Auntie Fashion

Linda Evangelista

You know that a model has something special when you remember the exact moment when you first saw her.  I remember seeing Cindy Crawford on her first Vogue cover.  I remember seeing Christy Turlington in her first Vogue spread.  And I remember seeing Linda Evangelista in a Valentino campaign within the pages of Vogue.

In each case, I was a little challenged by the new face I was looking at.  Cindy Crawford was dark and exotic.  Christy Turlington had large features that nearly overwhelmed her sixteen-year-old face.  And Linda Evangelista looked like a snob.

Not long after I saw her in those Valentino ads, I saw her on Oprah.  My first thought again was “What a bitch!”  I didn’t know anything about her, but I did know thatI had never seen anyone who looked as haughty as Linda Evangelista.

Then something magical happened.  Evangelista became the hottest model in the world, not just because of her look, but because of her skills.  Everyone could see that there was no other model capable of being both a recognizable commodity and a brand new face every time she was photographed.  Changing her hair cut and color on a regular basis, Evangelista quickly became the one girl in the business who was equated with fashion.  She exemplified the mercurial nature of the business.  Linda Evangelista was the muse of her generation.

Technically, she was born to model.  The camera loves her catlike eyes and high cheekbones.  She’s got a mouth so perfect that it looks as if someone painted it on.  But the real charm of Evangelista’s face comes from that nose that always looks as if it’s turned up.  It’s what gives her that air of superiority that makes her beauty seem so unattainable.  Her face is so deliberately perfect, it’s as if her genes conspired to make her the most beautiful woman in the world.  You can’t aspire to look like her, so you might as well just worship her perfection.  I know I do.

Cicciolina

Happy birthday, Ilona Staller aka Cicciolina.  I’ve always believed that politics is such a noble profession.

Bruno & Carrie

Happy birthday, Bruno Tonioli.  Are you one of those Tonioli’s?  An ancestor of the billionaire inventor of the home perm and an heir to the Toni fortune?  Or is my research as sloppy as a Chloris Leachman cha-cha?

Denise Crosby

Happy birthday, Denise Crosby.  My favorite Star Trek episode of all time centers around you.  Yes, I’m a geek.

Theda Bara

Sometimes I believe that fashion is wasted on the fashionable.  Most people just don’t care where the things they wear came from, just as long as someone else has deemed them to be stylish.  You could sew the name “Marc Jacobs” onto a dry cleaning bag and there would be some idiot willing to buy it.

I don’t believe that fashion is wasted on me.  For instance, a few years ago I was strolling through the Via Bellagio (in between the free Mai Tais and the nickel slots) and I walked into Fred Leighton.  The store was not busy at all and the clerks seemed eager to amuse themselves by telling me tales about where much of the jewelry came from.  I enquired about one exceptionally beautiful art deco necklace and I was told that it was originally owned by silent film star Theda Bara.

I’m sure that clerk could feel me vibrating in the presense of such greatness as she took it out of the case and let me hold it in my hands.  I was beside myself!  There I was, holding something that one of the greatest film stars of all time wore around her neck.

Now most people wouldn’t even have a clue who Theda Bara was, but not me.  I knew that the word “Vamp” was coined to describe her.  She was the third most popular actor of her time, and the biggest star at the Fox studios.  A 1937 fire destroyed most of her films, making her more like a thing of legend rather than a documented historical fact.  When I was younger, I would still hear other actors reminiscing about her scandalous costumes in interviews, often in reference to the Production Code of 1930 that banned such outfits.  She was cinema’s first bona fide sex symbol, and a woman whose conduct on film need to be curtailed!

And there I was, half drunk, at Fred Leighton in the Via Bellagio, holding her necklace in my hands while the clerk smiled sweetly because she knew how special that moment was to me.

If you ever get the chance to visit a Fred Leighton boutique, take the time to enjoy the collections but remember where you are.  Don’t waste the moment by coveting the diamonds.  Think about what it’s taken to amass such an amazing archive of estate and fine jewelry and pray that the new owners of the company (it was purchased earlier this month) will revere the history of the brand like the company’s founder did rather than trying to turn the name “Fred Leighton” into a fashionable brand.  The last thing the world needs is another stupid luxury label that has nothing to do with luxury.

Phillip Bloch

There’s more than meets the eye to celebrity stylist, author and all-around ladykiller Phillip Bloch.  Take this photo, for instance.  What appears to be a perfectly innocent matching monochromatic ensemble could just as easily be the perfect outfit for a wet he-shirt contest at the local cougar den.  Girls, grab your buckets . . .

Robert Verdi

There are two distinct sides to celebrity stylist and TV star Robert Verdi.  There’s the articulate fashion critic whom we see dishing with Hollywood’s elite on the red carpet, and then there’s the Robert Verdi pictured above: A rugged longshoreman who works the docks in order to stay in touch with his masculinity.  The former will help you choose an outfit, and the latter will rip it from your bodice.

Miley Cyrus

Happy birthday, Miley Cyrus.  The only thing that would make my friend Rusty squeal more than meeting you is meeting the “Twilight” cast.  You understand that, right?

