Sexy Girls Dress & Costumes: October 2010

Announcing a New Blog

I might be crazy for wanting to juggle two blogs at the same time, but today I launched a new one called Sunny Site Up. For anyone who's into positive thinking or the law of attraction, I thought it might be interesting to chronicle my personal journey and the occasional struggle with my new way of life, and it be a place where others can share their tips and experiences as well. I also hope to turn it into a blog where others can get a little lift in their day. Rest assured that Go Retro is not going away - I've just been thinking of starting this one for a while and writing about a new topic will probably help keep my thoughts fresh. Needless to say it's drastically different than retro pop culture but for those who are interested, I thought I'd let everyone know.

Happy Halloween!

Three Ads Too Good Not to Share #8: The Halloween Edition

I found the following ads on Flickr, credit to What Makes The Pie Shops Tick? He/she has a nice collection of vintage advertising and images. Nothing really to say here except I think the gals in the two ads below have been doing the online dating thing for a little too long. I think they may be lowering their standards a little too low...just saying. What can I say, the idea of a hot chick doing the dirty deed with Frankenstein's monster or the Wolfman kind of grosses me out.

Where there's cheese and beer, I'm there. The disembodied hand floating off to the side pouring the beer is a nice touch.

In case I don't get another post out before then, I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Two Forgotten Friday Favorites: Bobby "Boris" Pickett

It's definitely that time of year when the oldies stations start playing the 1962 novelty hit song Monster Mash. I've often seen it attributed to the horror movie actor Boris Karloff. Karloff did perform the song in 1965 on the show Shindig!, but its original singer was Bobby Pickett. Pickett once did an imitation of Karloff while performing The Diamonds' Little Darlin' with a band in front of an audience. The positive reaction inspired him and a fellow band member, Lenny Capizzi, to write and record Monster Mash, with Pickett doing imitations of Karloff and Bela Lugosi throughout the song.

Monster Mash still enjoys some rotation around Halloween almost 50 years after it was first released. The song was a number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard charts in 1962, but didn't enjoy the same status across the pond - the BBC had banned it for being "too morbid." It was re-released in 1970 and 1973 and finally reached #3 on the UK charts in 1973.

Pickett released some other holiday novelties such as Werewolf Watusi, The Monster Swim, and a Star Trek-inspired tune called Star Drek. There was also a 1980s sequel to Monster Mash called The Monster Rap in the 80s. However, I kind of like the King Kong song set to clips from the movie:

Pickett passed away of leukemenia in 2007, but the Monster Mash lives on.

Heidi Klum Superhero 2010 Halloween Costume

Heidi Klum's 2010 Halloween costume for her All Hallows’ Eve celebration is "robotic superhero". Victoria’s Secret Angel wings designer, Martin Izquierdo, designed Heidi Klum's skin-tight, red-and-purple armor.

Source: People.com

Kate Moss Last Topshop Collection

Kate Moss' latest Topshop collection will be her last. The 14th and final collection of Kate Moss for Topshop includes capes, feathered bolero, pansy-printed dress and black dobby dress.

Photo Source" InStyle.com

Banana Republic Spring 2011 Collection

Last Tuesday, Banana Republic revealed its Spring 2011 collection. The said collection includes white dresses, safari-inspired pieces as well as rain forest prints. Statement necklaces and hats were also some of highlights of Banana Republic Spring 2011 collection.

Photo Source: Style.com

Charlie Chaplin Cell Phone Mystery

Take a look at this photo. Doesn't it look like this lady is holding a cell phone up to her ear? You would think so, except she's at a movie premiere for the Charlie Chaplin film The Circus. The Circus came out in 1928 - no mobile devices back then. She was recently spotted in film footage showing bystanders walking past Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where the movie premiered. Filmmaker George Clarke, a Charlie Chaplin fan, was the first to discover the mysterious woman while watching a Chaplin DVD boxed set and posted it online searching for answers. The most common explanation being thrown around is that she is a time traveler! I'm thinking most likely she was using a hearing aid, which were pretty big and bulky way back in the day, or perhaps an early radio. Or maybe she somehow was testing an early invention. Still, it makes for some pretty cool debate so close to Halloween.

Here's Clarke's video clip showing the person over and over again - I have to admit it is kind of creepy and fascinating to watch, especially as the person with the mobile or non-mobile device sort of fades away as the camera footage changes, and you can see her mouth moving in close-up shots. What do you think it is?

