The new J12 Moonphase is the latest watch released by the popular luxury brand Chaneland a timepiece to die for, available exclusively in the 38mm wide size. Reinterpreting classic motifs and highlighting the preciousness of ceramic, Chanel unveils a watch that has been inspired by the phases of the moon and the night sky. The fresh look, the brand’s prestige and the (diamond) details transform a wrist accessory into an exclusive piece of jewellery.
by Raphaelle Guran in Style Women
“The new moonphase models come a decade after the release of the first J12. Designed by the brand’s late artistic director, Jacques Helleu, the watch was originally launched as a small collection of timepieces in high-tech black and white ceramic, and Chanel has stayed true to its monochrome roots with the new J12 Moonphase.” The watchmakers added for this new splendid J12 model a small dial which indicates the current phase of the moon: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. The Moonphase ceramic version is available in black or white, with or without a diamond bezel. The version that comes with diamonds boasts a staggering price of $24, 300.
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One of the Posh Totty's has visited a local Gloucestershire Lass's Curb Side Establishment at Frampton Mansell; the Jolly Nice Café.
Harriet Wilson pitched up with a very trendy Airstream and turned a run down, dilapidated filling station into a brimming pit stop of home made food with the addition and foresight of selling local produce and organic supplies to service an area that has nothing for miles.
Put off by the trend of previous regular customers to the filling station that housed a small range of takeaway food the Posh Totty took a deep breath, wooden cross and strings of garlic to ward off overbearing snobbery and stopped by for a burger in between horses, dogs, school and college runs.
The transformation from the vacant filling station and unfortunate ghost of what was a superb restaurant location to the Airstream and then refurbishment of the lonely shell that held up the air pressure hose is amazing! The décor is superb supported by a warm welcome and should be now classed as a restaurant as the food is beyond totty yummy and far superior in taste and presentation than many local places now warned to be competitors.
Adding a shop to the Jolly Nice idea is very clever; there is nothing but agriculture, equestrians, cyclists, hill walkers and a few pubs within a 10 mile radius. An abundance of fresh produce, breads, cheeses, plants, sauces and the elite home made ice creams and sorbets are mouth watering. The cakes and pies are heaven but the Jolly Nice Burgers should have a grading for other burgers to stand against!!
This particular Posh Totty thanks Harriet for being so close to home so she can pop in most days (and I thought she was on a milk shake diet?); clearly she was but not the dietary kind!!
It is true that the Jolly Nice Café is becoming somewhat of an attraction and the Airstream is available for parties and functions. What a very clever young Harriet she is!!
Dear posh Totty club
I have just come into some money which has allowed me to have a lot of work done on my house. It was a great house before but now it is amazing. Most of my neighbours have been very complimentary, a few are a bit jel but that's to be expected. My immediate neighbour is now threatening to take me to court to have the brick wall taken down I had put up where the fencing used to be. It was necessary as they kept talking at me over the fence whenever I was enjoying my garden so a seven foot brick wall was just the ticket.
I reckon their just jel and I should tell them where to stick it, what do you think ?
Dear Bricked In
Neighbours are either fabulous and live and let live or just totally closed minded Fuhrers that started their opinionated obsessive control disorder in the womb.
From years of having totty tit heads as Neighbours I am now blessed with brilliant ones but in my experience don't allow a full on war to start. Try very hard to use humour; that way it will allow you to laugh a lot and naff them off at the same time!
Next time they approach the subject of the brick wall tell them it was necessary to erect to brick in the corpse of the last moron that complained about the fence. Tell them you are not aware of the legal status of having a brick wall separating your two properties but you are more than willing to sleep with a top London Lawyer to find out and let them know!!
Finally arrange several old tin cans along the top of the wall and ping them off regularly with an air rifle or if you think having such weaponry so close to the rejects the other side could result in 10 years maximum then get a kids bow and arrow set and knock them off that way!! If you really want to role play then obviously dress as a Red Indian Native Squaw!!
Always be polite, smile and laugh a lot whenever they are around!!
Good luck x
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Dear Posh Totty,
I am happily married with a son aged six and I come from a close and loving ( and very middle class I must add), family.
At my parents' recent thirtieth wedding anniversary party, all the family were gathered. Just before the group photo was due to b
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e taken, my son disappeared for some time before returning dressed in one of my mothers Ascot type hat, an old mink stole and tottering in expensive court shoes. Whilst some of the family thought this was hilarious, my husband and I were horrified. Joshua, our son, has recently been showing signs of unusual flamboyance and prefers girly games to cricket and football. I also often find him smearing lipstick over his lips.
We hope this is a phase which will pass, as I cannot imagine anyone in my family accepting a homosexual in their midst. So, could you please recommend a treatment?
Felicity, Glos.
Dear Felicity in Gloucestershire
From my knowledge of children playing it is perfectly normal for boys to play in a girlie mode until an age of recognition of peer group behaviour. If you want to nurture your concerns further then cross dressing takes place in boys before the age of 8 but that doesn't mean you are going to have to try and buy a wife for Lily Savage.
The development of the human psyche is obviously complex, but with children a lot is to do with observational modelling. At the risk of worrying you that your husband is a closest gay or that you are a reluctant lesbian it could be down to a lack of direction by one of you. At this tender age if a child does not get the tactile love from both parents I believe it is possible for personality traits to appear. Fraud's theory is that personality traits appear within ones twenties from childhood traumas. Such traumas are of simple things from coming off the breast, potty training (as in coming out of the security of nappies for both bodily movements) to separation anxiety. If you can understand that 100% communication and understanding is difficult for a child prior to full grasp of a spoken language then maybe you can take the heat off of dialling for psycho-analysis just now.
Your son is obviously copying behaviour of someone he views a lot; apart from family and friends this could be TV. Homosexuality is another grapevine not to grab onto just now at the risk of sounding demurring. May I ask you to think about how he knew where to go to find the garments he adorned (does he play with Grandma) and at the same time ask you to think about your middle class judgements on how the family would accept Joshua in any other form than he is your beloved Son.
Children copy and dysfunction happens in all families; you need to understand what is acceptable and what is not. If it would result your Son is gay; so what, be proud. Gay is not dysfunction.
x
DearTotty,
Since I split with my boyfriend two years ago, I have avoided all relationships and commitments, mainly because the right man has not come along.
Now, however, I have dated a handsome, generous and humorous man on three occasions. It was on our third date that his "secret" revealed itself. During this highly sexually charged evening in his apartment, I discovered that at the end of his otherwise perfect penis was a large and ugly wart.
Several thoughts ran through my head and my ardour was instantly dampened. Neither of us have subsequently mentioned this " elephant in the room " and, frankly, I don't know if I should. My main concern is the possible health risk to me.
What would you advise?
Hatty, Herts.
Dear Hatty in Hertfordshire
Let me channel my breathing to stop laughing; after two years of waiting for the right man you get a dude with possible Human Papillomavirus!!!
Darling Hatty I totally totty suggest that a wart at the end of a sexual organ is not a skin defect therefore you need to talk! I am not an expert other than I have never slept with a man with anything untoward at the end of his member apart from me (just a joke Hatty as you now need to smile). You need to consult a STD clinic asap by phone and if that results in you losing the will to live then go to your Doctor by return. I ask you not to panic, as it is possible that you will, but I will say please don't start researching on the internet as you will be paranoid, pregnant, diseased, disfigured, inhuman and deceased in 15 minutes! Viral infections are treated very quickly but dial those numbers as soon as anyway darling!
All will be fine with a positive mind x
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I am amazed at how much healthier I feel, not just because of weight loss. I have so much more energy and these shakes are the answer to my digestive problems, no more nights being kept awake in discomfort. For this reason alone I will be keeping the shakes as part of my daily diet even when I have achieved my weight loss goal.
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A huge selection of cakes to eat in or take away, plus large cakes made to order (birthday, wedding, anniversary, etc). Mail order also available.
Welcome to The Baking Bird, the ultimate home of cake!
We have a love of baking and a desire to create fresh delicious cakes baked to perfection and decorated with passion and creativity. We use local Cornish produce wherever possible.
We aim to meet all of your cake requirements, for both delicious cupcakes and novelty cakes, and always love to encorporate your ideas and designs wherever possible. Whether its for a special occasion, a get together with friends, a corporate event or simply afternoon tea, The Baking Bird can help. Theres always a good reason for cake, and with our Heavenly 17 flavours, you'll be spoilt for choice.
Come and visit us at "The Birdhouse Cakery" where you can come to relax and eat cake, drink coffee whilst looking at Truro Cathedral which is next door. You will find us at 2 Old Bridge Street in Truro, we are listed on Google Maps and Trip Advisor as "The Baking Bird"In "Nostalgia" on June 20, 2013 at 3:35 pm
It’s hard to imagine our favorite Disney films any other way, but some of the most popular animated characters of our childhoods started out as real as you and I. These rare images of live-action scenes spliced with Disney animations, reveal how the creative studio used real people to reference or even directly trace their characters and achieve a more realistic look for animation…
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first full-length animated feature film in the Walt Disney series, a technique known as rotoscoping was used, in which animators traced directly over live-action footage with actors, frame by frame (and here we were thinking they were original drawings!).
The recorded live-action film images would be projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator. This is essentially the same technique used in many of today’s special effects films such as Lord of the Rings, except the original rotoscope device has since been replaced by computers.
Disney however came to the conclusion that the direct tracing in Snow White often looked stiff and unappealing, realizing that the action of the cartoon characters needed to be caricatured themselves, and couldn’t just rely on their human counterparts to bring them to life. From then on, the studio adopted the practice of solely referencing from live-action film, frame by frame. You might notice however, that while Snow White had relatively human proportions, the Disney characters that came after her had less realistic proportions (smaller and smaller waists for example).
Another type of ‘referencing’ Disney is also known for (or perhaps a little guilty of), is the direct referencing of its own existing animation, from other films. The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Cinderella, the Aristocats are all films where you can find re-used scenes.
All of a sudden I have an urge to go through all my favorite Disney movies again with my thumb over the pause button. I won’t really, but thanks to the people that went through thousands of frames to bring us these awesome comparisons.
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In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first full-length animated feature film in the Walt Disney series, a technique known as rotoscoping was used, in which animators traced directly over live-action footage with actors, frame by frame (and here we were thinking they were original drawings!).
The recorded live-action film images would be projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator. This is essentially the same technique used in many of today’s special effects films such as Lord of the Rings, except the original rotoscope device has since been replaced by computers.
Disney however came to the conclusion that the direct tracing in Snow White often looked stiff and unappealing, realizing that the action of the cartoon characters needed to be caricatured themselves, and couldn’t just rely on their human counterparts to bring them to life. From then on, the studio adopted the practice of solely referencing from live-action film, frame by frame. You might notice however, that while Snow White had relatively human proportions, the Disney characters that came after her had less realistic proportions (smaller and smaller waists for example).
Another type of ‘referencing’ Disney is also known for (or perhaps a little guilty of), is the direct referencing of its own existing animation, from other films. The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Cinderella, the Aristocats are all films where you can find re-used scenes.
All of a sudden I have an urge to go through all my favorite Disney movies again with my thumb over the pause button. I won’t really, but thanks to the people that went through thousands of frames to bring us these awesome comparisons.
For Sale: Get your very own Hollywood Movie Playground for $7.5 million
In "gossip is good" on January 16, 2014 at 10:46 pm
Here’s a fool-proof plan for making it in the movie industry– and all you need is just $7.5 million! New on the Californian property market is a fully-equipped, ready-to-go movie ranch complete with elaborate background sets for all your blockbuster film-making needs. The Blue Cloud movie ranch facilities have already taken a supporting role in such Hollywood productions as Zero Dark Thirty, Iron Man and HBO’s True Blood and iscurrently looking for a new private owner to continue its legacy….
So what do you get for $7.5 million? Not much cultural sensitivity for one thing. But youwould be one of the film industry’s leading suppliers of ‘Third World Country Sets‘ and ‘foreign courtyards‘– replicas of a war-torn Afghanistan, which according to the LA Times are ”so real the U.S. military uses it for training purposes.”
Complete with war-torn streets and helicopter crash site…
Also on the set menu of the Blue Cloud Ranch located in Saugus, California– ‘desert area & roads‘ and ‘Gas station/ diner‘…
Feel liking being the governor of your very own 1950s American ghost town?
(People not included).
And lastly, the cherry on the cake…
Your very own cave!
The Blue Cloud Movie ranch is listed with Gail Kopp of Realty Executives.
Via Curbed and Realtor.com
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So what do you get for $7.5 million? Not much cultural sensitivity for one thing. But youwould be one of the film industry’s leading suppliers of ‘Third World Country Sets‘ and ‘foreign courtyards‘– replicas of a war-torn Afghanistan, which according to the LA Times are ”so real the U.S. military uses it for training purposes.”
Complete with war-torn streets and helicopter crash site…
Also on the set menu of the Blue Cloud Ranch located in Saugus, California– ‘desert area & roads‘ and ‘Gas station/ diner‘…
Feel liking being the governor of your very own 1950s American ghost town?
(People not included).
And lastly, the cherry on the cake…
Your very own cave!
The Blue Cloud Movie ranch is listed with Gail Kopp of Realty Executives.
Via Curbed and Realtor.com
The Posh Totty Club has been asked to review a clear what to do attending a Ballet or Theatre.
Dress Code
I was brought up within numerous Dining Establishments, as my parents worked for Trust House Fo
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The Theatre should be more relaxed so clap whenever you feel those emotions rise from the typified reserve of the British and burst into ones hands! Don't forget to highlight any humour on stage by laughing; gratitude that is thrown from the audience will only enhance performance on stage.
My daughters are always listening for my threat of being able to whistle with all four fingers; this regularly naffs of most men within a 4 row radius that can't do it.
In Europe the audience can manage a full scale of appreciation as well as dislikes!
Dining
You need to think carefully how long you will be at the Theatre and Ballet and therefore decide should you have an early supper and attend, attend and a late supper or if your escort is in danger of falling down archaic stairs and steps before the Interlude; do both!
For my recent Theatre trip having dressed my companion for the sake of Gok Wan's birth right we decided to get to the lovely City of Bristol mid afternoon where all went wrong with a sumptuous greeting of champagne at check in. My friend thought I had ordered this especially for him (he doesn't get out much) I on the other hand kept looking for a celebrity checking in. Foolishly a droplet of champagne in the afternoon for both of us meant dump bags and head to a wine bar which served all day food. We ate early supper, caught up on his love life and the lack of mine and returned to the hotel to change for Theatre. Would you believe a woman still takes longer to dress than a gay man.
Despite all logic in tabulated eating and drinking my escort fell asleep after the Interlude, as by the time we took a helicopter hoist up to the Bar for our pre-booked G & T's, queued for the one toilet of each sex that was functional but on the roof and abseiled down to our seats for the second performance he was a Gonna! The British might not show their emotions enough to clap or laugh but they sure can TUT a lot at Rupert the Bear snoring next to me. May I add he wanted to see the musical!
Anyone looking for an unusual - and wallet-busting - way to celebrate Pancake Day tomorrow should head to Manchester.
A hotel in the city has created the world’s most expensive pancake to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.
Posh pancake: The seafood-inspired recipe pancake contains pink champagne, lobster and caviar
Diners at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel’s five-star Opus restaurant can tuck into a specially-created pancake that contains pink champagne, lobster, truffles and caviar.
But the luxury dish comes at a price - it costs an eye-watering £800 per serving.
The posh pancake was the brainchild of the restaurant’s head chef Matthew Downes, who whips up his flipping expensive creation in just 20 minutes.
The seafood-inspired dish contains Scottish native Paradise lobster, Russian Beluga caviar, Hulle Verge truffles, Scottish mussels and langoustines, and is served up with a dollop of Dom Pérignon Rosé hollandaise sauce.
By TRAVELMAIL REPORTER
]]>The world's highest zip-line opens to intrepid skiers who want to fly over the French Alps at 10,000ft
A sense of adventure and a head for heights are essential requirements for holidaymakers keen to take on the newest downhill attraction in the French Alps.
But ‘La Tyrolienne’ – the fast-speed newcomer that, as of this week, connects two French ski resorts – is not a terrifyingly steep black run, nor a fiendish stretch of off-piste terrain. It is a colossal zip-line ride which spears between two snowy peaks. And with a starting altitude of 3,230metres (10,597ft), it is the highest zip-line on the planet.
SO, WHAT'S THE VERDICT? TWO MINUTES OF PURE ECSTASY DESPITE BEING 250 METRES IN THE AIR
Thibault, 34, was the first to try out the zipline. He said: 'The moment I launched myself into the void, my heart was beating like crazy.
'Then, it was an absolute joy, 2 minutes of pure ecstasy in which I saw the mountains like never before. You glide above the landscape with a sense of complete freedom in nature and feel as if you’re not disturbing a thing.'
Ingrid, 25, is pictured above as she tests the adrenaline-fuelled ride. She said: 'It’s fantastic because you don’t feel any vertigo even though you’re almost 300 metres above the ground!
'I would recommend it to everyone without the least hesitation, even if I was a bit apprehensive about the departure…'
View to a thrill: The 'La Tyrolienne' links the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys in the French Alps
Installing the zip-line was the kind of challenge I love taking on in the mountains,' says Mathieu Berger, one of the expert skiers behind the project.
'We limited our use of helicopters and fitted the cable from the ground.
'We really had to prove our ingeniousness to make the connection and ski down the snow-covered route between Orelle and Val Thorens.'
The zip-line comes with an added scare-factor – the price. At €50 (£41) per ride, it scarcely counts as cheap.
Those intrigued can find booking details at www.la-tyrolienne.com.
By CHRIS LEADBEATER
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Party on! Brazil's vibrant Carnival kicks off with sensational festivities on every street - and there's a World Cup theme!
The worlds biggest, and most famous, annual party kicks off in Brazil today, with vibrant Ca ]]> <
According to SPTuris, from the 110,000 attendants last year, 14,000 were tourists, each spending around BRL $728 (£187) on average during this period.
But Rio de Janeiro will be holding perhaps the most outstanding party of all, with 920,000 tourists expected. Around 75,000 local and foreign spectators will pack into the Sambodrome this evening to take part in the spectacular ceremony that kicks off all the celebrations.
Beautiful in white: Queen of Carnival Cindy Klein attends the Queen Gala during Las Palmas Carnival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Even before the Carnival kicked off people began celebrating. On February 16, revellers danced with their dogs dressed for carnival, during the "Blocao" dog carnival in Rio de Janeiro. A ten-man brass band and a singer belted out Rio's anthem song "Cidade Maravilhosa" (Marvelous City) as dog owners gathered to party down with their pooches on Copacabana beach.
And Brazil is not the only place to host a carnival at this time of year - with celebrations in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas Carnival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, also taking place over the past 48 hours.
Thousands of Spanish revellers donned an array of colourful costumes and danced down the street, while dressed-up women competed to become 'Queen' of the Carnivals.
By TRAVELMAIL REPORTER
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High-heeled Adidas...YUCK: Are trainers with STILETTO heels the next big thing? (Beware, they were spotted at Paris Fashion Week)
- Jeremy Scott and Adidas have created bright high-heeled trainers
- Anna Dello Russo spotted wearing them in Paris
- Stylist Alex Longmore said they look 'tacky and uncomfortable
Whenever you see this image, tap to view all the images in a gallery
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But the trend for functional footwear has been given a more feminine makeover with the help of a few inches.
Continuing the theme for giving a hint of height to an otherwise usually flat shoe Mui Mui models wore wellies with a sturdy looking heel on the catwalk today.
The transparent shoes came in green and blue versions and were shown as part of the designers ready to wear fall/winter 2014-2015 collection.
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The models at Mui Mui strutted their stuff in heeled wellies
Graphic print, glamorous gowns and lashings of crimson reign supreme at Valentino's Paris Fashion Week show
The maestro behind the label might be no longer at the helm but his successors, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, certainly know how to create a Valentino-worthy gown as their latest collection reveals. Fresh from dressing actress Olivia Wilde at the Oscars, the pair offered up a collection that was as heavy on the glamour as those from Valentino's heyday. Along with full-length frocks in Valentino's trademark crimson, stunning sheer gowns emblazoned with blowsy roses or dotted with delicate hummingbirds flowed down the catwalk.
