The Dramatis Personae: Iona [Pretty In Pink]

It's been a long time since I have visited the "Dramatis Personae"-- though this one has long been on my mind. And it seems I'm not the only one, as Nylon magazine recently featured this fabulous, funky, and fantastic femme in their "School of Rock" issue (July 2008).

May I present our Dramatis Personae, Iona, from Pretty In Pink!

If there is one character in film culture who I identify with, it's Iona. Iona is one of those rare characters (much like Carrie Bradshaw) who defies time, stereotype, culture, and age. Her wardrobe changes with her moods, and it engulfs wigs, funky sunglasses, vintage clothes, hats, dramatic shoes, and bold brooches. Her style is a product of the time,

There are fewer tragedies in the world than the fate and end of Iona; she gives up her colorful and eccentric wardrobe to don the working girl suits of the 1980s, all for a man.

And to celebrate the fabulous style of Iona, I present one of my favorite movie scenes of all times (Otis Redding + 1940s style; can you go wrong?):



Glorious goods to help you get your own Iona-inspired stye...
Vintage 1940s Pillbox hat with veil (and starting at $5!).
The Party Page Wig from the decadent Fifi Mahoney's (in shocking white, natch).
Trasy Diva's Asia Blouse (on sale for $57!)
1960s pink prom dress (no need to reconstruct this one!);

Adventure in Nola-land...

For the person who found my blog searching for "Alice in Wonderland dramatis personae," while you may not have been looking for me per se, but you're gonna get it anyway.

I present... Krewe Du Wonderland (February '06)









You can find the whole set here; and if you look closely, you can find MOST of the Dramatis Personae from both Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass.


For the lass (I assume) who came here wondering, "Which goes on first crinoline corset," I always recommend putting the corset on last (as demonstrated above). Very last. Not only does it help smooth out the overall outfit and ensure your crinoline is hiding possible bulge, it also means you don't have to get someone else to put your shoes on. That's kind of embarassing.

The Dramatis Personae -- Jo Stockton [Funny Face]

While Breakfast at Tiffany's may be Audrey Hepburn's most iconic role to date, that isn't to say it is her most, or only, stylish role. Since I was little, Hepburn's role as Jo Stockton in Funny Face has been my favorite work of hers.

Featuring an every charming Fred Astaire, Funny Face is about bookworm and keeper Jo Stockton, the academic and intellectual with a bone structure and bod for business. After an attack in a fashion magazine office, Jo is flown to Paris where her career in fashion skyrockets. From haute couture, to Parisian beatnik, and brainy bookworn, Jo's wardrobe is as diverse as other, more modern, fashion icons. From the classic trench, to white socks and black cigarette pants, to vibrant green opera gowns, her wardrobe covers it all.

Not only does the film feature fantastic fashion, but a great song and dance styling (with tunes like, "How to be Lovely,"), and my other favorite love-- photography. This is classic film worth watching, whether you're a Hepburn fan or not.


Below is a fan-edited piece of the movie, accompanied by Etta James' "At Last." Though not featuring the delightful music of the film, it does a lovely job of showcasing the many outfits and personaes of Jo Stockton.

The Dramatis Personae-- Jerrica/Jem [and the Holograms!]

I can never let myself watch too much of Jem and the Holograms, because pretty soon I'm focused what I have in my wardrobe and what I need so that I can be a Hologram all of the time. Because of their saccharine sweet songs, do-good attitudes, and ability to look their best for any situation, Jem and the Holograms are our Dramatis Personae.



Business woman Jerrica by Day, Party Girl Jem by Night, this dynamic duo is like the Electro Rock version of the mullet. Something like that. And whether the band is hanging off a cliff in their jazzy convertible, battling the Misfits, or volunteering and running the Starlight House, these girls were truly truly outrageous.

