed to trend followers. But which of the sisters, I am asking, deserves to be crowned the true fashionista? Nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry, I say. Thus I bring you PEACHES VS. PIXIE; a style-off like no other.









PEACHES GELDOF;
Indie fashionista and socialite Peaches Geldof has always been a major style icon of mine, and I often emulate her timeless looks. Replicating the 'Peaches Geldof' look is relatively easy and her clothes are often attainable as they frequently come from high street favourites like Topshop, American Apparel and Urban Outfitters. Compared to younger sister Pixie, Peaches is often criticized for not taking risks when it comes to clothes. It occurred to me though, that this is a positive point; Peaches seems to know what works for her, and this is why she doesn't feel the need to appear in risqué ensembles. Her style is a pretty standard 'city chic', and she seems to alternate from brunette to blonde in seconds.
As an added bonus, Peaches has a posse of trendy friends ranging from Daisy Lowe to Alice Dellal, and pens articles for 'Nylon' magazine (one of my favourites), as well as joining friend Fifi Brown to fabricate DJ-ing duo "Trash Pussies".






VS. 




PIXIE GELDOF;
Though I would usually look to Peaches for style inspiration, it cannot be argued but that Pixie Geldof, like her sister, is a well established style icon and influences girls all over the globe. Even Peaches herself has said "Pixie will be the style icon". But will she? Perhaps unlike Peaches, everything that Pixie wears is chosen to be individual, and she wears primarily thirfted and vintage clothes, shunning the highstreet almost completely. Her quirky style can be quite effeminate, but is also heavily influenced by the rock 'n' roll side of things. 
Not to be left behind by Peaches, Pixie too hangs around with the 'cool crowd', for example fellow British It girl and model Agyness Dean, and designer Henry Holland. She also does her fair share of modelling, appearing on the cover of Tatler, 26 years after her mother had done so, and modelling for Luella in 2009.








ULTIMATUM;
So.. It seems to be neck and neck between the sisters. Which of them is more stylish in your opinion? Which of them would inspire you? And which of the two Geldof sisters would you wish to mirror? 



The Geldof sisters together, in all their glory.



 
K.3.N.J.I