A peep show for all my foot fetish lovers, by the very talanted DUKE LAFAYETTE:
Sunday, December 26, 2010
JOSEPHINE BAKER
How Josephine Baker Helped Save Post-War French Fashion
by Lesley M. M. Blume, The Huffington Post
" Some style icons never go out of fashion, and Josephine Baker is one of them. Thanks to her chocolate-colored skin, Baker was a second-class citizen in her native America -- but on the stages of 1920s Paris, she became the toast of the continent, even receiving some 1,500 marriage proposals.
Today most people remember this performer for her dances at the Folies-Bergère, in which she wore nothing but a string of bananas draped around her famous hips. Yet much of her ongoing allure centers on how she transcended her role as a sex symbol in many ways.
For example, Baker served as a dedicated member of the French resistance during World War II: her undercover work apparently included smuggling secret messages written on her music sheets. The French government eventually awarded her the prestigious Chevalier of the Legion of Honor award for her hard work and dedication.
On another front, in the 1950s, she began to adopt children of different races, predating Angelina Jolie's international adoptive clan by decades. The result was a "rainbow tribe" to prove that "children of different ethnicities and religions could still be brothers"; she would adopt twelve children in all, to whom she was known as the "Universal Mother."
Yet there seems to be ever more to learn about this extraordinary woman. Last week, one of Baker's adopted sons, Jean-Claude Baker, hosted a lavish dinner honoring his mother's birthday (she would have been 104 years old) at his landmark New York City restaurant, Chez Josephine. During a spirited toast, Monsieur Baker alluded to the fact that Josephine had been a seminal ambassador for some of France's most important - and struggling - design houses after the second World War: a now largely-forgotten fact.
After the dinner, I sat with Monsieur Baker under an enormous oil painting of the nude Josephine (those divine legs! those gorgeous breasts!), and he told me more about the important role Baker played in the world of post-war fashion.
Below, Jean-Claude Baker talks about how Josephine became a savior of the House of Dior, who really invented that deliciously scandalous string of bananas, and how she became a "guest editor" at Vogue (without the editors ever knowing it).
* * *
Lesley Blume: You mentioned that Josephine Baker was one of the earliest ambassadors for French haute couture. Tell me more.
Jean-Claude Baker: Yes, she was, especially after the second World War. France was very poor; there was no money to promote French haute couture. Josephine was a very good friend of Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, and they loved to dress her. And when Josephine came back to American in 1949 - 50, she was wearing -- in a show, onstage -- those fabulous dresses. Americans were absolutely fascinated.
2010-06-04-Bakerwhitegown.jpg
There came a very big book about Dior a few years ago, and that big Dior event at the Metropolitan - Princess Diana was there -- and I went to [the] Dior [people] and I said, 'You don't even have a dress of Josephine's, you don't even have a picture. You should be ashamed.' They told me that there had been a flood in the basement of the building and they had lost all of the materials.
So no one remembers now that Josephine was the one to revive French haute couture after the war.
LMMB: What happened to the clothing from the other designers?
JCB: Everything is gone because Josephine gave all the costumes to a transvestite. Those fabulous costumes are in some Fort Lauderdale drag queen place, or Paris or Hong Kong.
LMMB: Tell me a little bit about her most famous costume: the bananas.
JCB: Well, you cannot talk about Josephine without mentioning them. Jean Cocteau claimed that his lover made the costume, but it was actually made by [iconic designer] Paul Poiret's lover. Monsieur Christian was his name.
2010-06-04-Bakerbananas.jpg
LMMB: You hinted that Josephine herself was a bit of a fashion designer.
JCB: When Josephine arrived in Paris, Paul Poiret invited her to a private [show]. The first model came out; not a word [from her]. The second model came; not a word. People were very shocked, saying 'Who does she think she is?' She said, 'Could I have a piece of paper and a pen?' Then she designed the dress and she added some fringes. Everybody was humiliated and Paul Poiret said, 'Thank you, Josephine. You are hired. This dress should have had two more row[s] of fringes. I will call this dress La Robe Josephine Baker.'
When she was traveling in America, from show to show by train, while the other girls were talking silly about boys or whatever, Josephine would look at Vogue magazine -- and all of the white fashion magazines -- and with a pencil, she would correct all of the drawings.
LMMB: What can women today learn from Josephine Baker?