Whenever you see this image, tap to view all the images in a gallery
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But it wasn't all high-octane gowns: Highlights included a delicate salmon-pink lace mini and another, in rich plum brocade, that was almost Balenciaga-esque thanks to its high neck and bell-shaped skirt.
Romantic, flowing dresses with an almost Gothic feel at Valentino
She last saw Hemingway in Venice in 1955. They sat on the Gritti terrace overlooking the Grand Canal. It was sunset in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Adriana remembers that tears rolled down the author's cheeks. "Look, daughter," he said. "Now you can tell everyone you saw Ernest Hemingway cry."
The celebrated English novelist, W. Somerset Maugham, author of "The Razor's Edge" and "Of Human Bondage" often stayed at the Gritti. In a letter dated June 18, 1960, he wrote:
“There are few things in life more pleasant than to sit on the terrace of the Gritti when the sun about to set bathes in lovely colour the Salute, which almost faces you. You see that noble building at its best and the sight adds to your satisfaction. For at the Gritti you are not merely a number as you are in those vast caravanserais that are now being built all over the world; you are a friend who has been welcomed as he stepped out of his motor boat, and when you seat down to dinner at the very same table that you sat at the year before, and the year before that, when you see that your bottle of Soave is in the ice-pail, waiting for you, as it has been year after year, you cannot but feel very much at home.”
HOTEL GRITTI PALACE
A Luxury Collection Hotel
Campo Santa Maria del Giglio
Venice, 30124 Italy
Phone: +39 041-794611 Ultimate Equestrian Accessory: Hermès Personalized Saddles
It’s easy to forget that luxury leather goods maker Hermès, which today is known best for its expensive handbags, china and silk scarves, got its start as a maker of fine equestrian and leather goods. Today, the brand still features its signature saddles and equestrian apparel for both horse and rider.
Their website’s personalized saddle tool allows riders of all disciplines to customize their Hermès saddle to a rider’s aesthetic and sporting preferences.
The easy-to-use site allows customers to modify size, color, padding and more. Of course, the appeal of having an Hermès product for your horse comes with a price. The saddles start at $6,150 and can exceed $10,000 with special options. We’re glad they throw in the option of a personal consult with an Hermès specialist to determine the proper fit and styling as a “free of charge” add-on.
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Baccarat Celebrates 250th Anniversary in Paris
by
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The themes include the story of the famous ‘Harcourt’ stem glass, born in 1841 when King Louis Philippe ordered a ceremonial chalice engraved with his monogram. Revisited over the years, the Harcourt collections are still manufactured today.
‘Le Rouge à l’Or’ focuses on the vivid golden red colour that has become Baccarat’s trademark, a fusion of clear crystal and 24-carat gold. The trend is illustrated by the pair of ‘Simon’ vases designed for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1867.
The ‘Myriad Colours’ section of the show focuses on a series of coloured pieces first released in 1839 and expanded over the years to create kaleidoscopic bursts of crystal. The technique marked a turning point in the history of the brand’s designs.
The final division of the exhibit concentrates on the craftsmanship and expertise the brand has accumulated since its beginning and explores techniques such as cutting, glassblowing, engraving and gilding.
Baccarat was founded in 1764 by permission of King Louis XV; the world’s most famous crystalworks has, over the ages, become a symbol of superb craftsmanship and French art de vivre. “Baccarat: Les 250 ans” runs through January 24, 2015.
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The themes include the story of the famous ‘Harcourt’ stem glass, born in 1841 when King Louis Philippe ordered a ceremonial chalice engraved with his monogram. Revisited over the years, the Harcourt collections are still manufactured today.
‘Le Rouge à l’Or’ focuses on the vivid golden red colour that has become Baccarat’s trademark, a fusion of clear crystal and 24-carat gold. The trend is illustrated by the pair of ‘Simon’ vases designed for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1867.
The ‘Myriad Colours’ section of the show focuses on a series of coloured pieces first released in 1839 and expanded over the years to create kaleidoscopic bursts of crystal. The technique marked a turning point in the history of the brand’s designs.
The final division of the exhibit concentrates on the craftsmanship and expertise the brand has accumulated since its beginning and explores techniques such as cutting, glassblowing, engraving and gilding.
Baccarat was founded in 1764 by permission of King Louis XV; the world’s most famous crystalworks has, over the ages, become a symbol of superb craftsmanship and French art de vivre. “Baccarat: Les 250 ans” runs through January 24, 2015.
You guys trying to please and get a feminine side are going nowhere by stating 'love nights in with a bottle of wine and a movie' (I do that most nights) 'love long walks on the beach' (fine are you in the Caribbean?). I can probably cope with 'love to cook' because that is all I do as a single mum so you shaking the pan whilst I'm sipping wine is good for me!
Statements from either sex such as 'I don't feel my age', 'I don't look my age' or selecting you will date anyone from 18 to 80 makes one immediately look at your age and the latter is just wrong!!
Don't carry on the story of your life on additional A4 paper; who gives one. We all have demons and a past but it's preferable to have a present and a future; the past is for ex husbands and ex wives!!
Being promiscuous by innuendos, sexy chat, sleazy or mentioning the word sex at all other than to stupidly admit a passion for breeding ants will come under scrutiny with the Posh Totty Club and should this cause offence you WILL be named and shamed. Keep such behaviour for other dating sites that find it acceptable.
Use an Avatar if you are not sure about online dating or feel too shy When you feel comfortable you can place a photo of yourself to amaze everyone with. Don't use a photo of you plus a friend, several friends, the entire family tree, with your children or god forbid with your ex. It is bad enough people use photos of them eventing or active in some sport; the whole idea is to be you!
Don't mention what you earn or don't earn; that is a none starter and will just attract the wrong person for the right means!! Of course it would be fabulous to meet a multi millionaire but it would be much better and more matched to meet Rodney and then find out he is Rodney III.
If you use your own photo then use a very recent one not one that dates back 20 years; the utter shock to the other person when you meet may be something you may never recover from!! One is not suggesting they leave the venue screaming, waving their arms and rugby tackling anyone in their way; it just isn't fair to lead anyone on! Think about it; be proud of who you are!!
Have fun always x
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Arcadian Horse is run by Fliss Bell and Sam Bolam. We seek to provide inspiration, knowledge and support for successful equine partnerships. We know how challenging it can be to keep motivated so we are developing various sources of support to keep you happily moving forward in your horsemanship journey. Our aims are:
- To provide a safe haven for humans and horses to learn and grow together without fear of judgement or criticism. True personal development with horses only happens when we feel safe, secure and empowered to try out ideas that are new and unfamiliar and can be outside of our comfort zone.
- To offer a progressive programme of education both inhouse and from national and international horse specialists using approaches that always put the horses interests first.
Teaching and Clinics
For details of clinics we are running with national and international horse specialists, please go to www.http://www.arcadianhorse.com/#!events/cee5 For details of our own schedule of clincs, please visit http://www.arcadianhorse.com/#!page4/cfvg
For more information about any of the above, please contact Sam Bolam on 07817574053 or Fliss Bell on 07975672868 . More information is also available atwww.arcadianhorse.com
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Dear Posh Totty
I have a fabulous friendship group but two of them seem to be going through a bit of a Ross and Rachel which is resulting in another two looking at each other in 'that way'. This is leaving me and another guy under pressure to start dating but I just don't feel that way about him. I'm pretty sure it is mutual but the whole thing is making socialising such a drag and I'm beginning to find myself making excuses not to join up with them; its just not the same anymore.
What should I do?
Rob
Dear Rob
When you say two of your friends are looking at each other in 'that way', I assume you mean with interest, lust or love as opposed to condescending snarls or jealous irritant spits?
May I suggest you look at the human psyche and how groups gel together by the different energies within them. Realistically why would Ross and Rachel's on and offs make the balance of you doubting or sprouting feelings for each other over and above the friendship you have (had). It isn't compulsory to start mating because another couple do, unless you are at an Orgy or other horrendous venues of debauchery of course.
Clearly the boredom of these two friends relationship saga is the reason for sudden spurious attentions elsewhere within the group. So what? Have an identity Rob and if you feel uncomfortable at the more recent two's girlie behaviour then you and the final member of the original six separate off and find balance elsewhere. Think about it, stay and feel a single statistic or leave and multiply friends.
It's not Einstein Rob, but putting restrictions on your social life will leave you with none. You have the same choice here as to when you enter a renowned bar full of couples or chose a bar that is historically mixed people - breath where you are comfortable and don't feel guilty about it.
Have fun always x
]]>
I am sitting here head in hands with embarrassment, I have hardly been able to leave my house all week, except for under the cover of darkness.
A couple rented the house across the road from me a few weeks ago, they are nice and very friendly, they suggested a few times that we pop over to theirs for a drink, my wife and I.
Finally we got together at theirs last Saturday, I was a bit nervous because they are nudists, I had seen them walking around there house naked all the time, day and night, not attempt to hide themselves. I don't know what I was expecting, I guess that halfway through the night they would get naked. So to steady my nerves I had a few Rum and Cokes before we left, quite a few as it goes.
All was going really well, we were getting on famously, I had added to my alcohol input and it would be fair to say was passed the stage of three sheets to the wind. I have flashbacks of standing up in the lounge, taking my clothes off, dancing a little to the background music and then slumping back on the sofa. I was promptly removed from the house by my wife, along with many,many apologies from her with my clothes draped around me for decency.
It has transpired that they are not nudists at all and the invitation for drinks was a polite way of them broaching the subject of me looking through their windows. Now they have added pervert and flasher to their already low opinion of me as a peeping tom. I hasten to add I am none of those, my wife wont speak to me and insists we move, what am I to do.
Wilf
Dear Wilf
Let me channel my breathing to stop laughing! Here we are again somebody loathing, cringing, regretting, abhorred, disgraced and mortified by flashbacks the following day ... all because of ALCOHOL! Here I go again in explaining the toxic and serious effects alcohol has on the brain and subsequent human body!! Alcohol is almost an anaesthetic and it certainly results in total annihilation of all inhibition depending on how much of the governmental unit system you took; 50 units? You are not allowed out of hospital the same day after a general anaesthetic on most occasions so perhaps that registers in your après hangover.
The only way to repair the damage is to apologise but please dress accordingly; at least two layers depending on the climate. If you are big and bad enough to make a totty tit of yourself then you are big enough to say sorry!! Your neighbours (unless annoyingly righteous whom have never wronged anything or anyone) should accept; and even if they are bible thumpers they should forgive.
I suggest you purchase something nice they might like to enhance their home; an indoor or outside plant, something ornamental or homey? You're bigger problem will be asking your wife if she knows, from your short musical performance, what their hobbies, interests and plans are for staying in the rented accommodation. If your wife still refuses to liaise with you other than through a Mortgage Consultant, play safe with flowers and champagne. When you have your gift accompany it personally to their door with a heartfelt letter of apology explaining your confusion over their nudity and how you were just trying to fit in with their choice of lifestyle even though you weren't comfortable with it. Hopefully they will be enchanted and find the funny side of your embarrassment.
If they don't answer the door then leave the package at their door and move on from it; there is nothing much more you can do apart from concentrate on your frayed marriage?
Good luck x
I am writing to you as fellow mothers. My six year old son just loves school, is doing really well and is very popular. However he does find the weeks long and misses his time with me.
I think that he is far to young to be expected to do an entire week of schooling and needs to have his time at home and with his family, they are still babies at that age. I think we expect to much of our children and childhood is not indulged enough, they will have a lifetime of working and responsibilities.
I want to take him out of school for a holiday but have been told I cannot do this and will risk being fined by the Education department. I am sorry Posh Totty Club but I thought as his mother I made all the decisions, it seems to be the Government are taking away my freedom to bring my child up the way I think fit. I don't believe I am the only parent who feels like this.
Angela
Dear Angela
I personally agree that education is enforced on our children from such a young age and thereafter there is no signs of it stopping until college or indeed university! No wonder so many children suffer many meltdowns when trying to cram their brain alongside the development of their bodies, psyche and emotions. And don't start me off on bullying, trendoids, control freaks and all the latest must have electronic gadgets.
I was lucky enough that my little primary school were quite negotiable when I asked permission for absence for my daughters and to a certain extent so is their girls grammar school, apart from stringent exam time obviously!! The stress of school decades are often also exasperated by the hierarchy of teachers wishing to pedestal it up the archaic ranks and abhorrently annoying school mums; the latter of which I am allergic too.
However, are you aware of the alternative to what is known as the 'normal' educational establishments. The Rudolf Steiner schools, for example, consider the child kindergarten until the age of 6 and I believe their approach supports all your wishes. There are 33 around the UK and I believe they exist worldwide.
May I suggest you start research from this and they you can diversify?
Good luck x
Dear Posh Totty
I have graduated in International Business Law and have been working in my Father's Law Practice for a while but I'm so not interested in it and it is such a drag.
I hardly know how to present it on paper but I have always been fascinated with lorries and I want to drive lorries. Seriously. I have managed to secure a job in a local farming business driving lorries and I am delighted! I have plans to have my own business in transportation and I'm so happy it is unbelievable.
Unfortunately I come from quite an upper class family and my parents have gone ballistic! My Mother ,who never swears, just rang me to tell me my Father is having a 'shit fit' and its all my fault. The only person who is speaking to me in the family is Grand Mama.
What should I do?
Delia
Dear Delia
Follow your bliss! Do whatever makes you happy because when you are happy, you are grateful and in that state you emanate positive energy and by the Law of Attraction you will attract back the same and find you will get everything you need to support.
At the risk of a massive onslaught by the majority of educational establishments worldwide, I have never pushed my daughters into qualifications; I've just urged them to try and achieve with determination. The poor human psyche is shoved into education from a ridiculous age and it just doesn't stop all throughout emotional and physical development as well as on and off spurts of the central nervous system!
If your Mother is recovering your Father's 'shit fit' from her glass beaded chandelier then maybe calling around isn't a good idea. May I suggest you write a long heartfelt letter and perhaps design it into a business plan; I would think this is the only language your Father understands.
I hope you have success in your transportation dreams; perhaps part of it could be to stop cruel and substandard conditions when transporting livestock for the human food chain both nationally and internationally? Just a posh totty idea!
Good luck
x
The Cheltenham Festival is almost upon us! Yes, that's right, Cheltenham race week kicks off tomorrow and as thousands of Irish horse racing fans descend upon Gloucestershire, the people of Cheltenham will brace themselves for a week of drunken shenanigans and other stu ]]> <
While everyone else is getting sloshed and shouting at horses, Cheltenham's locals will be trying to go about their usual business. Unfortunately for them, race-goers will eff it up for them by causing massive traffic jams.
2. You will go all Irish for St Patrick's Day
Nobody knows when St George's Day is but everyone will be dressed in green come Thursday because St Patrick's Day is very important to us English. *cough*
3. You will place many bets (probably with no idea what you're doing)
Has that horse got a funny name? Is the jockey wearing cool colours? Whatever the reason, Cheltonian's will place bets during race week because, HELLO, it's race week and it's in Cheltenham. That's really all the reason we need.
4. You will lose money
You were so sure you had it in the bag... of course, you know nothing about horse racing but you had that feeling.
5. You may well win some money
You probably won't make a profit but as long as you win something back you're happy.
6. You'll probably get started on by an Irish man
Perhaps leave the Irish man in a bar jokes at home...
7. You'll notice that all your usual clubs and bars have apparently turned into strip clubs
What is it about race week and nudity?
8. Between 1-5pm the town centre will be dead
The one place you won't have to fight for breathing space is the town centre - a shopaholic's dream.
9. You'll get all patriotic for Cheltenham
You're not usually that fussed about Cheltenham but when race week is on you love it with all your heart.
10. You will be surrounded by drunk people everywhere you go
While you're trying to get to work, get back from work, do your weekly shop - wherever you may be, there will be a drunk person in the vicinity.
11. You'll develop a sudden interest in horse racing
For one week of the year, you're a bigger expert on horse racing than John McCririck.
12. You'll acquire a selection of betting shop pens
While you're frittering away loads of dollar, you might as well make some of it back in free pens.
13. You'll try to hunt down Clare Balding for a selfie
Well, either Clare Balding or a Royal.
14. You'll make best friends with an Irish person
United in heavy drinking and gambling, you'll promise that next year he can stay in your spare room.
15. You will wear tweed
You've never worn tweed in your life but for race week you must do your very best impression of a country gent and tweed is the way to do that.
16. You'll go out Friday night, forgetting it's race week, and everywhere will be rammed
This is especially annoying if it's your birthday because getting served will be near impossible.
17. You'll talk to a drunk Irish man on the bus...
... but you probably won't understand what he's saying.
18. You'll somehow end up with an Irish hat on your head
You won't know where it came from and it may well be a bit damp but you're sure as hell keeping that badboy.
19. You'll have to wait 3 hours for a taxi
It's probably best to walk... even if it is back to Gloucester, you'll get there faster.
20. You'll be caught short with no toilet paper
There is no paper anywhere during race week, well, certainly not from 7pm onwards.
21. You won't be able to find parking anywhere
Yet more traffic related woes. A good rule of thumb, during race week, is to never move your car from its space.
22. You'll try Guinness again (and remember why you never drink it)
Nobody drinks Guiness for fun, it's a test of manliness pure and simple.
While everyone else is getting sloshed and shouting at horses, Cheltenham's locals will be trying to go about their usual business. Unfortunately for them, race-goers will eff it up for them by causing massive traffic jams.
2. You will go all Irish for St Patrick's Day
Nobody knows when St George's Day is but everyone will be dressed in green come Thursday because St Patrick's Day is very important to us English. *cough*
3. You will place many bets (probably with no idea what you're doing)
Has that horse got a funny name? Is the jockey wearing cool colours? Whatever the reason, Cheltonian's will place bets during race week because, HELLO, it's race week and it's in Cheltenham. That's really all the reason we need.
4. You will lose money
You were so sure you had it in the bag... of course, you know nothing about horse racing but you had that feeling.
5. You may well win some money
You probably won't make a profit but as long as you win something back you're happy.
6. You'll probably get started on by an Irish man
Perhaps leave the Irish man in a bar jokes at home...
7. You'll notice that all your usual clubs and bars have apparently turned into strip clubs
What is it about race week and nudity?
8. Between 1-5pm the town centre will be dead
The one place you won't have to fight for breathing space is the town centre - a shopaholic's dream.
9. You'll get all patriotic for Cheltenham
You're not usually that fussed about Cheltenham but when race week is on you love it with all your heart.
10. You will be surrounded by drunk people everywhere you go
While you're trying to get to work, get back from work, do your weekly shop - wherever you may be, there will be a drunk person in the vicinity.
11. You'll develop a sudden interest in horse racing
For one week of the year, you're a bigger expert on horse racing than John McCririck.
12. You'll acquire a selection of betting shop pens
While you're frittering away loads of dollar, you might as well make some of it back in free pens.
13. You'll try to hunt down Clare Balding for a selfie
Well, either Clare Balding or a Royal.
14. You'll make best friends with an Irish person
United in heavy drinking and gambling, you'll promise that next year he can stay in your spare room.
15. You will wear tweed
You've never worn tweed in your life but for race week you must do your very best impression of a country gent and tweed is the way to do that.
16. You'll go out Friday night, forgetting it's race week, and everywhere will be rammed
This is especially annoying if it's your birthday because getting served will be near impossible.
17. You'll talk to a drunk Irish man on the bus...
... but you probably won't understand what he's saying.
18. You'll somehow end up with an Irish hat on your head
You won't know where it came from and it may well be a bit damp but you're sure as hell keeping that badboy.
19. You'll have to wait 3 hours for a taxi
It's probably best to walk... even if it is back to Gloucester, you'll get there faster.
20. You'll be caught short with no toilet paper
There is no paper anywhere during race week, well, certainly not from 7pm onwards.
21. You won't be able to find parking anywhere
Yet more traffic related woes. A good rule of thumb, during race week, is to never move your car from its space.
22. You'll try Guinness again (and remember why you never drink it)
Nobody drinks Guiness for fun, it's a test of manliness pure and simple.
Rex
Vivienne Westwood is known as much for her fiery red hair as she is for her gorgeous designs.