Alessandra Ambrosio in Vogue Japan December 2010 Issue

Victoria's Secret Angel, Alessandra Ambrosio, graced the cover of Vogue Japan December 2010 issue.

Photos from NYMag

2010 Hollywood Awards Gala

The Hollywood stars showed their best fashion-forward dresses at the 2010 Hollywood Awards Gala. View the rest of the entry to check out your favorites celebrity's fashion style for the said event.

Leighton Meester in an Elie Saab dress and heels and silver Jimmy Choo clutch.
Mila Kunis in a Monique Lhuillier dress and Brian Atwood heels.

Hilary Swank in Giorgio Armani dress and Jimmy Choo pumps.
Milla Jovovich in a dress by Temperley London.

Carey Mulligan in VBH Manila clutch and Roger Vivier shoes.
Jodie Foster in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and Jimmy Choo sandals.

Photos from InStyle

Anne Hathaway Vogue November 2010

Watch out for Vogue's November 2010 issue! It will feature Anne Hathaway. The said issue will hit the newsstands tomorrow. Here are some of Anne Hathaway's fashion styles for the said magazine.

Miu Miu radzimir tank and Roger Vivier clutch

Isaac Mizrahi New York silk-faille peplum dress
Oscar de la Renta dress and Jimmy Choo crystal clutch

Marchesa red suede strapless dress
Carolina Herrera asymmetrical dove-gray duchess-satin dress

Isaac Mizrahi New York sequined strapless dress and Marchesa clutch
Vera Wang satin dress

Source

Jennifer Lopez and Her Twins in Gucci’s Ad Campaign

Jennifer Lopez and her twins graced the Gucci's latest campaign.

Photos from People.com

Lanvin for H&M

Here are two of Lanvin for H&M ads that leaked over the internet. Are you ready for the black satin and floral pieces?

Source: Fashionista.com

Gossip Girl Season 4 Episode 6 Fashion Style

Jenny Humphrey is back in Manhattan! Let's see Gossip Girl cast's fashion style for season 4 episode 6.

Jenny in a Pucci dress, Low Luv cuff, Dolce Vita shoes, and Carlos Fachi bag.

Serena in Porter Grey top, Givenchy vest, Tibi skirt and Stephen Dweck bracelet.

Blair in Victoria Beckham dress, Tiffany's bag and Noir cuff.

Serena in Maxime Simoens jacket, Haute Hippie pants, Brian Atwood shoes and Kotur purse.

Blair in Marc Jacobs top, Alice + Olivia skirt and LAI bag.

Two Forgotten Friday Favorites: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Since I've pretty much failed to acknowledge Halloween on my blog this year, today's Two Forgotten Friday Favorites is of the truly creepy variety: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Brown was a flamboyant British singer who had a 1968 number-one hit in the UK and Canada called Fire. And his performances were a scary thing to behold. As part of his stage persona, he usually painted his face black and white and wore a metal crown which was lit ablaze. His style provided the inspiration for Alice Cooper, KISS, Marilyn Manson, and many other shock rock performers.

Brown's background is fascinating. He actually attended two universities in England studying law and philosophy before gravitating towards music. In the mid-60s he was briefly part of the soul group The Foundations (best known for the hit Baby, Now That I've Found You) before forming his own band, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

Brown's love of setting his costumes and props on fire resulted in several mishaps during his early career. During one show in Windsor, England, his head caught on fire when the methanol fuel used on his helmet crown poured over by accident; two audience members put out the flames with beer before he could be seriously injured. His antics made concert organizers nervous and often got him kicked off of tours (including Jimi Hendrix's) because he lacked the proper fire insurance in case of damage or injury. He was also arrested in Italy for stripping completely naked during one of his shows.

For a parent in the 60s with a teenage girl, he must have been every mother and father's nightmare...could you imagine if your daughter had a crush on Arthur Brown?

Brown still performs today, but if you dare to see this scary dude in his prime, here's him in 1968 doing what he did best with Fire (which I actually think is a great song.) The way he dances is just c-r-a-z-eeeeee!

I believe Brown was the inspiration for a character Sonny Bono played once on The Love Boat, Deacon Dark:

Brown's other hit was a little less successful; a cover of I Put A Spell On You:

Why It's Time to Give Yoko Ono A Break

It's remarkable to me that 70 years after John Lennon's birth, nearly 30 years after his death, and 40 years after the Beatles broke up, Yoko Ono still remains the most hated and vilified woman in the Beatles' legacy (even more so, I believe, than Heather Mills.) Case in point: I watched the video message she filmed for YouTube in honor of her late husband's birthday and was taken aback by the lowdown, nasty, vitriol-filled comments spewed at her. The c-word was in full swing mode, as were many racial epitaphs. Have these so-called fans not learned *anything* from listening to Beatles/Lennon music after all these years?

