Can I be rude about a Fashion Publicist please?

Twenty minute walks to work each day can get boring very quickly. I am thankful that I can walk to work, that aspect is nice, sure, but it gets dull. I say this because I feel I may need to justify my penchant for downloading cycle 18 of Americas Next Top Model onto my phone to watch on the way to work. I used to watch it a few years back, trust me, that program got me through break-ups, poverty, moving back in with my parents and insomnia. Watching it again through ITunes a few years later, I must admit I see it from a slightly different angle. It is in all fairness more like watching "Americas Next Average Teenager/TV Personality Takes Photo's, Moan and Get Booted Off" that being said, it's entertainment and I still enjoy watching because there is still some content that relates to the Fashion Industry.

As watchers and fans know, Americas Next Top Model is a reality tv program in which 20 odd girls compete to win said title. In each episode, they have to complete challenges and photoshoots and at the end they are judged by the four judges on panel and one will be sent home. This season (The British Invasion - oh please) one of the judges is Kelly Cutrone, a successful American Fashion Publicist who pulls a lot of strings and has a huge influence on the potential future careers of these "models".

There have however been a couple of things that Cutrone has said that I think undermines her apparent expert position. She has in one sense made a comparison which I believe was pretty far from the truth and in one of the final episodes made an era error (doesn't that have a nice ring to it?).
First of all, one of the British contestants is Sophie  - snap! Now Sophie is like a puppy on a day out, comes across as a nice girl, takes alright to good photos, but to me, she's fairly ordinary looking.


Again, Sophie, nice girl, not model to me. But that is JUST my opinion. However, at the end of one of the episodes Kelly Cutrone uttered words to this affect "She's like Warhols Muse" not once, no, I could forgive her for comparing such ordinary-ness to an enigma like Edie once, but then she said it again, only this time re-inforced it with "she looks like Edie Sedgwick, if Sedgwick was around today, this is what she would want to look like"....................What?

Are you actually kidding me? I don't think so. Edie Sedgwick was Edie Sedgwick if not for the fact that she met Warhol and he made her his "It Girl" but definately for the fact that Edie didn't to look like anyone but Edie. That's what made her so special, that's why people to this day copy HER look. Secondly, I find it very hard to see any similarity between Sophie and Edie, except for the fact that they both sport short blonde hair -  to which I'll point out further, Sophie's hair is actually dyed pink. Let's look at the similarities together shall we? Sophie, tall, reasonably slim, sane, composed, average features, hair cut into short bob, pretty standard looking and lets not forget, dressed by stylists in what they want her to wear for that shoot. Edie, small, waif, enigmatic fireball of disaster, stunning features, amazing personal style copied by hundreds, beehive or parted and created whole new looks.

 
 
 
What I find even more bizarre about this comparison is that Cutrone herself actually  was married to Andy Warhol's protege, artist Ronnie Cutrone. Surely she would know how unfounded her comment was? You'd think so wouldn't you? Maybe not.

The second of my issues with Kelly Cutrone's strange comparisons (for someone who should know better) was her comments about the photoshoot in episode nine. For the photo shoot, the girls posed wearing amazing silk gowns by Barney Cheng accessorized with silkworms.

Here is one of the contestants photographs, this is Ebony:

 
Short bob wig? Check, Empire Line dress? Check, Film Noir setting? Check? What does Kelly Cutrone say? "I love it, you look like a World War II postcard" ....A World War two Postcard? Really? For your information Kelly Cutrone Fashion Publiscist, The Second World War happened between the years of 1939 and 1945. Not the 1920's. this is was a World War II post card would look like from the FORTIES:
 
 
Here is one from the 1920's:
 
 
Hmmmm, one does wonder how a woman not just working in the Fashion Industry, but also with a high powered job in the industry can make such silly mistakes? This is a person who has the power to decide the fate over other people's careers. You may ask how did this happen? I would like to know how a unknown blogger like little ole' me can spot these mistakes and others don't. I suspect people are just too scared to tell her she's wrong!
 
Moan over.

Frida Gustavsson

I think I may be slightly in love with Frida, not only does she possess this unique type of refined demeanor, but she also dresses immaculately with true vintage variety and taste.

I recently stumbled across this photo and immediately wanted to "borrow" her outfit - I mean steal her style! Oh wow, she looks like heaven. She mixes looks and era's beautifully and creates such a unique look. Not to mention her tiny waist fits perfectly int those high waisted trousers! Jealous!

Route 66

Americana

1960's Bombshell

Retro Gangster Chic

Oh no you didn't....

