The Modern Bettie Page

Australian Showtime's Satisfaction is probably one of those shows that most people only admit to watching in whispered tones. Set in a high-class brothel, the show chronicles the lives of female and male sex workers. To say that it's steamy is an understatement and probably even more groundbreaking in that arena than say, Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

I could probably talk at length about sex work and systems and cultures in which women and their bodies become commodities, but this really isn't a forum for that. I will say that while Satisfaction is presented with a lot of glam and heat, it does manage to quietly skim over these issues. At times, I would prefer it was a bit more hard hitting, the clientele chosen more from reality than an idealized version of what sex workers face.  For example fetish is explored, but the bodies on the screen are predictably fit and attractive.  The bad not  ever as bad as it could be.

Anyway, since this blog is about fashion, I'm talking about Satisfaction because I adore the fashion sensibilities of Nat. Natalie, owner of the brothel, is neat and organized. Her wardrobe reminiscent of Bettie Page.  The connection is most obvious in her hairstyle during season 3: deep black hair with short blunt cut bangs.  Like Bettie Page, Nat usually lets it curl in vague waves at the ends.

 Nat pulls her wardrobe from a very vintage inspired concept, high waisted pencil skirts are complimented by lace or silk blouses.  Always skirts.  Always heels. Well, almost always anyway.  The look is streamlined and close fitting, her waist emphasized either with the line of the skirt or crafty belting.  She's also the master of suspenders. I usually think of them as being appropriate for older men, but Nat makes them understated sexy.

The wardrobe choices made for Nat are critical in terms of building character.  Nat's buttoned up look is a visual reminder of how strictly she controls her life, controls herself. It's quietly sexual, but reserved.  The heavy dark colors are a representation of reserve and unwillingness to engage with the world. At the same time, she doesn't (either in terms of wardrobe or personality) seem to fit into either the world of glam and hyper-color that surrounds the brothel, nor does she fit in in the outside world, one filled with light.  This is Nat's ongoing struggle, feeling like an outcast and abnormal while keeping her piece of the world in control.

Jack Harkness as fashion inspiration

Here's where I enter into full geekdom and you discover that your dear blogger is uterrly dorky.  I blame my husband's love for Dr. Who and it's current hiatus from our television set that I began watching Torchwood with him.  Sure, it's lovely for the eye candy, but I'm thrilled with how wonderful the BBC is. American TV take note, I want to see more programming with open male-to-male relationships, I want the presentation of sexuality as fluid rather than unerringly specific.

But, I digress, here on my fashion blog I thought it was time to give hommage to Jack Harkness as fashion inspiration.  If you haven't seen the show, the basic background of his character is that he's a Time Lord, able to hop, skip and jump around time.  Born long in the future he gets stuck in 19th century Britain and lives his life through to present day. He steals the identity of Captain Jack Harkness and lives his very long life as him since he can't die and all.  Oh, yes, and above all else, he's fashionably fashionable.

So here, I give you, the very spledorific Jack Harkness and the Torchwood team:

And here I give you the women's outfit I have assembled based on his look:

Outfit consists of:
Vintage blouse with embroidered flower available at Platypi Vintage for $32.
1980s military style wool coat available at hotdate for $32.50.
Leather poppies cuff by Designs by Amber for $25.
Vintage Italian leather low boots by Ruggeri available at b0mode for $32.
Twill bootcut pant by Sanctuary available at  Piperlime for $98.

Imagined Travel: Lily Dale

One of my beautiful friends suggested that we take more trips together starting in 2010. I'm all for spending some quality time with my girlfriends. Though we've talked about trips ranging near and far, one of the places I really want to go to is the town of Lily Dale, not far from my new home in the Adirondacks.

Lily Dale is a spiritualist community nestled in the heart of New York in Chautauqua County. Founded in 1879 on the shores of Cassadaga Lake, Lily Dale is considered the largest spiritualist community in the world. In addition to it's historic buildings, Lily Dale is perhaps best known for its resident mediums. Not any medium can set up shop in Lily Dale, they must first pass a rigorous test by a panel of town officials.