But the 72-year-old designer is now sporting a much different look.
Vivienne first cut off her hair and dyed it back to its natural white colour more than a week ago. Her new 'do was visible at her Paris Fashion Week show on 1 March. But because she covered it up with a feathered headdress, her makeover went widely unnoticed.
But now she's ready to show off her new look in all its glory - and explain the reasoning behind the change.
'Vivienne cut her hair as we must all wake up to Climate Change,' said a spokesperson for her fashion label told The Telegraph. 'And secondly she wanted to cut the red out for a while and have it white- to show she's proud of her age.'
Vivienne has long been an climate change campaigner. And it seems the environment may be the one thing she care about more than fashion. Last month she revealed she would not be expanding her fashion empire because she'd rather focus on backing Greenpeace's work to protect the Arctic.
'It's really important to support things these days,' she said. 'Support anything. Because everything's connected, everything's mixed up, everything's a mess. And we have to save the world.'
'Vivienne cut her hair as we must all wake up to Climate Change,' said a spokesperson for her fashion label told The Telegraph. 'And secondly she wanted to cut the red out for a while and have it white- to show she's proud of her age.'
Vivienne has long been an climate change campaigner. And it seems the environment may be the one thing she care about more than fashion. Last month she revealed she would not be expanding her fashion empire because she'd rather focus on backing Greenpeace's work to protect the Arctic.
'It's really important to support things these days,' she said. 'Support anything. Because everything's connected, everything's mixed up, everything's a mess. And we have to save the world.'
by Ali Gray
]]>What first caught our attention in the pictures was the 18th-century cabinet. The amazing detail and the use of the serpents around the glass had us completely intrigued. But the incredible collection of natural wonders is what makes it even more mysterious. The Cabinet of Curiosities of Bonnier de la Mosson is part of the Library of the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Check out more photos after the jump...
We've sussed the tricks for using LinkedIn to its full job hunting potential, take a look...
1. Treat It Like More Than A Paper RésuméLast year, the words 'responsible', followed by 'strategic' and 'effective' topped LinkedIn’s annual list of most overused words in UK members’ profiles. Remember that your LinkedIn profile can do much more than a paper CV, so avoid the clichés and get creative. 'Instead of just using generic words, you can now improve the quality of your professional credentials using LinkedIn's dynamic extra features,' explains LinkedIn Communications Manager Darain Faraz. 'For example, you can add previous work, videos or presentations to your LinkedIn profile that demonstrate your work capacity. And it's far more powerful than just saying it.'
2. Make It Easy For Them To Find You
Recruiters use straightforward keyword searching on LinkedIn to find their clients the right individuals, in the right industries, seeking the right jobs, so make it really easy for them to find you. Darain says, 'Right from the start, your LinkedIn headline can give you the opportunity not only to sum up who you are but also what you want, making it more likely you'll be found through searches. You need to think about how someone is likely to come across your profile – consider what recruiters are likely to search, and fit this into your profile headline.'
3. Start As You Mean To Go On
LinkedIn profiles have sections for a reason. You wouldn't deliver a clipped answer in an interview when you thought you'd had enough, so why stop short of a full profile? 'Completed profiles are seven times more likely to be viewed, and eleven times more likely when they include a photo. You can even improve your profile by up to 12 times, just by adding more than one previous position, no matter how relevant you think it is.'
4. Hand Pick The Right Skills
Be specific about the skills you have that make you good at your job. Your connections can now endorse these skills (proving to a reader that you are trustworthy) and previous employers can also reference them in recommendations that they give on your profile (reinforcing your suitability for, and deservedness of, a role). 'Seventy six of the FTSE 100 use LinkedIn's Talent Solutions teams to find top individuals. If you don't include the skills you have on your personal résumé, then you might fail to show up in a search, when other professionals are looking for an expert just like you.'
5. Follow Your Dream Companies
Pursuing a dream profession and starting from scratch is a daunting prospect, especially when you have a lot to learn, but LinkedIn is a hub of business information that you could be using to your advantage. 'There are over three million Company Pages on LinkedIn, so follow the ones you want to do business with,' suggests Darain. 'You'll get updates when people leave or join the company and you'll also get notified when that company posts jobs. LinkedIn Company Pages also show you if any of your contacts know people who work at those companies.'
6. Tailor Your Profile To A New Career
Carving out a new career when you've spent years in an unrelated industry can make it seem like your skill set will never be relevant. With LinkedIn's Job Search tool you can construct a profile that's right up a job advertiser's street. 'Pick out the key skills that are asked for in job adverts that you're interested in. The chances are that you’ve used skills, such as time-management, organisation, team-work and flexibility, in other areas – so highlight when you’ve used these ‘transferable skills’ and make your CV tailored to their requirements.'
7. Do A Little Detective Work
No matter how long you've had to prepare for a meeting, you can never anticipate the questions. But now at least, you can find your common ground with a potential employer before you've even met. 'Professionals are signing up to LinkedIn at a rate of approximately two new members per second. Use LinkedIn's Advanced People Searcher to find and research over 277 million professionals before making a face-to-face connection. You'll discover any common connections, how long they've been in their current role and even their previous experience, skills and interests. Perfect for those early awkward silences.'
8. Build Your Network
It’s an unwritten rule that 50 is the minimum number of contacts needed for a successful LinkedIn profile, though the more connections you're able to build the more you will start to show up in sidebars and searches. Family, friends, colleagues and peers are all valuable connections, but don't just send out a cold call to your inbox, it won't make you many friends. 'When requesting to connect, keep it personal instead of the standard message LinkedIn can send – it helps forge a relationship,' says Darain.
9. Open Your Own Opportunity Doors
If you're without a job, it's easy to feel like you're invisible. One great feature of LinkedIn is ‘Groups’. Groups exist in a number of guises including industry specific, entry level specific and job type specific, and the more involved you are, the more your visibility improves because recruiters are quite often carefully following Group discussions. LinkedIn members are sharing insights and knowledge in more than two million LinkedIn Groups. They give you common ground and a reason to reach out to other professionals. So if the job won't come to you, it's much easier to take matters into your own hands.
10. Show You're A Highly Motivated Job Seeker
Get the key to the vast LinkedIn world with the Job Seeker facility. A free 30-day trial (and £12.95 per month, thereafter) will grant you a 'Job Seeker Badge' on your profile, which gives potential employers an immediate indication that you're looking for new opportunities and will also enable you to see who's been viewing your profile (a feature which is hidden from users if they choose not to show their own activity). This facility certainly sets you apart from other potential candidates, giving you the upper hand and some much needed insight.
Dear Posh Totty
I've had a huge argument with my Step Mother; the most unbearable snob ever! I have tried to like her for my Dad's sake but it just isn't happening. I'm very close to my Mum but have always wanted to remain amiable with my Father because I believe life is too short.
Mum has always brought us up to be respectful and that you don't need to like or love someone but move on from it and don't hold onto negative emotions. So I'm moving on! My Dad is upset because we are not happy families but he should have thought about that before he buggered off with the fake ironing board in the first place.
I'd like to request a Sorry Sunday tune for my Dad.
Angry Flo from Preston
Dear Angry Flo
Happy Families is a card game isn't it? Darling I'm not sure how many happy families there are out there but I hope its more than dysfunctional families which is what a lot of us have; unfortunately.
Parents are supposed to be the 'adults' amongst us but so many times they role reverse. In my opinion the dysfunction sets in when couples meet and then have children and often their own childhood starts to creep into the present and the pattern begins. You can stop dysfunction by making a concerted effort not to behave like one or both of your parents with observational modelling in your own personality traits and should you have children.
Your Mothers sounds wonderfully wise and grounding so you are lucky and she is quite correct; be respectful, love, like or dislike but don't linger negative feelings you move on.
I'm assuming the 'fake ironing board' is a lovely endearment towards your, I assume, skinny but rigid Step Mother and that your Father does not have a fetish with household items and white products; which would only be marginally better than one of something that he deflates and puts back in a box each morning.
You don't have to have a relationship with your Step Mother, or indeed an ironing board, so just visualise nice happy times with your Father whilst Cruella stays at home.
Be happy Flo x
About the 'Run
In 1970 at the Hotel Maritonnes Joseph Berkmann and Clement Freud were sharing a dinner of Coq au Vin. Owner of eight London restaurants, Berkmann also ran his own wine distribution company and wrote a weekly column for The Sunday Times. Cl ]]> <
Australians Bruce Thomas and Stuart Harper purchased a 1961 Fiat 600 Multipla for $175 (perhaps $2000 today) for their overland voyage (see the full album here). Pictured in Rameswaram, 1969 (c) Bruce Thomas
In the late 1960s, more and more students in search of an escape and hippies in search of enlightenment (both in search of adventure), began to sell their record collections and save up for the voyage of a lifetime to the “mystic east”. The Beatles had just been on a highly publicised visit to India in 1968, and with no internet or Lonely Planet guides, cheap tickets and tour operators were hotly advertised in the underground press and music magazines.
The Fiat overlanders decide to travel on together with Sandy and Iris, who they met at the Ellora caves. Pictured in Rajasthan, India (c) Bruce Thomas
Near Jerash, Jordan, 1966 (c) East Med Wanderer
Loaded an overland car onto a small ferry, the TSS Irwin Talaimannar, in Sri Lanka, 1969 which would cross the narrow Palk Strait to India (c) Bruce Thomas
Hippie chicks in Kathmandu, 1969, image (c) Bruce Thomas
Image (c) DeeAtlas
Overlanders were not in search of luxury accommodation; wealthy or not, the goal was to rough it and “go native”. Overlanders on the hippie trail often adopted the native style of dress and spent a lot more time interacting with the locals than traditional tourists in other parts of the world. But of course, they were also there for one very specific reason: pot. What defined the hippie trail was that it led to the major hashish-producing centres of the world.
(c) Bruce Barrett
Image (c) DeeAtlas
Where the European rail routes ended in Turkey is where the hippie trail essentially began. Overlanders could catch cheap local transport from Istanbul or meet other western travellers with vans and talk their way into hitching a ride with them. This usually went down at the infamous hippie spot in Istanbul, the Pudding Shop, the nickname of the Lale Restaurant that served cheap but excellent Turkish pudding. It was just about the only place in the city where tourist information about transportation to Asia was readily available.
The owners put up a bulletin board that was used by many overlanders of the 1960s and 70s to communicate with friends and post open love letters to fellow travellers they had met. The restaurant is still going strong today and some of those messages are even still up posted up on the board as homage to the establishment’s rich traveler history. However, the hippies that passed through forty years ago would find the restaurant has sadly lost much of its original character.
Some routes headed through Lebanon, the main hashish producer of the Middle East for a very long time. Next up would be Iran, then a secular country run by the Shah and on to Afghanistan, the ultimate destination of the hippie trail, a land where foreigners were made very welcome and where a large proportion of the population used hashish themselves. Kashmir, Pakistan and Northern India were also popular stop-offs for enthusiastic cannabis smokers.
Overland travellers in an Afghan lodging in Bandamir, 1968 (c) Curt Gibbs
A western tour operator in Kathmandu advertises the Trans-Asian Shuttle on the back of an embroidered shirt (c) Rocket Jon
A hippie girl hits the beach at Calangute while a local woman drying fish in the sand makes a break to look, 1972 (c) Bo Kage Carlson
Hippie girl chatting with local fishermen, both in similar garb (c) Bo Kage Carlson
Syrian Lebanon border, 1966 (c) East Med Wanderer
“No matter how isolated the place seemed to be a couple of Afghans would inevitably stop by for a brew.” (c) Rob Smiff
While some overlanders were rumoured to have made it from Damascus to New Delhi on $6 and spent months traveling the east, others would eventually run out of money, occasionally get into trouble and land themselves in jail, or even worse, have to be flown home by their parents! A determined few found ways to support themselves and still live there today, mostly in India.
Hitch-hiking from Tehran to Turkey (c) Dimayon
But in the late 1970s came the end of the road for the overlanders. 1979 was the year Russia invaded Afghanistan, plunging the country into years of armed conflict, while in neighbouring Iran, the Shah was overthrown while 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage at the US embassy in Tehran.
Today, such a welcome mat for Westerners in countries such as Afghanistan and Tehran is hard to imagine. The overland hippie trail is long lost, but hopefully not forever…
By MessyNessy
]]>
Australians Bruce Thomas and Stuart Harper purchased a 1961 Fiat 600 Multipla for $175 (perhaps $2000 today) for their overland voyage (see the full album here). Pictured in Rameswaram, 1969 (c) Bruce Thomas
In the late 1960s, more and more students in search of an escape and hippies in search of enlightenment (both in search of adventure), began to sell their record collections and save up for the voyage of a lifetime to the “mystic east”. The Beatles had just been on a highly publicised visit to India in 1968, and with no internet or Lonely Planet guides, cheap tickets and tour operators were hotly advertised in the underground press and music magazines.
The Fiat overlanders decide to travel on together with Sandy and Iris, who they met at the Ellora caves. Pictured in Rajasthan, India (c) Bruce Thomas
Near Jerash, Jordan, 1966 (c) East Med Wanderer
Loaded an overland car onto a small ferry, the TSS Irwin Talaimannar, in Sri Lanka, 1969 which would cross the narrow Palk Strait to India (c) Bruce Thomas
Hippie chicks in Kathmandu, 1969, image (c) Bruce Thomas
Image (c) DeeAtlas
Overlanders were not in search of luxury accommodation; wealthy or not, the goal was to rough it and “go native”. Overlanders on the hippie trail often adopted the native style of dress and spent a lot more time interacting with the locals than traditional tourists in other parts of the world. But of course, they were also there for one very specific reason: pot. What defined the hippie trail was that it led to the major hashish-producing centres of the world.
(c) Bruce Barrett
Image (c) DeeAtlas
Where the European rail routes ended in Turkey is where the hippie trail essentially began. Overlanders could catch cheap local transport from Istanbul or meet other western travellers with vans and talk their way into hitching a ride with them. This usually went down at the infamous hippie spot in Istanbul, the Pudding Shop, the nickname of the Lale Restaurant that served cheap but excellent Turkish pudding. It was just about the only place in the city where tourist information about transportation to Asia was readily available.
The owners put up a bulletin board that was used by many overlanders of the 1960s and 70s to communicate with friends and post open love letters to fellow travellers they had met. The restaurant is still going strong today and some of those messages are even still up posted up on the board as homage to the establishment’s rich traveler history. However, the hippies that passed through forty years ago would find the restaurant has sadly lost much of its original character.
Some routes headed through Lebanon, the main hashish producer of the Middle East for a very long time. Next up would be Iran, then a secular country run by the Shah and on to Afghanistan, the ultimate destination of the hippie trail, a land where foreigners were made very welcome and where a large proportion of the population used hashish themselves. Kashmir, Pakistan and Northern India were also popular stop-offs for enthusiastic cannabis smokers.
Overland travellers in an Afghan lodging in Bandamir, 1968 (c) Curt Gibbs
A western tour operator in Kathmandu advertises the Trans-Asian Shuttle on the back of an embroidered shirt (c) Rocket Jon
A hippie girl hits the beach at Calangute while a local woman drying fish in the sand makes a break to look, 1972 (c) Bo Kage Carlson
Hippie girl chatting with local fishermen, both in similar garb (c) Bo Kage Carlson
Syrian Lebanon border, 1966 (c) East Med Wanderer
“No matter how isolated the place seemed to be a couple of Afghans would inevitably stop by for a brew.” (c) Rob Smiff
While some overlanders were rumoured to have made it from Damascus to New Delhi on $6 and spent months traveling the east, others would eventually run out of money, occasionally get into trouble and land themselves in jail, or even worse, have to be flown home by their parents! A determined few found ways to support themselves and still live there today, mostly in India.
Hitch-hiking from Tehran to Turkey (c) Dimayon
But in the late 1970s came the end of the road for the overlanders. 1979 was the year Russia invaded Afghanistan, plunging the country into years of armed conflict, while in neighbouring Iran, the Shah was overthrown while 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage at the US embassy in Tehran.
Today, such a welcome mat for Westerners in countries such as Afghanistan and Tehran is hard to imagine. The overland hippie trail is long lost, but hopefully not forever…
By MessyNessy
The Posh Totty Club would like to express much sadness to the news that Anthony Neil Wedgewood Benn has died today. We wish to send heartfelt condolences to his family.
There are not many politicians that I personally wish or would wish were in power to the tune of Prime Minister, but this Right Honourable Gentlemen is someone that I thought would have made a spiffing good job of it. He had charisma, chivalry and magnetism as a human.
A tiny light has gone out on this planet but now shines somewhere else.
Posh Totty Editor x
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The Ball Supper, 1878
Adolph von Menzel (1815 – 1905), German
Menzel's fascination with the juxtaposition of glamour and chaos, convention and formlessness provides a context for his interest in Berlin's great court balls, which he attended with the utmost enthusiasm. These lively events doubled as opportunities for him to prepare sketches for later paintings – at times, Menzel could be seen perched atop a table with pad and pencil in hand, or busily sketching drawings on the back of invitations. (He was known to keep preparatory works of this nature in a special red folder in a locker in his studio).
The Posh Totty Club would like to remember the large and heroic life of Clarissa Dickson-Wright who died at the weekend. Clarissa must hold the record for the amount of middle names apportioned to a human, 10, along with the amount of non PC remarks slipped out over her full living years.
Clarissa, a reformed alcoholic, was incredibly grounded, naturally funny and publicly a country loving girl. We consider Clarissa a true Posh Totty and would like to think of her having a glass of champagne, port or at least a home made sloe gin with her biker TV companion Jennifer Patterson, who should be at least smoking a cigar or pipe! The toxins cannot get you now ladies, so live it up celestially.
Our condolences are sent out to Clarissa's family and friends.
The Posh Totty Editor
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Jewelry designed by Salvador Dali is the hot ticket these days at auction and museums. Three major exhibits are spotlighting the jeweled versions of his surrealism this year.
“My art encompasses physics, mathematics, architecture, nuclear science – the psycho-nuclear, the mystico-nuclear – and jewelry – not paint alone,” Dali wrote in the 1959 catalog Dalí: A Study of his Art-in-Jewels. “My jewels are a protest against emphasis upon the cost of the materials of jewelry.
“My object is to show the jeweler’s art in true perspective – where the design and craftsmanship are to be valued above the material worth of the gems, as in Renaissance times.”
Dali had everything to do with the design but little to do with the craftsmanship of his jewels. Like most Modern artists who experimented with jewelry, he relied on others for that – specifically, New York goldsmith Carlos Alemany. (Alexander Calder was a notable exception, making all his jewelry by hand.)
But Dali personally selected the stones: rubies to represent energy, sapphires tranquility and lapis lazuli the subconscious mind. His early attempts produced striking, bejeweled translations of his surrealist paintings: hearts bursting open and dripping blood, eyes weeping and melting, sensuous lips.
Eye of Time watch of blue enamel, diamonds, platinum and cabochon ruby. “Man cannot escape or change his time. The eye sees the present and the future.” -Dali
Years later, Dali produced an uninspired series of commemorative medallions for operas which were widely copied. “Dali’s jewelry is a mixed bag,” Joan Sonnabend told me in 2000. “Those extraordinary early pieces are rare and hard to find.”
Sonnabend helped create the demand for artist-made jewelry in the early ’70s at Sculpture to Wear, the Manhattan gallery where she sold jewels by famous artists, including Picasso. Dali was one artist whose work she avoided. “The world was flooded with phony Dalis,” she said.
Ruby and diamond “Honeycomb Heart” brooch and matching earrings sold at Sotheby’s in 2006
Dalí was a prolific jewelry designer by the time that 1959 catalog was published for the Owen Cheatham Foundation. “Though many of Dali’s jewels would also amuse the most surfeited, others startle with a note that is not common in such expensive objects, for they explode with agony,” wrote the late A. Hyatt Major, then curator of prints for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the foreword. “Crystals pierce; rubies bleed.”
Mae West’s come-hither smile inspired this 1949 brooch. “Poets of the ages, of all lands, write of ruby lips and teeth like pearls.” -Dali (photo courtesy Primavera Gallery)
Before he began designing his own opulent jewels, Dali had already impacted avant-garde fashion and costume jewelry. Elsa Schiaperelli was a big fan of Dali and the Surrealist movement, which noticeably influenced her own designs in the 1930s and 1940s.