Rock your own Jem and the Holograms style with some of fashion's big hits this season-- booties, opaque colored tights, the revival of cocktail hats and fluffy hair pieces, vibrant and bold eyeshadow and lipsticks. Be your own Ballsy and Beautiful Businesswoman by day, and a Delightful and Daring Rock Diva by night. Tear that bottom layer off of your calf length skirt for an instant micro mini that's as easy as saying Show Time Synergy!

What isn't there to love about this colorful group of girls? They're fashionably savvy, business smart, driven by a sense of community service and dedication, and they never stoop to the level of the Misfits. Is there any wonder where the Spice Girls got their Girl Power attitudes from?

For a bit of fun (and some wardrobe scoping!), check out this Le Tigre "Deceptacon" meets Jem video:

The Dramatis Personae -- She's A Femme Fatale

In all of cinema, the Femme Fatale is one of favorite archetypes. What's not to love about her? Her characterization has made her iconic. And despite the fetishization of her sexualized self, the Femme Fatale is always a deeply intelligent, intriguing woman, set on her survival.

I was surprised, when searching for images of Femme Fatales, as how the sexualized stereotype or the murderous mistress has dominated this character. Instead, I'd like to point out the other often seen characteristics of the Femme Fatale:
delicate vulnerability
charm and social graces (who can forget Gilda?)
dedication to her house and family (although not always to her husband!)
independence and ability to depend when necessary
modesty and often understated sexuality (for a good lesson in modest and sexy, just watch 40s and 50s film noirs!)
mistress of mystery and intrigue
intelligent, witty, and silver-tongued

When you can break down the Femme Fatale beyond sex and death, how inspiring is she? For more inspiration ladies of the night, here are a few of my Favorite Femme Fatales:
Bridget Gregory from the Last Seduction.
Elsa Bannister from The Lady From Shanghai.
Lilah Morgan in tv's Angel.
Mildred Pierce


1. Untitled, 2. It Never Stops, 3. Reluctant Assassin 4, 4. Femme Fatale, 5. femme fatale, 6. paper-life - "femme fatale", 7. Femme Fatale, 8. Une femme fatale, 9. The Last Seduction

The Dramatis Personae-- DJ Barbi

While I say I don't fit in to any subcultural categories, it's probably a bit of a lie. If I could go all out, all of the time, I'd be an electroclash girl all of the way. For someone who is a fan of all the 80s had to offer, electroclash was a blessing in disguise-- Finally, a way to be hip and ahead of the times!

So this edition of The Dramatis Personae focuses on DJ Barbi a femme fatale tour de force shaking up and down the music scene. What I love about DJ Barbi's style (musical and fashionable) is her ability to take the basics, dress them up with accessories to create an image and sound that is completely tight and all her own. From the American Apparel dresses paired with boxy sneakers, long chains, and neon earrings, to the designs shaved in to the side of her head, DJ Barbi has a style that can be imitated, but hardly recreated.

One of her signature looks that are all over her Myspace page, that I'm oddly crazy about-- her nails! Who does that anymore? Each finger is this little piece of art straight out of Earth Girls are Easy:

I'm not a nail polish kind of girl, but I can't help but love these, and think, maybe... just maybe, I could keep polish on my fingers for that kind of flashback look. Meg, I'm dying to know what these nails say about her!

The Dramatis Personae-- Christina Aguilera

I'm almost ashamed to make this post. Since I was a child, I've had this weird fortune of following the careers of the 90s princes and princesses of pop-- from when they started on The Mickey Mouse Club to where they have currently landed. And musically, while I always relied on my fellow LA girl, Britney, I have to say, it's been Christina Aguilera that's been catching my eye lately.

While I can't agree with all of her outfits (like this Union Jack-esque unitard), she's grown up in to quite the classy lady. Musically and visually, her style has evolved in to something much more suitable for a woman with the voice of a true Diva. Both styles are recalling a day where subtlety was a virtue, beauty and glamor were synonymous, and there are things still left to the imagination. Her fall-back to the 1940s is flirty and fun, fresh and exciting, while still maintaining a sex appeal that few manage to contain.