It serves me right really after my moaning yesterday about having to go down to London because I had pre-bought my train fare. I  got up, got dressed, hair went perfectly - should have known then, nothing goes perfectly without a price, left the house promptly at 10am as planned and walked the usual 20 minute walk to the train station, leaving myself 50 minutes to get there in the snow.
Arriving at the station, I made my way to the ticket machine to punch in my 8 digit reference number in order to collect my ticket and low and behold it asks me for the card I purchased the ticket from. The card that in this very moment I realise it sitting on the coffee table in my living room an hour away. I have 8 minutes until my train leaves. So much for being "responsible" and leaving my credit card at home. Needless to say the girl at the kiosk was useless and I made my way home, rejected, with the intention of starting again on Friday, my next available day off work.

I have made good use of my time though, I made Betty Crocker Brownies that went horribly wrong and watched American Psycho to release my impending inner Patrick Bateman. I now feel slightly unwell but all can be forgiven (I mean I can forgive myself for my Monday serial mishaps), because I have been doing more research on jobs within the vintage fashion field AND I have arranged two flat viewings within London this Friday, much to poor Kev's dismay as he will not be able to assist me.

So Monday is coming to a close now, it wasn't the day I'd imagined or hoped it would be but it hasn't been a complete waste. I have still managed to do things I would not otherwise have been able to do had I been at work today.




Winter Warmer

 
It's Sunday morning and I'm glued to my sofa toying with the notion of leaving the house to get something warm and comforting to eat and drink in front of a few films later this afternoon. I also have to go to London tomorrow (I have already stupidly booked my train ticket) and we don't have any food in the house. I can't even have a cup of Chai Tea because I have run out of my beloved Soya Milk. "What's the problem?" you may ask, well, it's  snowing.
I hate snow. You can't walk on it without risking kidney damage due to slipping and crashing down on your back, you can't get anywhere in a good amount of time (I like to leave the house and get to where I'm going) and you have little control over your fashion choices for the day because you have to dress appropriately and sensibly for the sharp, slippery ice waiting to kill you beneath your feet.
What I hate more than snow is the people who scream with joy "It's snowing, I LOVE snow, isn't is pretty?" No. It's not and unless these words are leaving the lips of someone under the age of 13, I think you should be detained under the Mental Health Act.

Now we are on the same page and have a clear understanding of how I feel about snow, I will share with you some ideas I have had to keep warm and stylish this January. A staple part of my winter wardrobe would probably have to be my fur coats. Some people hate fur the way I hate snow. I will say now that I have five fur coats, one of them is real and it is Vintage. I stress this point because people get terribly upset when they ask "is that real?" and I give them the answer they knew they would get. My point is, I do not advocate the brutal killing of animals for fashion, however when something has been made and worn for the last 30+ years I do not see anything wrong in recycling. Fur is beautiful, there's no doubt about it and I do not see the point in wasting what is already there.

You can dress most things up with a good fur coat, my favourite one at the moment is my Lilli Ann for London Faux Fur one. I bought it last week in Beyond Retro and it is beautiful! I love it. It is also perfect for this weather as it is made with real suede (don't see too many activists crying about that eh?). The beauty of this coat is that it does not have buttons or hooks on it, it merely ties with a belt so you can adjust the fit.

Next, plain black Skinny Jeans will tone down the fur just enough to look fabulous but not as if you are trying too hard this winter. It's easy to get carried away and look overdressed when you are teaming items of your wardrobe with a fur coat.

A warm and cosy nautical jumper under the coat just peeking through will add a classic, no nonsense, no "try hard" look to your outfit and for your feet I would put a pair of handsome Chelsea Boots in place. They will keep your feet warm, they're practical for walking and incredibly chic.



Winter Warmer




Sorry for lack of blogging!

It's been a while since the last entry and that I apologise for, some of you have contacted me through Twitter asking for more blogs and all I can say is, sorry, I've been concentrating my efforts in other areas as of late and Purple Hearts Vintage does have a new Tumblr to accompany this and our Ebay shop. Here is the link: http://purpleheartsvintage.tumblr.com/

Enough is enough. I will now be writing more, so keep a look out!

About Me

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London, United Kingdom
I'm Sophie, my flat looks like a charity shop, i have pieces of furniture ranging from 120 years old to 5 years old. I love music, I couldn't live without it, my moods are defined by what I listen to and how I dress tomorrow will depend on what I feel like listening to tomorrow morning. I sell Vintage clothing online. I'm very impulsive, I will watch a program about the Antarctic and decide I want a baby Penguin as a pet, tomorrow it'll be a Bat, next week, a Tiger. I have an obsession with collecting gaudy ornaments that nobody likes and I love hats. I find it hard to concentrate on something for a long time unless I am fully interested in it, but when I am, I can devote hours of my life to it. My favourite food in the world is Japanese noodle soup, doesn't matter what's in it, I want to be Jewish, I love Morrissey and have an ulikely unexplained crush on Blackadder the 2nd, but not Rowan Atkinson.

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