Schiaparelli commissioned Dali’s earliest jewelry, including his telephone ear “rings.” During this period, he designed his heart brooch dripping ruby blood and a melting-eye watch.
Dali’s fabulous mid-century jewels have always brought good prices and their value is rising as the work he produced later in his career attracts more serious attention. (Until recently, most of what Dali created after 1940 was panned by critics.) In 1995, a Dali Starfish piece with an unsigned drawing sold for $170,000 at Christies. Two years later, the Dali museum in Figueras, Spain, opened a permanent collection of his jewelry.
Among the exhibits highlighting Dali’s jewelry this year, Salvador Dalí: The Late Work opened at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in August and runs through January 9, 2011, the first major museum exhibit devoted specifically to work the Spanish artist created after Dalí split with the Surrealists in the late 1930s.
Dali’s surrealistic jewels also appear in Jewelries by artist: From Modernisme to the avant-garde opening October 27 at Barcelona’s Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
His Starfish brooch (right) was among the nine Dali jewels featured in “Surreal Things” at the Art Gallery of Ontario last summer. Each arm of the pearl, diamond, ruby and emerald pin is articulated to wrap around hand and fingers.
A signed watercolor sketch for Dali’s “Etoile de Mer” series sold at Christie’s last year for $47,500, on an estimate of $10-15,000, and a set of ruby- and diamond-encrusted bleeding heart brooch and earrings (above right) were estimated at $200,000 at Sotheby’s in 2006.
Dali’s 1950 “Etoile de Mer” design sold at Christie’s 2009 Rare Jewels and Objets d’Art sale for $47,500.
By Cathleen McCarthy
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Eye of Time watch of blue enamel, diamonds, platinum and cabochon ruby. “Man cannot escape or change his time. The eye sees the present and the future.” -Dali
Years later, Dali produced an uninspired series of commemorative medallions for operas which were widely copied. “Dali’s jewelry is a mixed bag,” Joan Sonnabend told me in 2000. “Those extraordinary early pieces are rare and hard to find.”
Sonnabend helped create the demand for artist-made jewelry in the early ’70s at Sculpture to Wear, the Manhattan gallery where she sold jewels by famous artists, including Picasso. Dali was one artist whose work she avoided. “The world was flooded with phony Dalis,” she said.
Ruby and diamond “Honeycomb Heart” brooch and matching earrings sold at Sotheby’s in 2006
Dalí was a prolific jewelry designer by the time that 1959 catalog was published for the Owen Cheatham Foundation. “Though many of Dali’s jewels would also amuse the most surfeited, others startle with a note that is not common in such expensive objects, for they explode with agony,” wrote the late A. Hyatt Major, then curator of prints for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the foreword. “Crystals pierce; rubies bleed.”
Mae West’s come-hither smile inspired this 1949 brooch. “Poets of the ages, of all lands, write of ruby lips and teeth like pearls.” -Dali (photo courtesy Primavera Gallery)
Before he began designing his own opulent jewels, Dali had already impacted avant-garde fashion and costume jewelry. Elsa Schiaperelli was a big fan of Dali and the Surrealist movement, which noticeably influenced her own designs in the 1930s and 1940s.
Schiaparelli commissioned Dali’s earliest jewelry, including his telephone ear “rings.” During this period, he designed his heart brooch dripping ruby blood and a melting-eye watch.
Dali’s fabulous mid-century jewels have always brought good prices and their value is rising as the work he produced later in his career attracts more serious attention. (Until recently, most of what Dali created after 1940 was panned by critics.) In 1995, a Dali Starfish piece with an unsigned drawing sold for $170,000 at Christies. Two years later, the Dali museum in Figueras, Spain, opened a permanent collection of his jewelry.
Among the exhibits highlighting Dali’s jewelry this year, Salvador Dalí: The Late Work opened at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in August and runs through January 9, 2011, the first major museum exhibit devoted specifically to work the Spanish artist created after Dalí split with the Surrealists in the late 1930s.
Dali’s surrealistic jewels also appear in Jewelries by artist: From Modernisme to the avant-garde opening October 27 at Barcelona’s Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
His Starfish brooch (right) was among the nine Dali jewels featured in “Surreal Things” at the Art Gallery of Ontario last summer. Each arm of the pearl, diamond, ruby and emerald pin is articulated to wrap around hand and fingers.
A signed watercolor sketch for Dali’s “Etoile de Mer” series sold at Christie’s last year for $47,500, on an estimate of $10-15,000, and a set of ruby- and diamond-encrusted bleeding heart brooch and earrings (above right) were estimated at $200,000 at Sotheby’s in 2006.
Dali’s 1950 “Etoile de Mer” design sold at Christie’s 2009 Rare Jewels and Objets d’Art sale for $47,500.
By Cathleen McCarthy
There’s nothing more frustrating for jewelry mavens than seeing a star step onto the red carpet with a beautiful gown and no noticeable jewelry – no necklace at the plunging neckline, no bracelet on the slender arms. Minimalism became a frustrating norm for a few years.
Not so this year. Big, bold jewelry is back – trailing with it all kinds of interesting twists. Look for a few of them to trickle into jewelry design on a mass scale this year.
For jewelry and fashion followers, the big event happens before the show starts – when the stars first hit the red carpet, cameras flashing. If you want to see what I meant, join the live tweeting using a hashtag – the latest was #OscarJewelry – or follow me at @thejewelryloupe. Keeping up is the extreme sport of social media, but it does add a rush of adrenaline to the proceedings.
Pulling from my own twitter feed, here’s my rundown on trends to watch out for this year, based on choices of the stars and their savvy stylists.
Trend #1: NECKLACES DRAPED DOWN THE BACK
Jennifer Lawrence didn’t invent this look, of course. Coco Chanel had it down 70 years ago.
But Jennifer certainly knows how to work it – and even keep it miraculously in place after stumbling to the ground, another signature move. This year, she saved us the suspense by tripping the moment she emerged from her limo, nearly taking down the woman in front of her. Got that out of the way!
Trend #2: STATEMENT NECKLACES
Among the evening’s memorable statement necklaces were collars worn close to the throat by Idina Menzel (a 77.12ct diamond collar by Chimento) and Naomi Watts (right) who wore a web-motif Bulgari diamond collar. We’ll see that spiderweb theme again in Louise Roe’s earrings.
And then came the ultimate statement necklace. Harry Winston never had it so good, and neither did this $15 million 31-carat diamond cluster or the Dior gown Charlize Theron wore it with. Perfect combination in every way.
Here’s the woman we vote least likely to fall on the red carpet.
Trend #3: GEM CLUSTERS
And the Oscar goes to… Chopard, who managed to land on the winners of both Best Actress and Best Actor awards. Matthew McConaughey wore Chopard’s L.U.C XP Tonneau watch and Cate Blanchett wore their opal cluster ear pendants, an inspired choice for the embellished nude gown she wore. No way she could have added a necklace or even a bracelet to that complication. Diamonds would have pushed the glitz over the top. Opals, on the other hand, read as a perfect extension from a distance and close up, a swingy touch of pastel rainbow.
Trend #3: COLORED STONE EAR PENDANTS
Cate’s earrings went along with this award season’s general trend toward a different kind of statement earring. Last year, earrings were all about the chandelier style.
This year, we saw a return to long pendants, including the classic faceted teardrop. But instead of the unadorned emeralds Angelina and Julianne Moore wore in years past, Helen Mirren wore her teardrop emeralds at the Golden Globes with pear-shaped diamond surrounds.
And then, something even more interesting happened gemstone-wise. Olivia Wilde appeared with long white jade and diamond ear pendants and an arm full of white and black jade bangles by Lorraine Schwartz.
And Amy Adams’ colorful earrings had everybody guessing. She may have missed the Best Actress award, but look how great she looked accepting a compliment from the winner while sporting teardrop pendants of rhodocrosite, lapis, turquoise, and diamonds from Tiffany & Co. (Yeah, we know what she was really thinking, but that’s okay.)
Does anyone else love seeing unusual colored stones at red carpet events?
Stars often stick with the same house. Amy Adams wore another pair of Tiffany teardrops, Paloma Picasso’s Olive Leaf quartz and diamonds, to the LAFCA Awards last summer. And Cate Blanchett wore Chopard to the Golden Globes as well as the Academy Awards.
I’ve heard Chopard pays big money to get their jewelry on stars, by the way. Not saying Cate is taking payoffs, but frankly, who cares if she manages to look beautiful and unique at the same time?
One more standout from Chopard: the webbed diamond danglers Louise Roe was wearing. See? That spiderweb motif again.
Trend #5: EAR CUFFS
Some are calling them ear pins – those lobe-hugging curves of gems or pearls that keep popping up at the awards shows this season, especially on younger actresses. Sandra Bullock took a break from the understated, diminutive jewels she’s been sporting at awards shows of late and rocked some dramatic diamond ear cuffs from Lorraine Schwartz.
Most memorable version of the ear cuff at the Academy Awards was on Lupita Nyongo, who had established herself as the year’s most talked-about fashion icon well before she nabbed an Oscar with a heartfelt speech as memorable as her ensemble.
While Charlize is old enough to lend Harry Winston diamonds the regal glamour they require, Lupita has the youthful self confidence to make Fred Leighton jewels look regal in a fresh and sassy way. I’m not going to call that diamond headband a trend – not because I didn’t like it but because I don’t think most people could pull it off. It looked great with Lupita’s hair though, just as that powder-blue Prada gown was perfect against her skin.
Let’s face it, you have to be young to pull off a headband of any kind. Remember when the headband was Hilary Clinton’s signature? Yeah. Don’t try this at home.
Trend #5: FUNKY PEARLS
Funky graduated pearls were all over the red carpet this season, did you notice? Best take on Oscar night pearl earrings was on Portia de Rossi – small pearl in front, larger one peeking out below the lobe. Pearls were the ideal accent for that sheer, beaded gown by Naeem Khan and Portia paired hers with an even funkier graduated-pearl cuff that was to die for, both from Dior.
Portia de Rossi’s brand of glamour has always been a little punk. Nice to see her moving gracefully but funkily into the next stage of life.
Just to bring home two of these jewelry trends, I’m flashing back to the Golden Globes for a minute to show you Rashida Jones’ pearl ear cuffs.
See? I suspect we’ll spot plenty of both this year. Nice way to get maximum use of our lobes without multiple piercings, don’t you think? Plus, it’s a great look.
By Cathleen McCarthy
]]>
Jennifer Lawrence didn’t invent this look, of course. Coco Chanel had it down 70 years ago.
But Jennifer certainly knows how to work it – and even keep it miraculously in place after stumbling to the ground, another signature move. This year, she saved us the suspense by tripping the moment she emerged from her limo, nearly taking down the woman in front of her. Got that out of the way!
Trend #2: STATEMENT NECKLACES
Among the evening’s memorable statement necklaces were collars worn close to the throat by Idina Menzel (a 77.12ct diamond collar by Chimento) and Naomi Watts (right) who wore a web-motif Bulgari diamond collar. We’ll see that spiderweb theme again in Louise Roe’s earrings.
And then came the ultimate statement necklace. Harry Winston never had it so good, and neither did this $15 million 31-carat diamond cluster or the Dior gown Charlize Theron wore it with. Perfect combination in every way.
Here’s the woman we vote least likely to fall on the red carpet.
Trend #3: GEM CLUSTERS
And the Oscar goes to… Chopard, who managed to land on the winners of both Best Actress and Best Actor awards. Matthew McConaughey wore Chopard’s L.U.C XP Tonneau watch and Cate Blanchett wore their opal cluster ear pendants, an inspired choice for the embellished nude gown she wore. No way she could have added a necklace or even a bracelet to that complication. Diamonds would have pushed the glitz over the top. Opals, on the other hand, read as a perfect extension from a distance and close up, a swingy touch of pastel rainbow.
Trend #3: COLORED STONE EAR PENDANTS
Cate’s earrings went along with this award season’s general trend toward a different kind of statement earring. Last year, earrings were all about the chandelier style.
This year, we saw a return to long pendants, including the classic faceted teardrop. But instead of the unadorned emeralds Angelina and Julianne Moore wore in years past, Helen Mirren wore her teardrop emeralds at the Golden Globes with pear-shaped diamond surrounds.
And then, something even more interesting happened gemstone-wise. Olivia Wilde appeared with long white jade and diamond ear pendants and an arm full of white and black jade bangles by Lorraine Schwartz.
And Amy Adams’ colorful earrings had everybody guessing. She may have missed the Best Actress award, but look how great she looked accepting a compliment from the winner while sporting teardrop pendants of rhodocrosite, lapis, turquoise, and diamonds from Tiffany & Co. (Yeah, we know what she was really thinking, but that’s okay.)
Does anyone else love seeing unusual colored stones at red carpet events?
Stars often stick with the same house. Amy Adams wore another pair of Tiffany teardrops, Paloma Picasso’s Olive Leaf quartz and diamonds, to the LAFCA Awards last summer. And Cate Blanchett wore Chopard to the Golden Globes as well as the Academy Awards.
I’ve heard Chopard pays big money to get their jewelry on stars, by the way. Not saying Cate is taking payoffs, but frankly, who cares if she manages to look beautiful and unique at the same time?
One more standout from Chopard: the webbed diamond danglers Louise Roe was wearing. See? That spiderweb motif again.
Trend #5: EAR CUFFS
Some are calling them ear pins – those lobe-hugging curves of gems or pearls that keep popping up at the awards shows this season, especially on younger actresses. Sandra Bullock took a break from the understated, diminutive jewels she’s been sporting at awards shows of late and rocked some dramatic diamond ear cuffs from Lorraine Schwartz.
Most memorable version of the ear cuff at the Academy Awards was on Lupita Nyongo, who had established herself as the year’s most talked-about fashion icon well before she nabbed an Oscar with a heartfelt speech as memorable as her ensemble.
While Charlize is old enough to lend Harry Winston diamonds the regal glamour they require, Lupita has the youthful self confidence to make Fred Leighton jewels look regal in a fresh and sassy way. I’m not going to call that diamond headband a trend – not because I didn’t like it but because I don’t think most people could pull it off. It looked great with Lupita’s hair though, just as that powder-blue Prada gown was perfect against her skin.
Let’s face it, you have to be young to pull off a headband of any kind. Remember when the headband was Hilary Clinton’s signature? Yeah. Don’t try this at home.
Trend #5: FUNKY PEARLS
Funky graduated pearls were all over the red carpet this season, did you notice? Best take on Oscar night pearl earrings was on Portia de Rossi – small pearl in front, larger one peeking out below the lobe. Pearls were the ideal accent for that sheer, beaded gown by Naeem Khan and Portia paired hers with an even funkier graduated-pearl cuff that was to die for, both from Dior.
Portia de Rossi’s brand of glamour has always been a little punk. Nice to see her moving gracefully but funkily into the next stage of life.
Just to bring home two of these jewelry trends, I’m flashing back to the Golden Globes for a minute to show you Rashida Jones’ pearl ear cuffs.
See? I suspect we’ll spot plenty of both this year. Nice way to get maximum use of our lobes without multiple piercings, don’t you think? Plus, it’s a great look.
By Cathleen McCarthy
The Posh Totty Club has been asked to clarify what is the correct length of a pencil skirt by mother's of teenage girls that wear such a garment as their school uniform. Apparently girls are wearing them as mini skirts resulting in the area for colonic irrigation to be viewed via the split in the back of the skirt.
Well the correct length is around the knee; either below, on the knee or just above. I was taught 2" above the knee for a business suit many years ago. Regardless there is no excuse to wear the skirt as a bandeau, it doesn't look good. Also there is a split at the back to release tearing when using the stairs so raising the skirt by several rolls around the waist just renders the skirt non totty tarty!
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Louis XIV’s elaborate rules of etiquette included the following:
People who wanted to speak to the king could not knock on his door, instead, using the left pinkie finger, they had to gently scratch on the door, until they were granted permission to enter. As a result, many courtiers grew that fingernail longer than the others. (Present day behaviour in an average household doesn't even give the grace of knocking on doors)
A lady never held hands or linked arms with a gentleman.; besides being in bad taste, this practice would have been impossible because a woman’s hooped skirts were so wide. Instead, she was to place her hand on top of the gentleman’s bent arm as they strolled through the gardens and chambers of Versailles. (Present day behaviour see's the average woman practically undulating against a man after a successful binge episode in inner cities)
When a gentleman sat down, he slid his left foot in front of the other, placed his hands on the sides of the chair and gently lowered himself into the chair. There was a very practical reason for this procedure, if a gentleman sat too fast, his tight pants might split. (Unfortunately present day doesn't really see men in tight pants; commonly now known as trousers. Rock and Pop stars of the 70's are the last visuals of this tantalising practice. As for sitting correctly, present day sees the average youth sat stooped forward with legs splayed for childbirth)
Women and men were not allowed to cross their legs in public. (Present day behaviour shows men and women with no concern of how they sit nor of the exposure of their underwear)
When a gentleman passed an acquaintance on the street, he was to raise his hat high off his head until the other person passed. (Present day behaviour shows young men with hats worn backwards that would sport a horrendous hair day should they even know how to take it off in salutations; as the hoody underneath worn concealing the face would get in the way. Such practice is obsolete now, replaced with ignorance, spitting, allowing trendily trained belligerent dogs to snarl at each other and at the best one might get a nod and if they can speak a 'Yo' or 'Right'.
A gentleman was to do no work except writing letters, giving speeches, practicing fencing or dancing; for pleasure he engaged in hawking, archery, indoor tennis, or hunting. A gentleman would also take part in battle and would sometimes serve as a public officer, paying the soldiers. (Present day would see this as the average reject on Jeremy Kyle replacing the original past times as texting, foul language, fighting, clubs, football and virtual reality computer games. The present day soldier is led to battle dishonourably by pretence to the cause of the war they are expected to fight for).
Ladies’ clothing did not allow them to do much besides sit and walk; however, they passed the time sewing, knitting, writing letters, painting, making their own lace, and creating their own cosmetics and perfumes. (Present day women's clothing also doesn't allow them to sit and walk because it is too tight and usually doesn't cover much more than the gusset of their underwear. Pastimes are replaced by cheap clothes that were not sewn together in the first place, knitwear that was machined, texting, painting their faces literally, googling what is lace, wearing several layers of cosmetics and body sprays as opposed to eau de toilette; perfume is out of their league and price.
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The French word étiquette, literally signifying a tag or label, was used in a modern sense in English around 1750.[1]From the 1500s through the early 1900s, children learned etiquette at school. Etiquette has changed and evolved over the years to the extent of distinction from westernisation. It is becoming increasingly impossible to behave accordingly when Britain is increasingly recognising other religions, beliefs and customs over our own. This small island that is our abode now has no origins of manners that new decades can remember yet trendy TV serials such as Downtown Abbey are yearned after for historical values and 'the way it was'.
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Louis XIV (1638-1718) "transformed a royal hunting lodge in Versailles, a village 25 miles southwest of the capital, into one of the largest palaces in the world, officially moving his court and government there in 1682. It was against this awe-inspiring backdrop that Louis tamed the nobility and impressed foreign dignitaries, using entertainment, ceremony and a highly codified system of etiquette to assert his supremacy. We have no research that suggests Louis XIV entertained in McDonalds.
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It would appear we have a lot to thank the Roman Empire for. For me it would be the era of men walking around in togas showing off their Mediterranean tinged skin; others would say our roads. The Posh Totty Club report that the ancient Roman Empire were a historical source effective in spreading Etiquette throughout Europe though are modern day Etiquette developed in the French Royal Court in the 18th century.
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Online Dating Profile - Totty Tips on what to put!
Best not to enlighten the rest of the world with 'looking for friendship', 'looking for love', 'looking for that special person'; who isn't (happy couples?)but you might as well put 'looking for Nemo' for the response you will get. Even worse would be not to reveal 'not looking for love' 'just looking for friendship (I have plenty of those already); putting up barriers before you have even seen another human is suicide!