Ellen Von Worth's video for Aguilera's "I Got Troubles" is provocative and classy, sassy and dirty (but long having left behind the "Drrrty"). This video has been on my mind a lot, as we see many of the 1930s and 40s fashion pieces coming in to style (both on the street and on the runway). Corsets and cocktail hats, seamed stockings and fringe, Aguilera brought sexy back before Timberlake even named the song.



Picture from the gals at Go Fug Yourself, and video found by the lovely Gala Darling.

Art's Inspirations

Not too long ago, Jennine at the Coveted asked for people's inspirations, but geared it more towards artists with their own style. I couldn't help but comment that mine, in that regard, would be photographer Cindy Sherman. The way Sherman addresses herself as a photographic subject, an artist, and her personal style, was part of my own individual development long before I knew who she was. Perhaps it is related to both of our loves and experiences in film and the theater.

On a personal and artistic level, I have often used my photography as a means of creating a dramatic persona for myself, to discover aspects of myself that I may not have otherwise known about. Sherman once said, "I'd play with makeup for awhile just to see where it took me." Many nights, my efforts would result in evening performances where I'd do my hair, make-up, costuming, lighting, and create mini fashion shoots in my apartment. Sometimes they manifest beyond that, in to something that is for purposeful wear, like when my friends and I dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland.

Cindy Sherman did not leave her personas to only her photography. In her collection of "The Complete Untitled Film Stills: Cindy Sherman," she says,

Back in college, I'd started to wear them as regular clothes [costumes]. I'd also go to openings in character; once I went as a pregnant woman. Another time I turned into Rose Scalisi.... In New York I continued to dress-up-in-public things just a few times. I went to some parties in character: once I was a checkout girl, other times just in a more general disguise. It was great to feel incognito at an event where I felt awkward... We'd also agreed I would occasionally come to work in costume [featured right].

My inspiration and likeness extends beyond our perceptions and deliberate modifications of our physical appearance. When reading "The Complete Untitled Film Stills: Cindy Sherman," I was often struck by her responses to how and why she created the work she did, her academic and intellectual response to the her work and the cinematic/photographic theories. While the depiction of women she created is critically examined (particularly given the civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s, when she was shooting), Sherman says of her work,

"I didn't think of what I was doing as political: to me it was a way to make the best out of what I liked to do privately, which was dress up.... it was just fun to look different. It had nothing to do with fantasizing about being another person: it was instinctive."

Warm... Heatherette

Perhaps it is fond memories of club-tramping around the French Quarter's Lower Decatur with glorious boys named Atomic! and lascivious wanton women like the NOLAdies (two featured), or just my childhood dreams of drama and spotlights; regardless, the outlandish and outrageous style of New York's dynamic duo, Richie Rich and Traver Rain, and their label, Heatherette, remains one of my most anticipated lines every season.

Their style reflects the ephemeral nature of the club scene, capturing in their outfits the glorious and destructive nature of submerging yourself in to the scene. Their ability to contrast and coordinate prints may be bold and shocking to the sober eye, and a vision of beauty to intoxicated mind. Their collections are atypical of the seasonal trends, reflecting instead the ever growing and dynamic nature of subcultural America. Their Fall 2007 Ready To Wear line is available on Style.com.

The Dramatis Personae: Alison Goldfrapp

Alison Goldfrapp, frontwoman for Goldfrapp, is a tour de force when it comes to personal style, innovation, and bravery. Her style is haute, yet worn with such conviction there is no doubt that she is a modern day diva-- she has been said to have a larger-than-life stage persona. Her style incorporates 70s Glam Rock, timeless trends, with couture accessories (such as tails and feathers, or half-foot high stilettos), creating a style that is as broadly influenced as her musical stylings. But like a genuine style icon, Goldfrapp says of herself and her music, "I'm really not interested in what's fashionable and what's not fashionable."