Maybe because I am not a baby boomer who lived through it all - the Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the meditation trip to India - I have a different perspective on Yoko Ono. I cannot claim to be a Yoko fan (listening to a human caterwauling is not a hobby in my spare time), but I do respect her. Yes, she may be a terrible singer, a homewrecker, and may have whored out Lennon's name a little too often for the love of the almighty dollar, but for those who still have a beef with the lady, I have three words for you: GET OVER IT.

The fact is, John Lennon chose her, and they had a child together. I can only say that we often cannot choose who we fall in love with. I mean no disrespect to Cynthia Lennon, but Lennon's union with her was done out of necessity during a time when young men had to marry the women they impregnated. Unfortunately, Lennon's first son, Julian, paid a heavy price as an unplanned son of one of the most famous men in the world. I've seen very few photos of Cynthia smiling during the time she was married to John; at a time when others were enjoying everything the swinging 60s had to offer, she was clearly bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Yoko was definitely a kindred spirit to John, despite their differences in background. She was also eight years older than him (a cougar before the term was coined) which many say nurtured the loss John suffered as a teen when his mother, Julia, was hit and killed by a drunk off-duty policeman.

From the booklet that accompanies the Lennon Anthology CD box set, Ono has this to say of their relationship in the introduction:

They say that Venus is jealous of lovers. Forget Venus. In our case it was the whole world. But as far as we were concerned, we felt so lucky that we found each other. Aside of the fact that we were both rebellious and emotional, we were true opposites. John was tallish. I was smallish. John made music for the people. I made music for the avant-garde, though I did not think of my music in those terms at the time (I thought I was big-time.) John was humble, in a way only a very successful person could be. I was proud, like most people living in an Ivory Tower, who never had to test the big water. Coming from a semi-working class background, John was street-wise. I was totally inexperienced when it came to the games of the real world. And we felt so, so lucky that we fell in love with each other. It was a blessing neither of us expected at that time in our lives. We couldn't take our eyes off one another. We couldn't get enough of each other. But the outside pressure was very strong. It was so strong, that sometimes we had to separate to from each other in order to protect our love. We thought we were clever, that we did everything right, and nothing and nobody could tear us apart. Never, never, never. But it happened: our separation. So sudden, too. He was taken away from me for good.

Even now, I think there are people who still cannot reconcile themselves to the idea that I had been in John's life. To those people I'd like to say, I'm sorry that we had hurt you. But that's what happened. That's how it was.

And as far as the ancient argument that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles? Total bunk to me. Once their manager, Brian Epstein, passed away of a drug overdose in 1967, the glue that held the band together had been dissolved forever. Paul McCartney and Lennon then argued over who should manage the band, with McCartney vying to hand over the job over to his father-in-law, Lee Eastman, at one point, which Lennon was against. Let's face it - once 1968 rolled around, the band was on shaky legs. Bringing girlfriends into the recording studio had nothing to do with it.

I'm not saying that Yoko is an angel - she treated Julian Lennon poorly, even as an adult - wrangling with him over her late husband's estate. She also has a legendary grip on Lennon's image that's tighter than a nun's asshole; when the designers behind the Beatles Rock Band video game initially showed the animated version of Lennon to her, she argued that it didn't capture John's essence.

Still, she has her moments - her guest appearance as herself on the 90s TV series Mad About You showed a funny side of Ono. She was shown dancing to Beatles music and asked the lead character, Paul Buchman, to make a film about the wind. And when my late friend Joe Pope, a Beatles expert who published his own magazine called Strawberry Fields Forever, interviewed Ono on a Boston radio station, she was nothing but gracious (she also addressed him as "Hi, Pope!" on the air, having met him several years earlier, and went on to say that she was glad he named his magazine after one of John's compositions, vs. a McCartney song.)

Most importantly, however, she has managed to continue Lennon's legacy the best she can: by allowing unreleased material of his to see the light of day and making philanthropic contributions to peace and arts programs. If anything, I so admire her mostly for the strong, loving union she shared with one of the world's most talented musicians.

Forty years ago Lennon asked the public to "give peace a chance." I think we need to extend the same to Yoko.