You guys trying to please and get a feminine side are going nowhere by stating 'love nights in with a bottle of wine and a movie' (I do that most nights) 'love long walks on the beach' (fine are you in the Caribbean?). I can probably cope with 'love to cook' because that is all I do as a single mum so you shaking the pan whilst I'm sipping wine is good for me!
Statements from either sex such as 'I don't feel my age', 'I don't look my age' or selecting you will date anyone from 18 to 80 makes one immediately look at your age and the latter is just wrong!!
Don't carry on the story of your life on additional A4 paper; who gives one. We all have demons and a past but it's preferable to have a present and a future; the past is for ex husbands and ex wives!!
Being promiscuous by innuendos, sexy chat, sleazy or mentioning the word sex at all other than to stupidly admit a passion for breeding ants will come under scrutiny with the Posh Totty Club and should this cause offence you WILL be named and shamed. Keep such behaviour for other dating sites that find it acceptable.
Use an Avatar if you are not sure about online dating or feel too shy When you feel comfortable you can place a photo of yourself to amaze everyone with. Don't use a photo of you plus a friend, several friends, the entire family tree, with your children or god forbid with your ex. It is bad enough people use photos of them eventing or active in some sport; the whole idea is to be you!
Don't mention what you earn or don't earn; that is a none starter and will just attract the wrong person for the right means!! Of course it would be fabulous to meet a multi millionaire but it would be much better and more matched to meet Rodney and then find out he is Rodney III.
If you use your own photo then use a very recent one not one that dates back 20 years; the utter shock to the other person when you meet may be something you may never recover from!! One is not suggesting they leave the venue screaming, waving their arms and rugby tackling anyone in their way; it just isn't fair to lead anyone on! Think about it; be proud of who you are!!
Have fun always x
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The Posh Totty Club wish to Congratulate Mr Neil Trotter for winning £107.9m on the Euro Millions Friday 14 March 2014 (one says whilst holding her own lottery ticket, grimacing, hands clenched and ever so slightly falsely smiling!!).
Can you imagine it, winning so much money? Absolutely. Would I go public; NO. Would I start spending immediately; NO. I'd have to discharge myself from A & E when my adrenalin levels had subsided from shock and probably sit in the airing cupboard for a few days just to let it digest. Immediately after that would be a bottle of champagne with a few very trustworthy and close friends wherein in desperation I would more than likely scream 'WHAT DO I DO NEXT?!!"
We would like to offer Ten Top Totty Tips on what to do after winning a huge amount of money!!
1. Pay off your mortgage and leave a tip; oh wait, the ridiculous financial penalty for coming out of the mortgage agreement period is their tip!
2. Put an advert in a national newspaper "Wanted - friendly and dedicated Bank Manager to govern an obscene amount of money. Will accept international candidates".
3. Employ a P.A. for all the begging letters (I used to be an Executive P.A.?)
4. Buy a property in each country you like to holiday in; let's face it you won't work again.
5. Advertise your job to first come first served.
6. Put an advert in a national newspaper "Wanted - friendly and devious Accountant".
7. Buy an airline and a private airport with first class service for everyone at economy prices.
8. Change your identity regularly because you will be bored with people sucking up to you all the time.
9. Hire the Orient Express for a great big fat family and friends party!
10. Money talks, so use some to change the world for a much better place.
Have fun always
The Posh Totty Editor
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Ten more things I know about marriage
I realise I know a lot more about marriage than I thought possible
Tim Lott: 'If your wife or husband is cooking, don’t mess with them unless you have specific, ideally written, permission. Keep out of the kitchen.' Photograph: Karen Robinson
Due to overwhelming public demand* and because I realised after writing last week's column that I knew a great deal more about marriage than I had hitherto thought possible**, I have decided to reveal 10 more things I know about marriage. These tips are pure gold, bank them***:
1. The past is your enemy
In the great gallery of images of received opinion about marriage, one of the most persistent is of an old couple looking through their photographs basking in the reflected warmth of family memories. This is not how the past works in a marriage. In fact, in several cases of people I know who have divorced, the reason they have given is "too much past". This means that you jointly messed up too many times, and every time a new and related crisis comes, the old wound opens. The past is not to be treasured. On the contrary, the past should be forgotten, the sooner the better.
2. To err is human, to forgive is divine
If I had to come up with a single phrase to sum up the challenge of marriage, it is this. If you can't do the trick of forgetting the past, you have to have the wholeness of heart to forgive transgression. This forgiveness must include forgiveness of one's self.
3. But some things can't be forgiven
Try as you might, some marital crimes penetrate too far into the heart of the marriage ever to be redeemed for most people. Adultery, physical violence, serial dishonesty and mental cruelty will in most cases fit into this category.
4. Get a large bed
I slept with my wife in a bed in which we could both just about fit for more than 10 years. The resentment about stolen bedclothes and sharp elbows combined with the lack of a good night's sleep caused a lot of unnecessary friction. Now we have a huge one and it's bliss. But not for her because I snore.
5. Disagreement is healthy
Having competing demands and beliefs is natural, and a bit of a ding-dong is cathartic. Cleaning out the cupboards now and then with a good, rip-roaring row is a mark of a healthy relationship, not a failing one.
6. Marriage with children is different
You may think the person you are with will remain the same after you've had children. They will, but they won't seem the same. You will see a whole lot of new things about your partner that you hadn't noticed before. Not all of them good.
7. Couples will have very different attitudes on how to bring up children
This may be a source of friction. If you have very strong ideas about upbringing, discuss these with your partner and try to come to a rational compromise. Failing that, just wait until they are not in the house.
8. Cooking tips
If your wife or husband is cooking, don't mess with them unless you have specific, ideally written, permission. Don't pick up the skillet and doubtfully rearrange the onions. Don't taste the sauce and wrinkle your nose. Keep out of the kitchen. You can peel a few vegetables and clean up afterwards. Otherwise, butt out. And always remember to say thank you.
9. If you want to know more about your partner, look to their parents
Most people who get married base their idea of what a marriage should be on what was modelled by their parents. You may be trying to replicate it or you may be trying to avoid it, it may be conscious or unconscious, but one way or another, it will have a significant impact on your relationship.
10. Getting married changes everything
In my experience, this is completely untrue.
* This is purely theoretical.
** Had a bit left over, which it seemed a waste to throw away.
*** Investments may go up or down.
• Follow Tim on Twitter @timlottwriter
As gay marriage becomes legal next weekend, the co-founder of Further Afield selects romantic stays for gay honeymooners, from city hotels to island getaways and a Scottish boathouse
The interior designer owners have worked their magic on this stone village house for two with private pool. Vouni is a quiet village in the hills at the heart of the wine region, but the coast is just 20 minutes away by car. If you need to turn up the volume, the city of Limassol, brimming with stylish cafes in the Old City and exuberant nightlife in the tourist area, is just 30 minutes' drive away.
• From £586 a week
The Greek island of Santorini is fast becoming known as the new gay-friendly destination for couples. At these top-notch suites scattered across a steep, rocky slope on the highest point of the world's largest caldera, old-fashioned romantics can soak up the iconic sunsets, gaze out over the Aegean sea and feast on fine dinners served on their private terrace.
• From £105 B&B
Owner JJ has an eye for design classics, and many are on show in this stylish apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows near the heart of gay Paris: the Marais district. Flick through art and fashion magazines while luxuriating on Fendi cushions, Ralph Lauren bedlinen and cashmere wraps, then follow JJ's tips for places to eat.
• From £209 a night (minimum three-night stay)
There is not much that the owners of this guesthouse don't know about wine. Their bespoke wine tours and tastings are fun, informal and informative, and kick off at their beautiful 17th-century manor. Couples who prefer to take off alone can grab a picnic and walk along the riverbanks and in the vineyards. There are also bikes available.
• Doubles £80 B&B
This architect-designed villa for two, with a glass-brick roof, is perched 450m above sea level in the hamlet of Nocelle. Artists, poets, musicians and film stars have been coming here for 100 years, and it's easy to see why. Apart from the amazing view, there are Michelin-starred restaurants, designer shops, galleries and bars in Positano, reached by 1,800 steps or a 5km drive.
• From £1,055 a week
Cool urban design and loft-inspired bedrooms reflect the industrial warehouse history of this hotel in Tribeca, just a short hop from some great eateries on Greenwich Street's Restaurant Row. For a honeymoon to remember, stroll to Little Italy, Chinatown, SoHo or Wall Street and take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Although it's in the thick of the action, this hotel is also wonderfully quiet.
• Doubles from £125 B&B
You can't get much cooler than this floating, minimalist-design dream moored on Lake Rummelsburg in central Berlin. It's surrounded by nature but with spectacular views of – and access to – the city. The houseboat rocks gently from time to time but it's a lovely way to fall asleep. For active romantics, there are two Bella Ciao bikes on which to explore the city.
• From £150. Reduced rates for week-long stays
Yoga and meditation could be just the thing to get married life off to a calm start. This B&B with yoga studio is a haven of calm in the heart of a vibrant city. Or you can just bolster your wellbeing by opting for the special honeymoon pampering package, which includes a glass of cava at breakfast followed by a 45-minute massage, then simply soaking up the relaxing ambience.
• Doubles £84 B&B
After all the excitement of your Big Day, you may just want to head for the hills and seek peace in nature. At these two wooden one-bedroom cottages on the shores of Loch Tay, you can listen to the gently lapping water as the sun goes down or snuggle up with a dram in front of the woodburning stove. The interiors are a smart mix of antique and contemporary, and outside you can spot rare red squirrels.
• Three-night weekends from £377
Frequently voted the most gay-friendly and stylish city in the world, Stockholm also has a strong cinematic back story. Gay icon Greta Garbo was one of Sweden's most famous movie exports. And who better than Abba's Benny Andersson to restore a 1930s cinematic landmark into a glamorous hotel?
• Doubles from £110 B&B
All properties are available through furtherafield.com, a collection of 250 places to stay in Europe and beyond that genuinely welcome gay and lesbian travellers – and are straight-friendly too
Above Blue Suites, Santorini
The Greek island of Santorini is fast becoming known as the new gay-friendly destination for couples. At these top-notch suites scattered across a steep, rocky slope on the highest point of the world's largest caldera, old-fashioned romantics can soak up the iconic sunsets, gaze out over the Aegean sea and feast on fine dinners served on their private terrace.
• From £105 B&B
Rue Quincampoix Paris
Owner JJ has an eye for design classics, and many are on show in this stylish apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows near the heart of gay Paris: the Marais district. Flick through art and fashion magazines while luxuriating on Fendi cushions, Ralph Lauren bedlinen and cashmere wraps, then follow JJ's tips for places to eat.
• From £209 a night (minimum three-night stay)
La Grande Maison, Loire Valley
There is not much that the owners of this guesthouse don't know about wine. Their bespoke wine tours and tastings are fun, informal and informative, and kick off at their beautiful 17th-century manor. Couples who prefer to take off alone can grab a picnic and walk along the riverbanks and in the vineyards. There are also bikes available.
• Doubles £80 B&B
The Secret Garden, Amalfi Coast
This architect-designed villa for two, with a glass-brick roof, is perched 450m above sea level in the hamlet of Nocelle. Artists, poets, musicians and film stars have been coming here for 100 years, and it's easy to see why. Apart from the amazing view, there are Michelin-starred restaurants, designer shops, galleries and bars in Positano, reached by 1,800 steps or a 5km drive.
• From £1,055 a week
Duane Street Hotel, New York
Cool urban design and loft-inspired bedrooms reflect the industrial warehouse history of this hotel in Tribeca, just a short hop from some great eateries on Greenwich Street's Restaurant Row. For a honeymoon to remember, stroll to Little Italy, Chinatown, SoHo or Wall Street and take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Although it's in the thick of the action, this hotel is also wonderfully quiet.
• Doubles from £125 B&B
Modern Houseboat, Berlin
You can't get much cooler than this floating, minimalist-design dream moored on Lake Rummelsburg in central Berlin. It's surrounded by nature but with spectacular views of – and access to – the city. The houseboat rocks gently from time to time but it's a lovely way to fall asleep. For active romantics, there are two Bella Ciao bikes on which to explore the city.
• From £150. Reduced rates for week-long stays
Mindfulness Retreat Valencia
Yoga and meditation could be just the thing to get married life off to a calm start. This B&B with yoga studio is a haven of calm in the heart of a vibrant city. Or you can just bolster your wellbeing by opting for the special honeymoon pampering package, which includes a glass of cava at breakfast followed by a 45-minute massage, then simply soaking up the relaxing ambience.
• Doubles £84 B&B
Boathouses, Perthshire
After all the excitement of your Big Day, you may just want to head for the hills and seek peace in nature. At these two wooden one-bedroom cottages on the shores of Loch Tay, you can listen to the gently lapping water as the sun goes down or snuggle up with a dram in front of the woodburning stove. The interiors are a smart mix of antique and contemporary, and outside you can spot rare red squirrels.
• Three-night weekends from £377
Rival Hotel, Stockholm
Frequently voted the most gay-friendly and stylish city in the world, Stockholm also has a strong cinematic back story. Gay icon Greta Garbo was one of Sweden's most famous movie exports. And who better than Abba's Benny Andersson to restore a 1930s cinematic landmark into a glamorous hotel?
• Doubles from £110 B&B
All properties are available through furtherafield.com, a collection of 250 places to stay in Europe and beyond that genuinely welcome gay and lesbian travellers – and are straight-friendly too
The internet spawns another exciting book, in this case, a Tumblr dedicated entirely to Vintage Black Glamour.
From Josephine Baker gettin
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Sammy Davis Jr. and Olga James in a scene from the 1956 Broadway musical, “Mr. Wonderful,” which also starred the great Chita Rivera. Ms. James, a Washington, D.C.-born graduate of The Juilliard School, is best known for portraying Cindy Lou in the 1954 film version of “Carmen Jones” with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. Photo: Friedman-Abeles/New York Public Library.
Left: A model in 1954, photo appeared in the November 1965 issue of EBONY;Right: Models Cordie King and Alberta Culbreath model afternoon fashions for Ebony Fashion Fair in a 1958 issue of EBONY. Cordie King, went on to open a modeling agency and charm school called Cordie King’s Castle which produced graduates such as journalist and author Janet Langhart Cohen. She died at age 80 in 2004.
General Colin L. Powell shared this 60 year old photo of himself on his official Facebook page with this caption: “Throwback Thursday – I was doing selfies 60 years before you Facebook folks. Eat your heart out Ellen!”
Left: “This is my beautiful mother, Valeria Perojo Frias, born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba on March 23, 1926. This photograph was taken sometime in the mid to late 1940’s. I believe she was at a christening of a friend’s child in Havana. She was an amazing and inspirational woman – making her way to the US with my father by way of Miami in late 1959, and ending up in New York City two years later, where I was born and raised. She was always a fashionista and had that amazing aura that exuded beauty, charm and grace. And boy could she pose for a picture, eh? She always will be my very own personal style icon.”– Originally submitted to The Sartorialist by Ms. Frias’s daughter, Ena Frias; Right: Dancer Scoogie Brown at Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade’s wedding reception in Westport, Connecticut on June 26, 1955. Ms. Brown was a dancer from Trinidad and Tobago who performed with Mr. Holder and his Trinidad Dance Group. She would gain even more notoriety during the “calypso craze” in the 1950s.
Eartha Kitt stopping the trolley car in Istanbul with a pose (c.1949).
Lena Horne, with a group of Tuskegee Airmen on January 1, 1945, left. There are countless photos of Ms. Horne visiting Tuskegee Airmen and other military personnel to show her support for their service. She also showed her support for them by refusing to perform for segregated military audiences during World War II. Photo: Associated Press. Photographed right in 1954.
Right: Jayne Kennedy in April 1977 in a shot from her short-lived NBC TV show, “Cover Girls.” She played Monique Lawrence who was, of course, a secret agent posing as a fashion model. Photo: Dave Friedman/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images. Left: Pat Cleveland in 1972 wearing Stephen Burrows.
Left: Activist Mary Church Terrell. Born in Memphis, Tennessee to wealthy parents who were former slaves (her father, Robert Reed Church, was the South’s first black millionaire), Ms. Church Terrell earned bachelor’s (1884) and master’s (1888) degrees from Oberlin College. She also studied in Europe for several years and was fluent in German, Spanish and French. Her language fluency came in handy in 1904 when she was invited to speak at the International Congress of Women in Berlin, Germany. The only black woman in attendance, she delivered her speech in German, French and English. Ms. Church Terrell was a founder and the first president of the National Association of Colored Women (Charlotte Hawkins Brown was a vice president). Adapting the motto “Lifting As We Climb,” the organization was formed, in part, in response to an attack on the character and respectability of African American women by an influential journalist who referred to them as “thieves and prostitutes”. Ms. Church Terrell died in 1954, at the age of 90, not long after leading the fight to desegregate restaurants in Washington, D.C. Right: Nina Simone circa 1965.
Left: Gorgeous friends, circa 1940; Right: Percy Verwayne was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) and appeared on Broadway, on radio and in several films for at least thirty years, but he was best known in his day for originating the role of Sportin’ Life. He was also a former athlete and that came in handy in 1941 when he was robbed of 75 cents by a very unwise 18-year-old within two blocks of his Harlem home at 400 West 128th street. The incident was gleefully reported in the New York Amsterdam News on August 9, 1941 under the headline, “Mugger Gets Wrong Victim.” According to the paper, when the mugger tried to run away, “Verwayne chased him for a block, grabbed him by the seat of his trousers and socked him into submission. When the cops arrived, Verwayne was in complete control of the situation.”
Dorothy Dandridge, on the set of “Carmen Jones” at the RKO lot in Hollywood in 1954.
Discover Vintage Black Glamour and the book’s website.
By MessyNessy
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Sammy Davis Jr. and Olga James in a scene from the 1956 Broadway musical, “Mr. Wonderful,” which also starred the great Chita Rivera. Ms. James, a Washington, D.C.-born graduate of The Juilliard School, is best known for portraying Cindy Lou in the 1954 film version of “Carmen Jones” with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. Photo: Friedman-Abeles/New York Public Library.
Left: A model in 1954, photo appeared in the November 1965 issue of EBONY;Right: Models Cordie King and Alberta Culbreath model afternoon fashions for Ebony Fashion Fair in a 1958 issue of EBONY. Cordie King, went on to open a modeling agency and charm school called Cordie King’s Castle which produced graduates such as journalist and author Janet Langhart Cohen. She died at age 80 in 2004.
General Colin L. Powell shared this 60 year old photo of himself on his official Facebook page with this caption: “Throwback Thursday – I was doing selfies 60 years before you Facebook folks. Eat your heart out Ellen!”
Left: “This is my beautiful mother, Valeria Perojo Frias, born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba on March 23, 1926. This photograph was taken sometime in the mid to late 1940’s. I believe she was at a christening of a friend’s child in Havana. She was an amazing and inspirational woman – making her way to the US with my father by way of Miami in late 1959, and ending up in New York City two years later, where I was born and raised. She was always a fashionista and had that amazing aura that exuded beauty, charm and grace. And boy could she pose for a picture, eh? She always will be my very own personal style icon.”– Originally submitted to The Sartorialist by Ms. Frias’s daughter, Ena Frias; Right: Dancer Scoogie Brown at Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade’s wedding reception in Westport, Connecticut on June 26, 1955. Ms. Brown was a dancer from Trinidad and Tobago who performed with Mr. Holder and his Trinidad Dance Group. She would gain even more notoriety during the “calypso craze” in the 1950s.
Eartha Kitt stopping the trolley car in Istanbul with a pose (c.1949).
Lena Horne, with a group of Tuskegee Airmen on January 1, 1945, left. There are countless photos of Ms. Horne visiting Tuskegee Airmen and other military personnel to show her support for their service. She also showed her support for them by refusing to perform for segregated military audiences during World War II. Photo: Associated Press. Photographed right in 1954.
Right: Jayne Kennedy in April 1977 in a shot from her short-lived NBC TV show, “Cover Girls.” She played Monique Lawrence who was, of course, a secret agent posing as a fashion model. Photo: Dave Friedman/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images. Left: Pat Cleveland in 1972 wearing Stephen Burrows.