Darcel

Anyone who lived through the first half of the 80s probably spent a lot of time watching “Solid Gold.”  Back in the olden days, we didn’t sit down at the computer when we wanted to see our favorite musical artists performing: We watched them on TV.  The best place to see them — and hear them — was on “Solid Gold,” the show that was made even more memorable because of the “Solid Gold Dancers.”  They were a fabulously fit ensemble who counted down the week’s top hits with jazzy routines and a seemingly unlimited supply of spandex, headbands and hairspray.

The most famous of these dancers was Darcel.  Bearing the title “Principal Dancer,” Darcel grooved her way into our homes every Saturday afternoon for four seasons between 1980 and 1984.  After leaving the show temporarily, she rejoined the cast in 1985 before leaving again in 1986 to raise a family.

I was delighted to hear from Darcel when she left a comment on my blog after I suggested that we should collaborate on a “Solid Gold“-style top-ten countdown of the style.com top-ten collections.  While I’m not quite sure how we’re going to make that happen, I was able to coax Darcel into an interview with yours truly where we discussed — among other things — the panties as pants look and today’s TV dance shows.

Auntie Fashion: Thanks to celebrities like Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Shakira, fashion is having a “pantsless” moment.  Unitards, tights and bodysuits are de rigueur.  People attribute this fad to a lot of different sources, but I can’t think of anyone who wore pants less often than you.  Would you say that fashion is having a “Darcel” moment?  Are you surprised that you’re a trendsetter twenty-five years after the fact?

Darcel: Yes.  Fashion is definitely having a “Darcel” moment.  The 80s are back, I’m back and I’m having a panty moment right now.  And I’m still glad I can get into some panties.  No, I am not surprised that I am a trendsetter.  Anything that is good and unique never leaves and just gets better — better than before.  What goes around comes around.

Auntie Fashion: The memory of you swinging around your braids while counting down the top ten is forever etched in my memory.  However, looking back at video footage of you on YouTube made me realize that you had dozens of hairstyles.  How much time did you actually spend in hair and makeup every week?  Was it difficult?

Darcel: Not difficult.  It was a lot of hours.  Braids and nails every week.  All the dancers would come to my house and everyone was on the payroll.  Sometimes I would fall asleep while I was getting my braids done.  Glenn, my husband at the time [Glenn Leonard of The Temptations], would bring us food.  One time we were trying to get my hair to look like Crystal Gayle’s hair.  The braids were down to my ankles.  I tucked the long braids in my belt and used that hair like a whip.  However, all the dancers who were next to me had to duck and move out of the way of those whipping braids.

Auntie Fashion: Dancing is the focus of a few of today’s tremendously popular competitive reality shows.  What do you think of “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance“?  If you were a kid back in Pittsburgh today, would you be lining up to audition for SYTYCD?

Darcel: I like “Dancing with the Stars.”  It’s good.  It shows as long as you have a desire, you can dance.  I love the way they transform the dancers.  It brings them great joy!  On “So you Think You Can Dance”, I appreciate the art, but there is too much gymnastics.  I have to get my “Hey, Hey” on.  I don’t have time for leaping and acrobatics.  No, I would not be auditioning for SYTYCD.

Auntie Fashion: Was there a sense of competition behind-the-scenes at “Solid Gold” like on today’s TV shows?  Did you have to win a challenge or be voted “fan favorite” to become the lead dancer?

Darcel: In becoming the lead dancer, I just had to be myself.  Brad’s exact words were “How come they’re not doing what Darcel’s doing?  Let’s call her principal dancer and let her do what she does.”  Everyone is unique.  We have to work the gift.  You can never capitalize on someone else’s style.

Yes, there was competition between the dancers.  A love-hate thing.  I was always bringing the other dancers forward for the Countdown and because of that there were a lot of changes in the dancer’s union.  Dancers got paid more.  I have much respect for dancers and their hard work and they needed to be paid.  And even still, they were envious of me.

Auntie Fashion: Like everyone else, I’ll always remember the countdowns on the show.  Are you nostalgic?  Do you ever find yourself counting down anything in dance anymore, like the “Top Ten Items on Darcel’s Grocery List?”

Darcel: Everything I do is done with counts. I do everything with a list. Counting down in my sleep and when my eyes are open.  My life is a countdown.

I am nostalgic.  The 80s were my prime time days, my best days.  But . . . the best is yet to come.  SEXY’S BACK and SHE’S STILL . . .  SOLID GOLD.

Click here to visit Darcel’s website and fill out the contact form to receive the latest info on her new book release, and click here to become a fan of Darcel on Facebook.

Simon Doonan

Sex bomb Simon Doonan has blasted through the competition in round six of the Battle of the Fashion Journalism Superhunks.  I’m not surprised that he beat “InFashion’s“ Glen Baxter, but I am surprised that Baxter didn’t put up more of a fight.  After working with Jeanne Beker for all these years, you would think that the guy would know what to do when someone pulls out a measuring tape and proposes a wager.

Round seven begins tomorrow.  Please visit again and vote, vote, vote!

Tina Weymouth

Happy birthday, Tina Weymouth.  Eat your cake but don’t go hungry, birthdays have always nearly hung me.