In preparation for such a trip, I'd like to plan ahead (read daydream) about things to wear when going to a medium. Since things don't really get going in Lily Dale until the spring/summer season, I selected a great warm weather outfit.

Outfit consists of:
1950s rayon and hand embroidered skirt by Linda Michoacan. It's a size small with 27" waist. Available at Monster Vintage for $89.99.

Papaya layering tank. Available at Old Navy for $8.50.

Bronze metallic Legend 5 flats by Me Too. Available at Piperlime for $59.99.

Apple red raw edged scarf by KERSH. Available at Chickdowntown for $65.

1950s straw bag with bamboo handle. Holds a lot at 8"x13". Available at Adore Vintage for $24.

Multi-toned red bracelet by Marc for Marc Jacobs. Available at zappos.com for $78.

Television Inspiration: Swingtown

I know the television show Swingtown was on this summer, but somehow all of the last episodes got away from me. I just recently got a chance to catch up by watching it on Netflix. I know there's been a lot of debate if the show is coming back, but quite honestly it ended at a point that resolved a lot of what I was watching it for. If anyone else caught the show I was mostly interested in the romance between Roger and and Susan and that had a satisfactory conclusion with the end of the season. It would be sad not to see the hotness that is Tom Decker played by the actor Grant Show, but I could learn to live without it.

Given that Swingtown takes place in the summer of 1976, there's a lot of great fashion in each episode. Sure some of it wouldn't translate well into a modern wardrobe, well unless you wanted to look straight from the 70s, but it's still full of wrap dresses, bikinis, and gold hoop earrings. Each of the female characters has a distinctive style. Janet reads mostly like a 1960s housewife in shirt and skirt sets. This fits her more conservative personality. Susan who is trying to find herself and decide what she wants in life swings (haha!) between a lot of what I would call as mommy apparel and sexy dresses for going out to clubs. Trina Decker, the main swinging female of the show, has my favorite wardrobe. All of her outfits are sexy and manage to do so in a way that we would never term as slutty. Perhaps it's the character's confidence that manages to sexify more reserved options than we're used to seeing presently, but I think it mostly just shows that being sexy doesn't require showing a lot of skin or that showing skin doesn't have to come across in a way that seems cheap.

Below are some shots of Swingtown to inspire us all to embrace a bit of polyester and see that the 1970s had a lot to offer.

Television Inspiration: Pushing Daisies

Last week, through the magic of Netflix, I was able to catch up on season 1 of Pushing Daisies. I'd started watching the show from the beginning given that I love Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, but as the pressure to finish my novel grew, I gave up most of my television programs. I'm so happy that I'm caught up and can begin season 2. What I love about the series is not only the premise (man who can bring people back to life with a touch but with some conditions) but also how visually interesting each episode is. The colors are hyper-saturated, almost as though a dial on the world has been turned up. Each setting is familiar yet vaguely surreal. The Pie Hole restaurant's pie crust roof seems like something out of a fairy tale while the houses are all picture book Victorians and Queen Annes.

From a fashion standpoint, Pushing Daisies hits the mark every time. Ned, our main character, dresses in well-cut suits and skinny ties. His partner in crime solving, Emmerson, has a 1970s feel to his wardrobe given the brightly patterned dress shirts he favors. The Aunts each have their own style, one favoring a late 60s early 70s loungewear look, the other in Asian inspried mini-dresses and tops. Olive, my favorite character, has a mod look to her with, for example, acidic green dresses trimmed in white complimented by the occassional sundress. But the real show here, for me at least, is Chuck. Chuck has every 50s-60s inspired outfit that I wish I could buy. She always looks tastefully pulled together from her large sunglasses to her pumps. So here's some Chuck inspiration to get our week started.