Left: Activist Mary Church Terrell. Born in Memphis, Tennessee to wealthy parents who were former slaves (her father, Robert Reed Church, was the South’s first black millionaire), Ms. Church Terrell earned bachelor’s (1884) and master’s (1888) degrees from Oberlin College. She also studied in Europe for several years and was fluent in German, Spanish and French. Her language fluency came in handy in 1904 when she was invited to speak at the International Congress of Women in Berlin, Germany. The only black woman in attendance, she delivered her speech in German, French and English. Ms. Church Terrell was a founder and the first president of the National Association of Colored Women (Charlotte Hawkins Brown was a vice president). Adapting the motto “Lifting As We Climb,” the organization was formed, in part, in response to an attack on the character and respectability of African American women by an influential journalist who referred to them as “thieves and prostitutes”. Ms. Church Terrell died in 1954, at the age of 90, not long after leading the fight to desegregate restaurants in Washington, D.C. Right: Nina Simone circa 1965.
Left: Gorgeous friends, circa 1940; Right: Percy Verwayne was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) and appeared on Broadway, on radio and in several films for at least thirty years, but he was best known in his day for originating the role of Sportin’ Life. He was also a former athlete and that came in handy in 1941 when he was robbed of 75 cents by a very unwise 18-year-old within two blocks of his Harlem home at 400 West 128th street. The incident was gleefully reported in the New York Amsterdam News on August 9, 1941 under the headline, “Mugger Gets Wrong Victim.” According to the paper, when the mugger tried to run away, “Verwayne chased him for a block, grabbed him by the seat of his trousers and socked him into submission. When the cops arrived, Verwayne was in complete control of the situation.”
Dorothy Dandridge, on the set of “Carmen Jones” at the RKO lot in Hollywood in 1954.
Discover Vintage Black Glamour and the book’s website.
By MessyNessy
You might have heard of the Railway Food Market in Thailand but here’s another urban oddity to feast your eyes on. This is the main line railway that passes through the residential old quarter and commercial neighbourhoods of Hanoi, Vietnam. The trains pass through the heart of the city twice a day, just inches away from the doorsteps of residential buildings.
Lead image (c) Steve Calcott
Images (c) Ashit Desai
Adam Armstrong traveled to Vietnam recently and witnessed the train in action…
Speaking to Oddity Central about the urban railway, Adam recalls the surreal sight…
“The people here know the schedule well,” said Adam. “At just about 4 pm and 7 pm every day, you suddenly notice people start to file into their homes and in the front yard where kids were playing and women were cutting vegetables is suddenly replaced by rushing steel and noise.”
Image (c) Helge Arne Hanken
Image (c) Sabine Fricke
Image (c) Lose_Grip
In a local newspaper claiming that more than $2 billion would be needed to improve conditions of Vietnam’s railways, Vice chairman of National Committee for Traffic Safety Nguyen Hoang Hiep told Viet Nam News that each year, the number of people dying in railway accidents accounts for about 2 per cent of all deaths in Viet Nam.
“A majority of railway accidents reportedly happen at crossings, especially at illegally-built crossings. At present, Viet Nam has nearly 3,200 kilometres of railway with about 6,000 railroad crossings. However, just 1,000 were built legally while the rest were built illegally as shortcuts by households who live along railways,” said the Chairman.
Image (c) Torsten Schmidt
Image (c) Florian Grupp
Image (c) Lose_Grip
Image (c) Paul Johnson
Could there be a more appropriate situation to use the phrase, “t00 close to home”?
By MessyNessy
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Images (c) Ashit Desai
Adam Armstrong traveled to Vietnam recently and witnessed the train in action…
Image (c) Helge Arne Hanken
Image (c) Sabine Fricke
Image (c) Lose_Grip
In a local newspaper claiming that more than $2 billion would be needed to improve conditions of Vietnam’s railways, Vice chairman of National Committee for Traffic Safety Nguyen Hoang Hiep told Viet Nam News that each year, the number of people dying in railway accidents accounts for about 2 per cent of all deaths in Viet Nam.
“A majority of railway accidents reportedly happen at crossings, especially at illegally-built crossings. At present, Viet Nam has nearly 3,200 kilometres of railway with about 6,000 railroad crossings. However, just 1,000 were built legally while the rest were built illegally as shortcuts by households who live along railways,” said the Chairman.
Image (c) Torsten Schmidt
Image (c) Florian Grupp
Image (c) Lose_Grip
Image (c) Paul Johnson
Could there be a more appropriate situation to use the phrase, “t00 close to home”?
By MessyNessy
1. The White Company Pomegranate Scent Diffuser, £25 For a clean, minimalist home owner, The White Company is a go-to for gifts. Fresh up a spring environment with this gorgeous Pomegranate Diffuser.
2. Oliver Bonas 102 English Things Book, £7.99 She'll laugh, cry and enjoy the 102 English Things Book again and again. It's the perfect gift for the ultimate English rose.
3, Jo Malone Mother's Day Floral Boxes, £120 Get yourself down to Jo Malone's Sloane Street store and treat your mum to one of these gorgeous Scarlet & Violet boxes which include a 100ml fragrance of your choice.
4. Oliver Bonas Make Up Bag, £80 Your mum can simply slip this orange make up bag into her handbag and get on her way. This one's perfect for a beautiful mum on the go.
5. John Lewis PiP Studio Love Bird Mugs, £33.50 If tea with your mum is the best time of your week, give her the John Lewis PiP Studio Love Bird Mugs so you can both do it super-stylishly.
6. Olivia von Halle Coco Cream Pyjamas, £330 Olivia von Haille's elegant Coco Cream Pyjamas can be customised with initials at just £12 a letter, making an extremely unique and unforgettable Mother's Day gift.
7. Zara Leather Bucket Bag, £79.99 Fashion-loving mums will fall for the Zara Leather Bucket Bag this season (if it's not already on her wishlist).
7. Penhaligon's Ladies Miniatures Collection, £35 Penhaligon's handy Miniatures Collection will keep her sweet-smelling wherever life takes her this year.
8. Not On The Highstreet Classic Book Cover For E-reader, £24.95 These Not On The Highstreet Classic Book Covers make a brilliant gift for book worms. They still love the classics, even though they're savvy enough to have converted to an e-reader.
9. Chanel Les Exclusifs de Chanel Beige Parfum, £155 Chanel's indulgent new scents from the Les Exclusifs range will be the ultimate treat for your mum this Mother's Day. If you're looking for something that will really make her feel special, treat her to our favourite, the Beige Parfum.
10. Treat Me Afternoon Tea And A West End Show Voucher, £55 pp Surprise your lovely mum with a very special day out from Treat Me, including an afternoon tea treat and a extra-exciting jaunt to a West End show.
11. Green & Blacks Chocolate Tasting Collection, £11 For a totally indulgent treat, give your mum the gift of chocolate - because there is no better - and buy her the Green & Blacks Tasting Collection.
12. Treat Me Spa And Beauty Treatment Voucher, £29 Is your mum one of the most hard-working women you know? Allow her to unwind with a Spa & Beauty Voucher
13. Molton Brown Langour Piccolo Candle Set, £42 You just know the Molton Brown Langour Piccolo Candle Set is going to smell exquisite. There's four in each set to suit her mood.
14. King Of Cotton Tibet Cashmere Blanket Price: £296.75 The King of blankets" made from 25% cashmere and 75% merino wool. Cashmere is probably the softest and warmest yarn in the world. Carefully Made in Italy to the Highest Standards.
15. Hermes Paris Exceptional Scarf Patch Carré grande in seta vintage (140 x 140 cm) Ref. H739998S 01 € 1.300,00
16. .Jonny Beardsall designs fantastical hats from reclaimed furs in a workroom in a village on the edge of a grouse moor in North Yorkshire. Inspired by his hunter-gather instincts and outdoorsy existence, his hats are all hand-sewn. Fur is sourced from finest-quality vintage coats, collars and throws that may have been hanging unwanted in wardrobes for years while some comes from contemporary garments.
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Dear Posh Totty
I am absolutely livid! My tenant has done a moonlight flit owing me a months rent, he didn't even have the decency to tell me. I've been chasing him for the rent for over a week and finally he sent me a text with some kind of peril crap in his life with an ex girlfriend, explaining he would have to pay me in dribs and drabs, bla bla bla and he had no money bla bla bla. I am so annoyed and after I had been kind to him and only charged a minimal rent as well. The house has been empty for how long? I don't even know. As we are already in March that is another months rent gone and I now have to find a tenant for April!!
What can I do?
Audrey from Cardiff
Dear Audrey
Well I think you can kiss your rent goodbye along with the experience of letting! It's happened to me whilst using a letting agency (they never even stepped foot in the apartment) as well as managing the let myself. The world is full of cretin's Audrey and if we could spot them before they open their mouths we would have our own TV show!
It is just awful and immoral to let someone down especially when it involves what will now be a lack of income and zooming mortgage payments you thought you had covered!
May I suggest you let it 'out there' (incognito of course) that whilst he rented your house you had the misfortune of meeting one of his girlfriends when you went to collect the rent as she was in the middle of packing up and leaving. Let it out loud and clear that he has a permanent impotency problem because he only has a 3 inch member when pumped full of testosterone and when not it is practically invisible. Add that because it literally disappears, walking becomes a problem and he therefore has to adorn finger puppets of a variety of characters to stop chaffing! That and the Donald Duck one makes a bulge that keeps him confident he can use the men's changing rooms when swimming at the local pool?
Next time go for a DHSS client; apparently they always manage to get the rent via the taxpayer?
Cheer up x
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Psychic Evidence - Believe/Unbelieve
On the subject of our 'being' one finds you are either open minded, crystal ball cladded, tuned in and ready to watch the stars 24/7 or completely shut off, the only ball is a football, no scientific tho
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ughts to tune to and only watch a TV. Religion dictates a lot of what we are supposed to believe and this can therefore be a prison to the mind when our mind is in fact a prism.
What would you do if you were given complete evidence that the psyche can work amongst us on the living earth plane and on other dimensions; not on the earth plane? By this I of course mean death, passing, the next life, the celestial plane, up there and down there.
One of our endearing Posh Totty Social Members has emailed us to make friends with like minded people who live with 'the other side'; the Dorothy Stokes and Colin Fry persuasions amongst us.....
"Since I was so very young I saw 'things' others didn't. I saw and played with my twin that had died not long after birth until I was...I actually don't know. My parents took me to a psychologist who said 'she is playing and talking to her twin.' Would you believe this was in the 50's?"
Holy the obvious Batman! Would you receive this diagnosis now, last year, last decade? I couldn't even get my property valued to its correct value recently because the underwriter didn't want to put his profession on line since the 2009 recession; in hindsight it would have been such a nouveaux risk to get a psychic involved in 2008. Just what can a receptive of such celestial gifts do? Our Totty Tarot reveals more than I was looking for....
"When the Soham Murders were well into the initial stages of where were the girls I had a vivid dream of an aerial view of what I assumed was Soham. I felt strongly that the girls were in the area. The feeling was so strong that my partner at the time told me I should phone the police. This I did. Instead of mocking me they took details of everything I had seen HOWEVER I never got any feedback.
Long after the awful event I watched a documentary on the murders, Huntley etc. I was in complete shock when the same aerial photo appeared on the television to my dream and in particular it was where the clothes were found!!"
So now I'm a tad freaked but compelled to listen more and I find I actually am intrigued and I'm Googling suppliers of a crystal ball....
"When Madelaine McCann went missing I immediately received a strong message 'something to do with a toilet nearby'. This made me think of a swimming pool toilet or a café toilet. Imagine my shock when it was released that the Police in Portugal believe an offence had taken place in the bathroom of the apartment. Because of the dead end from phoning the police in the past I chose not to bother; also it would look as if I had taken the idea from the media.
Years have unfortunately gone by but a few years ago I was watching quite a disturbing film starring Michele Pfeifer and Harrison Ford 'What Lies Beneath'. So far into the film I started feeling celestially someone wanted the truth known - parallel to what was going on in the film. Within seconds all the lights went off in the lounge and just a slight dimming flashing on and off. I paused the film - a bit freaked. I received a strong message 'its something to do with a Teacher' and I also then saw Madelaine McCann's face as it had appeared on the media; the famous picture of her with the defect in her eye.
Feeling strong to contact someone I spent many days researching anything to do with the disappearance; so many sites cover it. However I also found the official McCann website and was A: horrified how much money they had received in donations. B: delving further into the admin of the site there was a Teacher registered...... I phoned the official number ( I think it was a USA number) but put the phone down. I emailed them and put it as politely as possible my experience and urged them to consider looking into it. I never heard anything.
Our Totty with 'the force is strong in this one OB1' isn't suggesting a fraudulent website marketed by a criminal in the team, she feels compelled to say there is a link. So should this type of evidence be taken seriously and by the relevant people...the police? I actually think it should. In any serious murder enquiry there are so many loose ends, deviants of evidence to be thoroughly investigated then tail off into red herrings and tax payers time. Though lets no restrict it to murders; there are missing people, abductions, theft and lets not restrict it to humanoids.
"I was very involved in the Neighbourhood Watch within our village and as such had a copy of every members contact details and vice versa mine. I got an email one day from a frantic member who had lost their dog; in reading the email I instantly got a connection to a farm in the village and the farmhouse. Not wanting to appear a white witch I worded that the member should go to the farm because there would be lots of places for a dog to hide, notwithstanding a food supply.
Can you imagine how delighted and warm I felt when I received an email and copy of what the member had sent out to everyone...a big thank you to me for my amazing advice to visit the farm wherein he had been invited into the kitchen and found his dog slobbing in front of the stove drinking milk as if he had been born there!!"
So in a wrap I am sold to the belief that we are energy beings and that energy never ends; its continuous and therefore so are we. How do we communicate? On dimensions. What are dimensions? Similar to a radio station of different frequencies? Its just a thought...can you tune into it?
Our Totty Seeking a Psychic for friendship also mentioned....."When the Malaysian aircraft disappeared I picked up 'India' ".... Ocean? Subcontinent? " I also picked up it was the plane that was wanted". A daring statement but she doesn't falter her information...."You believe what you believe, others make you believe what they want you to believe".
The hair is standing up on most of my body. Is this a gift or a burden I asked...."Neither; it's just me. It's great when people lie to you, gives you an advantage in work rest and play. There are two comments that annoy me though....'you are an intelligent lady so there must be something in it' and 'can you tell me what I'm thinking'.....yes I can let's take a picture of your face when I tell you shall I?"
It must be amazing to have such power but our Spiritual Social Totty assures me you use it to the goodness of all. Being a Pertinent Posh Totty would I be tempted to avert such power on the first jerk that messes up my day? Probably, so I take my hat and monocle off in salute at meeting such a lovely lady.
By Sydney Daubiere for The Posh Totty Club
The following is what a women posted on a dating forum seeking a rich husband:
I’m going to be honest of what I’m going to say here. I’m 25 this year. I’m very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I’m greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York. My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you? Among those I’ve dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit. If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden(?), $250k annual income is not enough. I’m here humbly to ask a few questions: 1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym) 2) Which age group should I target? 3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I’ve met a few girls who don’t have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys. 4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married) Ms. PrettyA philosophical reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan below: Dear Ms. Pretty, I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor. My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I’m not wasting time here. From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain. Put the details aside, what you’re trying to do is an exchange of “beauty” and “money” : Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square. However, there’s a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can’t be prettier year after year. Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It’s not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later. By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a “trading position”. If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term – same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or “leased”. Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.This has better chance than finding a rich fool. Hope this reply helps. signed, J.P. Morgan CEO
Dear Posh Totty
I have a moral problem. My partner and I have just got engaged, in fact he proposed to me in line with the new same sex marriage laws starting in the UK. Obviously we are really excited and want to tell our families as soon as possible and we have no intention of announcing on any social websites to our friends all over the world until we do so.
We are both due to see our families on Sunday; do you think it would be inappropriate to announce this news on Mother's Day?
Anonymous but Delighted from Stanstead
Dear Anonymous but Delighted
Congratulations! I'm not sure that any of us can understand what it is like to be officially denied to celebrate a relationship within a religious binding ceremony unless it happens to us! Not only have same sex couples had a terrible restriction since time began but also divorced couples have had a tad tough time in certain religious dictating origins! And don't start me off on arranged marriages; I can't imagine how totty trebly bitter I would feel if I had been forced into marrying the reject I stupidly voluntarily did!!
The Posh Totty Club are totty thrilled for you and others now liberated; we hope you have a wonderful marriage and life.
With regard to your problem; if and when one of my daughters announced to me their engagement (eldest 16 so not looking good for this Sunday) on Mother's Day, and were ecstatically happy, I'd crank open the champagne or at least send their 'other halves' out to get a crate! Obviously there are other priority presents on my Mother's Day list :
1. A day in bed watching movies on my own with silver service staff waiting on me
2. An elite cleaning company to clean the house the day before
3. Someone to take the kids out; would consider dogs going too
4. A day away
5. A weekend away
6. Relocate to France
7. A yacht in the Mediterranean complete with a Gigolo
8. A years subscription to a boarding school for the kids
9. A lifelong subscription to an innovative topless male staffed mind body and soul centre
10. A Live in Nanny
However an announcement would be fab and just make my list more in the present than the future! Any gift you give is all about the intent. I always tell my children it doesn't matter what you give it is how you give it. My favourite gift to friends and loved ones is to get a box, wrap it in chosen paper and fill it with lots of lovely little things I think they will like. I urge my children to do this as it can be done on a budget or you can go lush, lavish and mad.
Plan the day and the announcement to include the intent of happiness for your Mother and you. Take the champagne, take flowers, hide a personally designed note in the flowers for her to read, involve your Father's and family if you are blessed with both and plan a meal to save her cooking. If she is like me and loves to cook, get her drunk before she puts the oven; always works for me! Think of lots of lovely things to do to give her a lovely day and involve your news!
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Dear Posh Totty
I am mortified and distressed! At the age of 51, I am starting over again and after 9 years alone have met a really nice guy. We met via correct introductions by mutual friends so we have been nurtured orderly from the beginning.
Last night was our first night with an intimate dinner planned at my house. I was looking forward to it and had the best meal and evening planned! My date arrived and believe me everything felt good and on the way to switching the relationship to something more serious.
So imagine my horror when right in the middle of it all my dogs had entertainment planned for après dinner. Basically two of my bitches are on heat leaving two dogs (neutered I might add). Imagine the scenario when we decide to take our desert wine into my pre-prepared sultry looking homey lounge and uphold a basic carnivorous orgy on levels that the Romans couldn't have envisaged. Bitch on bitch with dogs on bitch, bitches backing up to chairs because one of the dogs is a Chihuahua type mutt; and the rest I can't describe without counselling!
My date thought it was hilarious but I on the other hand cringed into sobriety and frigidness; moment gone and having shuffled the dogs into the conservatory, I eventually made my excuses and could only think of a cliché headache like a stupid woman he now must think I am.
What can I do?
Belinda
Dear Belinda
Oh let me channel my breathing so I can stop laughing! I love my job! First of all Belinda....take a load off and look at this as an hilarious moment that you should have taken a video of for a variety of social websites; notwithstanding the Posh Totty Club!!
I have dogs in the plentiful and any dog owner knows that they surely know how to break the ice in a house with an array of perverted anti social behaviour! Yes it is bad luck that your mutt's mayhem had an independent witness but...hello...who was the one laughing and who got all stressy?! I'm sure your date didn't think anything detrimental of you in judgement of your canines unisex behaviour other than they got some and he didn't?!
I'm sure by now your date will realise you are a dog lover who needs to get a sense of humour and a tad of a laissez faire attitude; which he will either live with or nurture you towards along with a lead brand selling painkiller for your headaches. At the worse he has made his decision but I certainly wouldn't give up on making sure he makes the correct decision.
Get hold of him asap and with a little white lie get him back into that sultry saloon of a lounge as soon as possible! Tell him you are sorry the evening got cut short but you were mortified and that in itself did actually stem a headache that has lasted through today so far (the white lie). Tell him if you promise to shut the dogs into the conservatory with a serial of videos on Barbara Woodhouse, would he dare to come back for a headache free dinner...nudge nudge....wink wink.... say no more.....(optional Monty Python comment).
Meanwhile in 3 months time get the bitches spayed?!
Good luck Belinda
x
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Cool pictures of musicians with their pet dogs and cats, which show how even the most self-obsessed, narcissistic Rock god has a smidgen of humanity to care about someone other than themselves. Though admittedly, Iggy Pop looks like he’s about to eat his pet dog.
Patti Smith and stylist.
This is not a doggy bag, Iggy.
There’s a cat in there somewhere with Joey Ramone.
Tupac Shakur and a future internet meme.
Bjork and a kissing cousin.
O Superdog: Laurie Anderson and friend.
Frank Zappa.
Jim Morrison.
Laura Marling.
Robert Plant.
Syd Barrett.
Steve Marriott.
Davy Jones.
Joan Baez.
A young John Lennon and puppy.
Bob Dylan
Paul McCartney and Martha.
Keith Moon.
Elvis Presley.
Kurt Cobain and family.
Eric Clapton.
David Bowie.
Billie Holiday.
Freddie Mercury.
Ozzy Osbourne.
Morrissey.
]]>
Patti Smith and stylist.
This is not a doggy bag, Iggy.
There’s a cat in there somewhere with Joey Ramone.
Tupac Shakur and a future internet meme.
Bjork and a kissing cousin.
O Superdog: Laurie Anderson and friend.
Frank Zappa.
Jim Morrison.
Laura Marling.
Robert Plant.
Syd Barrett.
Steve Marriott.
Davy Jones.
Joan Baez.
A young John Lennon and puppy.
Bob Dylan
Paul McCartney and Martha.
Keith Moon.
Elvis Presley.
Kurt Cobain and family.
Eric Clapton.
David Bowie.
Billie Holiday.
Freddie Mercury.
Ozzy Osbourne.
Morrissey.
Luxury auction website 1stDibs.com is featuring an internally flawless, GIA-rated 17.98-carat, H-color diamond flanked by 1.25 trapezoid side stones, set in platinum. The important stone, designed as an engagement ring by Shreve, Crump & Low of Boston, is currently for sale for $1.75 million.
]]>EXCLUSIVE: Original diva Miss Piggy hogs the limelight in Muppets Most Wanted and insists she has 'more star power' than Rihanna and Beyonce
If truth be told she's a pig, but the world seems to embrace her diva bravado. And no one does so better than the famous swine herself, who oinks on about the fact she has more star power than rivals Rihanna and Beyonce. Speaking exclusively to the MailOnline, Miss Piggy said: 'If you were to ask who the biggest diva is between me, Rihanna and Beyonce, all I can say is they may have star power, but did their agents get them a part in this movie? Non! That answers your question.'
I know I am going to end up in trouble here. My step mother has always been a bit of a secret bitch, just not smart enough for us not to see it, but has managed to be problematic over the years. As children we came up with two nicknames for her, Mrs Potato Head, because when she had no make up that is who she looked liked. The second is Miss Piggy because that is who she looks like when she has lots of war paint on, albeit a much older version now.
We are due to go and see her over the weekend for mothers day, stupid I know as I have a fabulous mother, who really is stunningly beautiful in every way. however if we don't she will have a Miss Piggy fit of gigantic proportion.
My chidren have heard me referring to her as Miss Piggy and have become savvy now the Muppets film is out, my mother has not discouraged this and I have to admit we have all had a jolly good laugh at this all week. What should I do if they drop me in it on Sunday ?
Dear Lizzy
Why on earth would you pander to a hissy piggy fit? If this woman has been a drag to your existence for so long I'd have a lot of fun whilst understanding you might want to be pleasant for your Father's benefit.
If there is one thing you can rely on, that would be that your children probably will drop you in it because they are just playing and carrying on the family fun that you have been having innocently. Therefore I suggest you get them to dress up as their favourite Muppet character, make up and all and let them kick off Jim Hensen style! Set Miss Piggy up and hope she is smarter than she looks and realises the whole show is for her benefit!! As and when the kids make any resemblance endearments it won't be obvious through a large G&T!
Have fun always
x
You can play your loathed Sunday visit several ways
Dear Posh Totty
I am currently in active deployment in Afghanistan, my Mum never likes me to write on social websites which regiment I'm in as she is superstitious! She also likes me to use a code name which is a private joke between us 'Del Boy'.
I love my Mum so much. She is completely mad (in an amazingly funny way), quite strict (she can still kick my butt at home) but the most wonderfully kind person ever (she always brings me a milky frothy coffee when I go home) and everyone is welcome in her house! My Mum is one of the many things I miss out here and it won't be long before I'll be back to see everyone and go on one of our big fat family holidays in our house in France.
I've been a bit busy and even though I know my girlfriend spent time with Mum yesterday it would be great if you could play a Sorry Sunday song for me; it's of course perfectly cringing but I know my Mum loves it! So here goes Posh Totty's, please play 'Mother of Mine' by Neil Reid circa 1971!
Fab website.
Del Boy x
Dear Del Boy
Well how lovely to hear from one of our wonderfully dedicated men (and women) out in the front line or maybe behind it (that covers your Mum's superstition!).
When I first read this email I instantly did the emotional link to what it must be like serving in the armed forces in whatever capacity one is in. I then did the urge thing to say thank you for everything you are all doing worldwide and nationally. Then I thought how the Posh Totty always looks at life with humour and what is there to be funny about in Afghanistan; before I knew it I was depressed! What went wrong there?! So I literally imagined myself away from home (bliss) but with restrictions (no wine) and got depressed again!
All the times I've met military personnel in a professional and social situation I laugh a lot! All mad, all very funny, all very cheeky and all up for life and jokes as if they only see that side of life so Del Boy you are now an honorary member of the Posh Totty Club and throw your Mum in for free!!
We will play your absolute cringing song and I hope your Mum stands and sways to it with her white go go boots!
Stay safe, have fun always
x
Mother of Mine' by Neil Reid circa 1971!
The Posh Totty Agony Aunt was going to announce a day off after reading 'How to Poo on a Date'; taking into consideration that there are public toilets at Totty Towers offices. What were they thinking putting out a publication on bowel movements entrapped with dating? Surely by the time you are dating in the adult world you have gotten over how the noise of a tiddle in the toilet may or may not echo.
This book has delved me back into my childhood and my first fear of a toilet.
At my Auntie's house the one and only toilet was at the top of the stairs, in the dark; in fact it was always dark at the top of stairs, leaving many mythical horrors living upstairs unaccounted for and unseen. Add to the chilling depth of black that circulated the meniscal top landing was a very noisy toilet flush that little people couldn't push down without a lot of hard work; this meant a time delay of running for life from the telephone kiosk toilet having turned the light off to turning the landing light off and running downstairs towards the only light on at the bottom landing. My Aunty always had to have lights turned off...or she would bellow and slap the back of your legs! Yes that is right youth of today!
So après children running from beasts and once removed family, you worry about using the toilet at your boyfriend's house especially when its a two up two down with a visitors toilet halfway up the stairs adjacent to the lounge where the telly held court to everyone. I spent many hours in the baby telephone kiosk waiting for adverts to come up and an increase of volume before I tiddled on a filo pastry of toilet roll layers to cushion the noise. If an emergency No.2 came on I'd have to run the tap by the basin, which was near enough to rest my head on. and pretend I wash my hands before flushing!
So one totally gets all the normal not being comfortable and being too aware of toilet training in your teens but get over it by the time you can legally drink?? Really? What about sharing flats, now commonly known as apartments (or is that the Americanism?) One has no privacy when sharing accommodation. Flatmates (apartmentmates? No it doesn't work) walking in on you during all types of toilet manoeuvres, bathing, showering, waxing, sleeping on the loo! Not just your flatmates in your living space but their friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, one nighter's (pulls, traps) all gagging for the one room that allows decorum whilst disposing of unwanted fluids and wastes!
By the time you are in a relationship surely you can work out what is correct or not? What is funny and what deserves privacy. Personally I have NEVER EVER found breaking wind (commonly known as farting) funny! Why would one? It's basically an Avant poo so gross!
With regard to 'how to poo on a date'; just do it and make sure the window is open or the fan on and when newly dating always have deodorant and perfume in your bag anyway! Sorted! Until such time as one can take a pill that results in all bodily waste smelling of Rose Oil then just think ahead. It is perfectly acceptable to leave a WC or bathroom clutching your stomach saying "sorry don't go in there for a while as my tummy is really out of sorts". It is not perfectly acceptable to leave a WC or bathroom, pretend fanning your reverse orifice saying "OMG get a whiff of that my friend".
Have dignity always
x
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Paradise Lost: The Hippie Refugee Camp
Let me tell you about a place called Taylor Camp, a tropical ocean-front utopia without rules, politics or bills to pay. Anti-establishment all the way, clothing was opt
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Taylor Camp began in the Spring of 1969, with thirteen hippies seeking refuge from the ongoing campus riots in America and police brutality. Having fled their homes, they headed for Kauai in Hawaii, then a very remote and unspoilt land with just a single traffic light on the island.
“We were involved in the anti-war movement and Berkeley was ready to explode. It was either pick up a gun or leave,” remembers Sandra Schaub, one of the founding members of Taylor Camp along with her husband Victor. “So we decided to leave for Europe and went, ‘Oh what the heck, we’ve never been to Hawaii; we’ll just go to Hawaii and on to Asia and Europe.’ We had no idea what we were doing.”
Poor, homeless and uninterested in living any kind of standard lifestyle, it wasn’t long before the tribe of hippies landed themselves and their children in jail for vagrancy. But an unlikely Hollywood name came to the rescue. Howard Taylor, Eizabeth Taylor’s brother who was a resident on the island, bailed them out and invited them to live rent-free on his land, one of the most beautiful spots on the island where the unspoilt jungle gave way to a crystalline blue bay.
These photographs were taken by Taylor Camp resident, John Wehrheim. The accounts of the Taylor Camp residents you will read here are excerpts from his photo book, Taylor Camp.
There was no electricity or amenities of any kind and Howard pretty much left them to it. The society dropouts started building their beach-front tree houses with bamboo, scrap lumber and salvaged materials. The “flower power campers” were living out their utopian dream without any restrictions or supervision.
They lived off the land (and the occasional food stamps) and fished and recruited a medic and a midwife. The children went to school and even got a ride from the school bus after some campers convinced the driver to include Taylor Camp on his route. Word of the village spread far and wide and more hippies, surfers and troubled Vietnam war veterans arrived to start a new life in the ungoverned beach community.
The whole naked thing sort of came with the territory of being surrounded by nature but campers maintain they were not “strutters or flaunters”. Former Taylor Camp resident Rosey Rosenthal, today an ESPN radio host and special assistant to the mayor on the Big Island, remembers the atmosphere:
“We were naked. Everyone assumes naked means lascivious. They have all these things in their minds. They go “Ooh, ooh, ooh,” right? But when you live naked and you see these girls naked every day they become your sisters. There’s no prurient interest. It’s like hanging out with your sisters every day. But when a new girl came onto the beach wearing a little bikini, you’d go, “Ooh, what’s going on with that?” You know what I mean? And even beyond that, people think, “Oh, you were naked. You were hippies.” I never knew about any orgies, and if I knew about them, I’d be there. You know what I mean? It wasn’t like I was shy about that kind of thing. Right? It wasn’t going on. It was mainly couples. Relationships. There was—I mean, maybe it was going on somewhere at sometime, but wild orgies weren’t the prevalent thing. The relationships were like any middle class community.”
At its peak, about 120 people were living on the 7 acre community. Residents took in strangers who were looking for a time out; an escape.
“We didn’t need TV; we knew clearly what was going on,” says Sandra Schaub, says former camper Suzanne ‘Bobo’ Rollin. “We had vets in camp. They had come back and they were damaged. You could tell the difference between the guys that had served and the guys that hadn’t. The guys that hadn’t been to Vietnam could still smile and the guys that had, we had to teach them how to smile again.”
Marijuana and pschadellic drugs were certainly part of the living experience for many residents. Sisters Teri and Debbi Green, known around camp as the “Sin Sisters”, who now live normal lives in San Francisco, were regular users of LSD at Taylor Camp. They recall another female resident who took the drug more than 300 times while living at Taylor. Today she works as an attorney.
“You needed some kind of centered sanity, some kind of focus, not just running around and banging your bongos on the beach in the full moon,” says Teri. “That worked for some people, that’s true. But you have to start expanding your mind on your own and you can accelerate the expansion with LSD. For me—acid was a tool, it was a spiritual awakening, used with a focus and a purpose. It wasn’t just, ‘Lets party, break out the acid!’”
(Pictured: Teri and Debi Green)
“Remember the mango pies? On my birthday I would take a hit of LSD and go by myself down the Na Pali Coast. My birthday is mango season,” explains Debi, “And Teri would make me the first mango pie of the season. I would spend that day by myself with my pie in that very naked state. It was a spiritual experience.”
The local Hawaiian community had mixed views of Taylor Camp. Some were accepting and some, well, not so accepting. Because with every paradise, there eventually comes a dark side…
Hawk Hamilton brought up several children on the island with his first wife Suzanne “Bobo” Rollin, and his second partner who arrived later, Cherry (previously pictured breast-feeding on the beach).
“Taylor Camp was pretty innocent but there was a rough element. We had to be on the ball—kind of protective. We called it the ‘End of the Road,’ the ‘Wild Wild West’ and bad things happened there occasionally. Some guys came into Taylor Camp late at night; we were all asleep. All of a sudden, right outside my window a local guy says, “Hey braddah!” I could see the twin barrels of his shotgun stuck right up against the screen, “Hey braddah, you got any drugs…”Foolishly, I dropped to the ground and grabbed a big pillow, put the pillow in front of me as if it would protect me from a gun; then stood up and grabbed a staple gun. In the dim light I raised the staple gun, waving around like it was a pistol, “I got a gun here, get the fuck out of here!” and sure enough the guy disappeared.”
“We had the smack shack where the bad boys lived. One of the guys was named ‘Roger the Dodger,’ great nickname. The other guy was ‘Smiley,’ an ironic name. They were the bad boys. We kind of allowed them to be there, then got rid of them a year or two later. Taylor Camp had all kinds of people, but basically sweet people.”
After eight years of living in a somewhat functional community without rules or rulers, the story of Taylor Camp came to an end. The Hawaiians had run out of patience for the band hippies living rent-free on one of the island’s most beautiful spots. With the tourism industry on the rise, Taylor Camp was considered an eyesore. Complaints about the nudity, drugs, sanitation and even theft got louder and louder, until the hippies’ luck ran out.
In 1977, the state acquired the property once offered to the residents by Mr. Taylor. The village was condemned to make way for the Na Pali State Park and the residents were evicted. Authorities set fire to the camp to ensure they wouldn’t return. In place of the village today is a tourist car park with some picnic tables and public toilets.
Four decades later, island resident and former camper John Wehrheim showed the black & white photographs he had taken of life at Taylor Camp to some filmmakers, Robert C. Stone and Thomas Vendetti. Moved by the images, together, they decided to track down the campers, their neighbours and even the government officials who finally got rid of them. In 2010, they made a documentary which you can see the trailer for here:
“I would say about 97 percent of the people said this was the best time of their lives,” says co-producer Robert C. Stone. “I think there was that sense of freedom and youth and vitality and living with nature and community that just makes an impact on a young person’s life.”
“If I could go back, I would go back this second,” said David Pearson, a surfer who arrived at Taylor Camp in 1972, now a 67-year-old retired public school teacher on the Big Island. “I can’t imagine anything more pristine and beautiful than the life I had there. “It was the single most defining experience of my life.”
For all you free spirits with a coffee table, the Taylor Camp book is available to buy here, featuring interviews, 108 photos and a fold out map of camp Taylor.
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Taylor Camp began in the Spring of 1969, with thirteen hippies seeking refuge from the ongoing campus riots in America and police brutality. Having fled their homes, they headed for Kauai in Hawaii, then a very remote and unspoilt land with just a single traffic light on the island.
“We were involved in the anti-war movement and Berkeley was ready to explode. It was either pick up a gun or leave,” remembers Sandra Schaub, one of the founding members of Taylor Camp along with her husband Victor. “So we decided to leave for Europe and went, ‘Oh what the heck, we’ve never been to Hawaii; we’ll just go to Hawaii and on to Asia and Europe.’ We had no idea what we were doing.”
Poor, homeless and uninterested in living any kind of standard lifestyle, it wasn’t long before the tribe of hippies landed themselves and their children in jail for vagrancy. But an unlikely Hollywood name came to the rescue. Howard Taylor, Eizabeth Taylor’s brother who was a resident on the island, bailed them out and invited them to live rent-free on his land, one of the most beautiful spots on the island where the unspoilt jungle gave way to a crystalline blue bay.
These photographs were taken by Taylor Camp resident, John Wehrheim. The accounts of the Taylor Camp residents you will read here are excerpts from his photo book, Taylor Camp.
There was no electricity or amenities of any kind and Howard pretty much left them to it. The society dropouts started building their beach-front tree houses with bamboo, scrap lumber and salvaged materials. The “flower power campers” were living out their utopian dream without any restrictions or supervision.
They lived off the land (and the occasional food stamps) and fished and recruited a medic and a midwife. The children went to school and even got a ride from the school bus after some campers convinced the driver to include Taylor Camp on his route. Word of the village spread far and wide and more hippies, surfers and troubled Vietnam war veterans arrived to start a new life in the ungoverned beach community.
The whole naked thing sort of came with the territory of being surrounded by nature but campers maintain they were not “strutters or flaunters”. Former Taylor Camp resident Rosey Rosenthal, today an ESPN radio host and special assistant to the mayor on the Big Island, remembers the atmosphere:
“We were naked. Everyone assumes naked means lascivious. They have all these things in their minds. They go “Ooh, ooh, ooh,” right? But when you live naked and you see these girls naked every day they become your sisters. There’s no prurient interest. It’s like hanging out with your sisters every day. But when a new girl came onto the beach wearing a little bikini, you’d go, “Ooh, what’s going on with that?” You know what I mean? And even beyond that, people think, “Oh, you were naked. You were hippies.” I never knew about any orgies, and if I knew about them, I’d be there. You know what I mean? It wasn’t like I was shy about that kind of thing. Right? It wasn’t going on. It was mainly couples. Relationships. There was—I mean, maybe it was going on somewhere at sometime, but wild orgies weren’t the prevalent thing. The relationships were like any middle class community.”
At its peak, about 120 people were living on the 7 acre community. Residents took in strangers who were looking for a time out; an escape.
“We didn’t need TV; we knew clearly what was going on,” says Sandra Schaub, says former camper Suzanne ‘Bobo’ Rollin. “We had vets in camp. They had come back and they were damaged. You could tell the difference between the guys that had served and the guys that hadn’t. The guys that hadn’t been to Vietnam could still smile and the guys that had, we had to teach them how to smile again.”
Marijuana and pschadellic drugs were certainly part of the living experience for many residents. Sisters Teri and Debbi Green, known around camp as the “Sin Sisters”, who now live normal lives in San Francisco, were regular users of LSD at Taylor Camp. They recall another female resident who took the drug more than 300 times while living at Taylor. Today she works as an attorney.
“You needed some kind of centered sanity, some kind of focus, not just running around and banging your bongos on the beach in the full moon,” says Teri. “That worked for some people, that’s true. But you have to start expanding your mind on your own and you can accelerate the expansion with LSD. For me—acid was a tool, it was a spiritual awakening, used with a focus and a purpose. It wasn’t just, ‘Lets party, break out the acid!’”
(Pictured: Teri and Debi Green)
“Remember the mango pies? On my birthday I would take a hit of LSD and go by myself down the Na Pali Coast. My birthday is mango season,” explains Debi, “And Teri would make me the first mango pie of the season. I would spend that day by myself with my pie in that very naked state. It was a spiritual experience.”
The local Hawaiian community had mixed views of Taylor Camp. Some were accepting and some, well, not so accepting. Because with every paradise, there eventually comes a dark side…
Hawk Hamilton brought up several children on the island with his first wife Suzanne “Bobo” Rollin, and his second partner who arrived later, Cherry (previously pictured breast-feeding on the beach).
“Taylor Camp was pretty innocent but there was a rough element. We had to be on the ball—kind of protective. We called it the ‘End of the Road,’ the ‘Wild Wild West’ and bad things happened there occasionally. Some guys came into Taylor Camp late at night; we were all asleep. All of a sudden, right outside my window a local guy says, “Hey braddah!” I could see the twin barrels of his shotgun stuck right up against the screen, “Hey braddah, you got any drugs…”Foolishly, I dropped to the ground and grabbed a big pillow, put the pillow in front of me as if it would protect me from a gun; then stood up and grabbed a staple gun. In the dim light I raised the staple gun, waving around like it was a pistol, “I got a gun here, get the fuck out of here!” and sure enough the guy disappeared.”
“We had the smack shack where the bad boys lived. One of the guys was named ‘Roger the Dodger,’ great nickname. The other guy was ‘Smiley,’ an ironic name. They were the bad boys. We kind of allowed them to be there, then got rid of them a year or two later. Taylor Camp had all kinds of people, but basically sweet people.”
After eight years of living in a somewhat functional community without rules or rulers, the story of Taylor Camp came to an end. The Hawaiians had run out of patience for the band hippies living rent-free on one of the island’s most beautiful spots. With the tourism industry on the rise, Taylor Camp was considered an eyesore. Complaints about the nudity, drugs, sanitation and even theft got louder and louder, until the hippies’ luck ran out.
In 1977, the state acquired the property once offered to the residents by Mr. Taylor. The village was condemned to make way for the Na Pali State Park and the residents were evicted. Authorities set fire to the camp to ensure they wouldn’t return. In place of the village today is a tourist car park with some picnic tables and public toilets.
Four decades later, island resident and former camper John Wehrheim showed the black & white photographs he had taken of life at Taylor Camp to some filmmakers, Robert C. Stone and Thomas Vendetti. Moved by the images, together, they decided to track down the campers, their neighbours and even the government officials who finally got rid of them. In 2010, they made a documentary which you can see the trailer for here:
“I would say about 97 percent of the people said this was the best time of their lives,” says co-producer Robert C. Stone. “I think there was that sense of freedom and youth and vitality and living with nature and community that just makes an impact on a young person’s life.”
“If I could go back, I would go back this second,” said David Pearson, a surfer who arrived at Taylor Camp in 1972, now a 67-year-old retired public school teacher on the Big Island. “I can’t imagine anything more pristine and beautiful than the life I had there. “It was the single most defining experience of my life.”
For all you free spirits with a coffee table, the Taylor Camp book is available to buy here, featuring interviews, 108 photos and a fold out map of camp Taylor.
It was not unusual to find Bobby working at his bench after hours and so his parents, keen to harness their son's obvious talent and passion, made a small jewellery workshop in their garden. Bobby would spend his weekends here perfecting his skills. Fine jewellery making was not just a job to Bobby, but a true passion. Five years of intense training under the invaluable tutelage of his esteemed teachers, coupled with his talent, drive, passion and ambition set him up with exactly the right foundation and skills to push himself to become one of the finest contemporary jewellery craftsmen.
In the autumn of 2004 and at the age of just 21, Bobby was presented with the opportunity to take over the workshop where he had been employed for the last four years. Without hesitation Bobby snapped-up the workshop and set-up his very own business venture, initially named White Jewellery, later re-branded to Bobby White London. With his own business, Bobby had the opportunity to let his creativity flow and really showcase his impressive capabilities by designing his very first fine collection. From this emerged his most famous piece, the 'Motion ring'.
The Motion rings were initially designed for men and are made from 18ct yellow, red and white gold. Today, Bobby produces these stylish and unique rings for both men and women. The secret of the multi-hinged rings lies subtly beneath the surface; some versions have recessed 'rub over' set diamonds just visible on the exterior of the bands, while others have plain bands but a glorious flurry of diamonds only revealed when the hinges are activated with the ring sprung open.Over the years, the Motion rings have won numerous awards and accolades, which has subsequently led Bobby to become renowned for his mounting expertise and application of precision engineering to fine jewellery.
Bobby White is very much regarded by the industry as 'one to watch' and many of the well-known London jewellery houses regularly commission Bobby for his highly skilled craftsmanship to work on their special high-value pieces. Bobby's reputation as a stand-out craftsman and designer continued to grow and make waves, which led him to receiving a call in the summer of 2007 to design jewellery for music legend Prince. A meeting was set and Bobby visited Prince backstage at London's O2 Arena. Here, Bobby was commissioned to make bespoke 'Mr Goodnight' cufflinks, diamond bracelets and a sterling silver collar. Since then, Bobby has become the go-to jeweller for many renowned artists, including hip hop legend Jay-Z, his superstar wife Beyonce and global pop princess Rihanna. Jay-Z owns a 'Spartan' mask ring encrusted with 1.5ct of diamond-cut round black sapphires; Beyonce has a bespoke ram's head ring in silver, sapphire and gold. Both of these pieces where designed in collaboration with The Prodigy's front man Maxim.
Rihanna is the most recent superstar client; she has several pieces which she wore for her performance at the 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony. For her duet with Jay-Z she wore an 18ct red gold and diamond bespoke 'Motion' ring and a slightly modified version of the 'Secret Night' ring from the Star Cross'd Lovers collection. Rihanna has been photographed many times around LA sporting jewellery by Bobby White.
Thursday 16 July 2009 saw the glitz and glamour of the UK Jewellery Awards, held at London's prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel. Bobby had been shortlisted prior to the event so it was a nervous wait at his table alongside Britain's jewellery elite. Bobby had been designing and making jewellery for a decade and this was the night he became recognised as one of the best in the world, when he was presented with the 'UK Young Jewellery Designer of the Year'.
The compere said of Bobby's award, "It goes to a person who creates truly beautiful pieces that are made to a very high standard. His pieces are so tactile; they are more like mini sculptures than pieces of jewellery. Brilliantly enthusiastic and hungry to learn about the industry and how to be a success. The judges were also impressed by Bobby's jewellery trade background. His collection offers a dramatic style that doesn't shy away from making an impact. It's reassuring to see a young designer who is so clever and creative. Ladies and gentleman, the 2009 UK Young Jewellery Designer of the Year winner is Bobby White". Bobby has won multiple awards for both his design and craftsmanship over the years but this is the award which Bobby is most proud of and one that he will treasure forever.
In 2012 Bobby White designed his first women's collection using sterling silver, offering an array of beautifully crafted pieces. True to form, every Bobby White collection is inspired by a story and this time he set out to design a range to tell a complete story. Ever unique, ever the maverick, Bobby chose his favourite play for inspiration: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The dark, passionate tale of love, family rivalry and death by poison drew Bobby into its five acts and the subsequent jewellery collection is encapsulated by these; Fate, Call her Mine, Secret Night, Messenger and True Love.
The 'Fate' collection is inspired by Romeo and Juliet's first meeting at Capulet's ball, and comprises a heart-shaped pendant and matching ring. The collection was launched to jewellery stockiest nationwide on Valentine's Day and started a new chapter in Bobby's career. 'Call her Mine' is inspired by the couples' covert wedding and features ruby red crystal embellished pieces and dove motifs. 'Secret Night' contains the most dramatic pieces including a large cuff with London blue crystal as a centrepiece. It references the first night that the lovers spent together and the dramatic design of the collection symbolises the passion between the two young lovers.
The 'Messenger' designs are embellishment free, just beautifully crafted leaf motif pieces that take inspiration from a traditional 14th century feather quill. The 'True Love' collection takes its lead from Romeo and Juliet's poison vial, which Bobby has crafted into a pendant and a very special pair of earrings. The earrings are made from sterling silver and gold vermeil and sport a Verona blue crystal as the receptacle of the poison.
Obsessed with perpetual motion and all-things precision engineered, it's no wonder that in 2013 Bobby has turned his attention to the journey that eluded man for so long...the race to the moon! The mantra at Bobby White London has always been; "Always aim for the Moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars".
Bobby has always instilled the value in his team that if they propelled themselves high enough, they would at least land among the stars - and suffice to say that in recent years they have caught more than a little stardust in the shape of Beyonce, Rihanna and Mr Carter himself! With Bobby's drive and talent success came quickly and he still believes that there are no limitations to what he can achieve as master craftsman.
The Race to the Moon collection is made up of sterling silver and gold vermeil pendants, embellished with black sapphires. The pieces have been designed to inspire the wearer, reflect achievement and instil confidence. Life in the Bobby White lane says no limits, no barriers, no end, live life like a rocket...take off! In the spirit of creativity and to celebrate this new collection, Bobby will collaborate with up-and-coming artist Cassandra Yap, who together will create just 20 limited edition prints inspired by Bobby's latest collection.
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On the surface, the Griggs family of Northampton in the English Midlands was seemingly a part of this reviled establishment. Making boots since 1901 in the heartland of British shoe-making, the family was successful, established, respected. Scratch the surface a little, however, and it's clear that the Griggs clan actually possessed certain characteristics that would in the future become essential identifiers of any self-respecting youth phenomenon: they were free thinkers and they were different.
Why different? Because the Griggs family didn't accept what had gone before as a rigid template for the future. The past was largely a reference book of ‘old' ideas to rebel against. It was this spirit of innovation that coursed through Bill Griggs' veins as he sat in his Cobbs Lane office one day in the late 1950s flicking through an issue of Shoe and Leather News magazine, only for his eyes to fall upon an advert by a German duo looking for overseas partners for their revolutionary new air-cushioned sole.
Munich-based Dr Maertens and his university friend Dr Funck were also different. Inventors, mavericks, free-thinkers, ditto. In response to a foot injury on a ski-ing trip, they'd invented an air-cushioned sole and were looking for like-minded innovators. Griggs contacted Dr Maertens, a name was anglicized, a plan hatched and a legend born on April 1st, 1960.
When the first pair of Dr. Martens boots rolled off the production line on that day, it was on to a British high street where youth tribes were still a rarity. Not for long: the next four decades saw the time-bomb of subculture explode across the globe as a series of tribes sprang up from their respective undergrounds, each new incarnation heralding a burning desire to be different to what had gone before.
In those early years, however, there are two distinctive and pivotal moments when Dr. Martens and youth culture became melded together, inseparably as it turned out. First up was the early skinhead, a multi-cultural, ska-loving homage to the British working classes, mimicking the dress sense of the working man with an obsessive attention to detail – style was everything. Up until then, the Dr. Martens boot had been sold mostly as reliable working men's footwear; therefore it made the perfect choice for the skinhead. And so Dr. Martens was wrenched from the factory floor into youth culture and, for the brand, nothing would ever be the same again.
A few short and volatile years later, Pete Townshend deliberately donned a pair of black 1460s on stage with his incendiary band The Who, as an unashamed indicator of his affiliation with working class pride. When Townshend windmilled and jumped around in his DM's, the young world watched. This was in an era of flower power and dandyish psychedelia; Townshend looked … different. Now Dr. Martens had a torch-bearer who was at the very heart of youth culture.
Townshend has said that he used to go to bed on tour with two things: ‘A cognac bottle and a Dr. Martens boot.' This almost peculiar personal affection for the boot is not exclusive to The Who's guitarist. It is in fact at the very core of the brand's enduring popularity and it also ensured that over the coming decades, when each subsequent youth subculture feverishly burned the trappings of the previous 'fashion' or 'movement', they frequently saved their cherished Dr. Martens from the flames, clutching them to their collective chest. So when punks came along, angry at a lack of opportunity and defiantly individualistic, they pulled DM's on for the battle; when Two Tone fans spent hours choosing just the right suit, a crisp and clean pair of three-hole 1461 shoes was an essential accompaniment; and when Britpop kids might have kicked against grunge's apparent apathy, a pair of cherry red 8-holers was often the perfect companion.
Once the genie had been let out of the bottle back in the 1960s, the vapours of Dr. Martens' rebellious spirit could not be contained and the boot seeped into every corner and crevice of youth culture. Consequently, the subcultures who have championed Dr. Martens reads like a Who's Who' of youth culture: skins, punks, two tone, Oi!, hardcore, psychobilly, goth, industrial, grebo, grunge, Britpop, emo … the list goes on.
Of course, Dr. Martens has not been immune to the brash self-expression of youth: so the boots are often worn with the quarters flapping open, deliberately unpolished and scuffed; or perhaps laced rigidly and precisely, with a military sheen on the toe. Maybe left plain or else customised individually … and so on. Each to their own. Each pair different. This is where that moment of magic back in late 1950s Northampton truly comes into its own – what the Griggs family created was a watershed silhouette, an off-the-shelf design classic that has quite literally allowed generation after generation to paint its own personality on to those humble uppers, sometimes literally.
With the explosion of technology in the 1990s and into the new Millennium, youth culture changed exponentially. It's fair to say that the so-called ‘tribes' are not so visible anymore, often populating the ether of the internet rather than the streets of the underground. Youth culture in the 21st century is a very much more complex entity, more fluid and certainly more intermingled. Some people claim ‘there are no haircuts anymore' and in a sense that is true. But there is certainly no lack of invention, rebellion and individuality, perhaps now more than ever.
This post-modern generation is far more media-savvie than their predecessors too. They dip into a stylistic ‘Pick 'n' Mix' of fashion and subcultural history to create a look, sound and lifestyle that appeals. Nothing is off limits. Inevitably, some classic looks become misappropriated and demeaned, that's unavoidable and unpreventable. Increasingly, the brands that survive this potentially fatal mass dissemination are those that are genuine. Marketing cheque books can buy screen time or magazine space, but not authenticity. When I first met the current Dr. Martens chairman several years ago, he turned up in a scooter boy's green parka, driving a Mini with a Union Jack on the roof and wing mirrors. Different, I thought.
The inventors of the Dr. Martens air-cushioned sole; the Griggs family; every youth subculture that has ever existed – they all have one common denominator, a primal urge to be different. Modern youth culture is now unrecognisable from the 1950s – in some ways from the 1990s even – and yet the next chapters of the history books will be written by exactly the same kind of personalities who penned the memoirs of the first fifty years of subculture. Namely people who want to be individuals, who want to be expressive, rebellious, free-thinking … different. That word again.
And when they learn from the footsteps of their predecessors and step into a future of their own making, they might just do it in a pair of Dr. Martens …
Dr. Martens’s are a bit notorious for being hard to break in as well – as the leather is pretty thick, it can be stiff and a bit uncomfortable in the beginning (although you might be lucky and not have any problems at all).
They’re extremely comfortable, can handle wet weather, work with both pants and skirts, and generally make you feel like a cool musician. They are good quality items and will last many years.
The stereotypical Dr. Martens-wearer is thought to have a thing for well-worn denim, band t-shirts and lots of eye makeup, am I right? There’s just something about those shoes that begs for coolness but they can also be wore with lots of class and style.
You need to be very well groomed with fabulous hair. Wear quality, luxurious fabrics which hang nicely. Keep it simple, simplicity is the key in most things, but especially shapes and silhouettes. Keep it natural with muted makeup and if you are feeling bold add a statement lipstick. Single colour items are better (for this purpose) than prints. Colours in general are excellent, though, as they prevent us from veering into goth territory with an overload of black.
Finally, remember that even though we’re aiming for classy, we don’t want boring. The secret is to find and wear items that have a sort of quiet confidence, rather than those who shout LOOK AT ME.
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They’re extremely comfortable, can handle wet weather, work with both pants and skirts, and generally make you feel like a cool musician. They are good quality items and will last many years.
The stereotypical Dr. Martens-wearer is thought to have a thing for well-worn denim, band t-shirts and lots of eye makeup, am I right? There’s just something about those shoes that begs for coolness but they can also be wore with lots of class and style.
You need to be very well groomed with fabulous hair. Wear quality, luxurious fabrics which hang nicely. Keep it simple, simplicity is the key in most things, but especially shapes and silhouettes. Keep it natural with muted makeup and if you are feeling bold add a statement lipstick. Single colour items are better (for this purpose) than prints. Colours in general are excellent, though, as they prevent us from veering into goth territory with an overload of black.
Finally, remember that even though we’re aiming for classy, we don’t want boring. The secret is to find and wear items that have a sort of quiet confidence, rather than those who shout LOOK AT ME.
Steinberg and Tolkien for Vintage Shoes ,193 King's Road, London
This is one of the fancier vintage shops in London, and you'll find a number of designer labels here. Be prepared to shell out some money for your finds, however; this store is known to be a little overpriced, but it's a fun trip into vintage wonderland regardless. You'll need to head to the store's basement level for some of the best treasures, but the effort will be well worth it when you finally find that pair of vintage Doc Martens.
Rellik for Vintage Shoes , 8 Golborne Road, Ladbroke Grove, London
You'll find this vintage clothing and accessories store right next to Portobello Raod, and it's stocked full of '80s ensembles and brand name designer collections. Head to the shoes and accessories department for your fair share of Christian Dior, YSL, and Comme des Garcons goodies. From pleather boots to vinyl sandals, you'll definitely find something of interest here!
Rokit for Vintage Shoes, 42 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London
This is one of London's popular spots to round up Japanese streetwear, 80s tees, and a number of retro clothing pieces you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. The bargain bins are definitely worth the trouble, and it's here that you'll find plenty of vintage shoes and unique collections from days gone by. Be sure to check out the jewelry and handbags section for some bargain merchandise.
Palette London for Vintage Shoes, 21 Canonbury Lane, Islington, London
This vintage boutique boasts mint-condition shoes from a number of European designers, and some even date back to the 1920s era. You'll find one of the largest selections of vintage shoes here, and most are priced quite reasonably. If you're looking for something for a special occasion, the staff can also help you accessorize your outfit for a completely unique look.
French Touch for Vintage Shoes, 11 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London
You'll find an assortment of vintage handbags and limited edition accessories here, but there is a small section of vintage shoes available at this popular boutique as well. French Touch features top brands including Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel in the bags and accessories department, along with random selections of shoes and belts. Head here to sample some luxury designer goods firsthand!
From Gucci pumps to Prada slides, you'll find a handful of great vintage shoes at these popular boutiques in London. Set aside a few days strictly for vintage shopping on your next visit, and you'll catch a glimpse of some of London's finest fashion collections from years gone by
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Totty Topical
Our Totty Editor was in the 'lights are on but resident shut in the attic' mode this morning, due to repetitive crazed checks on internet banking for mistaken large credits into her bank account. This literate demented being had her left hand raised above her speed dial to Celebrity Cruises and her right hand on the mouse! There were rumours that she was convinced that the banks error reported in the media to the merit of one said woman, could result in a lucky virus on internet banking and all banks would suffer a spasm of releasing money!
As we sat outside her office with short straws ready to draw as to whom would enter in a totty team voted gorilla outfit for reaction and general career assassination; the inevitable conversation started "what would you do if a bank, employer, 'the social', incorrectly credited your account with, for e.g. £50,000?"
Being an in depth snob for tradition, morality and style I was of course delighted that the majority voted the three S's..."silence, spend it, sod it". How naughty, but in my defence I have been on the immoral side of a few banks that have removed money incorrectly and it has taken repetitive psychotic behaviour on my part to get the matter resolved, always outwith the general '30 days terms of conditions in business' and with no compensation! And don't start me off on the Inland Revenue who accept accounts and several years later decide you made an error on NI contributions then wallop you a bill with interest....backdated to when the inspector woke up!
At what age does morality kick in? With my ex husband we are still waiting delivery of that micro chip. But is this a case of morality or just human emotions? What would one do and what is correct and not. Which bit is a prison sentence??
The majority of the team at Totty HQ decided to use the money bit by bit so as not to alert the payee, whilst practising the shock horror look when they may be confronted. Some said spend it and keep back a third for a good corrupt lawyer. Others decided to spend the lot and embrace any criminal charge as being worth it; life too short and all that. One girl decided she couldn't possibly spend the money as God would consider her soul in detriment at the pearly gates; but she was delivering sandwiches so she doesn't count!
So at the end of a spending spree and a criminal conviction what is left? A big smile? Would you judge someone who spent money that was credited incorrectly by a bank bearing in mind how much they 'screw' us in interest anyway? Whilst the jury was out we heard several expletive's from the Editor's room to the sound of 'in the red' and we sent in the posh totty gorilla anyway.
Morally and sometimes immorally, Syd Dubiere for The Posh Totty Club
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