JCB: If you believe in yourself, you can make whatever you want, dress however you want. Do not follow the trend. Follow your own inner voice. That's what Josephine did all her life. She showed up in Paris and cut her hair, almost like the French men who show their part on the side. The other chorus girls said, 'She has no self-proudness,' but Josephine said, 'Look, the people love it.' She was a trendsetter - and to be a trendsetter, you cannot be a little lamb. You have a break the rules."
by Lesley M. M. Blume, The Huffington Post
" Some style icons never go out of fashion, and Josephine Baker is one of them. Thanks to her chocolate-colored skin, Baker was a second-class citizen in her native America -- but on the stages of 1920s Paris, she became the toast of the continent, even receiving some 1,500 marriage proposals.
Today most people remember this performer for her dances at the Folies-Bergère, in which she wore nothing but a string of bananas draped around her famous hips. Yet much of her ongoing allure centers on how she transcended her role as a sex symbol in many ways.
For example, Baker served as a dedicated member of the French resistance during World War II: her undercover work apparently included smuggling secret messages written on her music sheets. The French government eventually awarded her the prestigious Chevalier of the Legion of Honor award for her hard work and dedication.
On another front, in the 1950s, she began to adopt children of different races, predating Angelina Jolie's international adoptive clan by decades. The result was a "rainbow tribe" to prove that "children of different ethnicities and religions could still be brothers"; she would adopt twelve children in all, to whom she was known as the "Universal Mother."
Yet there seems to be ever more to learn about this extraordinary woman. Last week, one of Baker's adopted sons, Jean-Claude Baker, hosted a lavish dinner honoring his mother's birthday (she would have been 104 years old) at his landmark New York City restaurant, Chez Josephine. During a spirited toast, Monsieur Baker alluded to the fact that Josephine had been a seminal ambassador for some of France's most important - and struggling - design houses after the second World War: a now largely-forgotten fact.
After the dinner, I sat with Monsieur Baker under an enormous oil painting of the nude Josephine (those divine legs! those gorgeous breasts!), and he told me more about the important role Baker played in the world of post-war fashion.
Below, Jean-Claude Baker talks about how Josephine became a savior of the House of Dior, who really invented that deliciously scandalous string of bananas, and how she became a "guest editor" at Vogue (without the editors ever knowing it).
* * *
Lesley Blume: You mentioned that Josephine Baker was one of the earliest ambassadors for French haute couture. Tell me more.
Jean-Claude Baker: Yes, she was, especially after the second World War. France was very poor; there was no money to promote French haute couture. Josephine was a very good friend of Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, and they loved to dress her. And when Josephine came back to American in 1949 - 50, she was wearing -- in a show, onstage -- those fabulous dresses. Americans were absolutely fascinated.
2010-06-04-Bakerwhitegown.jpg
There came a very big book about Dior a few years ago, and that big Dior event at the Metropolitan - Princess Diana was there -- and I went to [the] Dior [people] and I said, 'You don't even have a dress of Josephine's, you don't even have a picture. You should be ashamed.' They told me that there had been a flood in the basement of the building and they had lost all of the materials.
So no one remembers now that Josephine was the one to revive French haute couture after the war.
LMMB: What happened to the clothing from the other designers?
JCB: Everything is gone because Josephine gave all the costumes to a transvestite. Those fabulous costumes are in some Fort Lauderdale drag queen place, or Paris or Hong Kong.
LMMB: Tell me a little bit about her most famous costume: the bananas.
JCB: Well, you cannot talk about Josephine without mentioning them. Jean Cocteau claimed that his lover made the costume, but it was actually made by [iconic designer] Paul Poiret's lover. Monsieur Christian was his name.
2010-06-04-Bakerbananas.jpg
LMMB: You hinted that Josephine herself was a bit of a fashion designer.
JCB: When Josephine arrived in Paris, Paul Poiret invited her to a private [show]. The first model came out; not a word [from her]. The second model came; not a word. People were very shocked, saying 'Who does she think she is?' She said, 'Could I have a piece of paper and a pen?' Then she designed the dress and she added some fringes. Everybody was humiliated and Paul Poiret said, 'Thank you, Josephine. You are hired. This dress should have had two more row[s] of fringes. I will call this dress La Robe Josephine Baker.'
When she was traveling in America, from show to show by train, while the other girls were talking silly about boys or whatever, Josephine would look at Vogue magazine -- and all of the white fashion magazines -- and with a pencil, she would correct all of the drawings.
LMMB: What can women today learn from Josephine Baker?
JCB: If you believe in yourself, you can make whatever you want, dress however you want. Do not follow the trend. Follow your own inner voice. That's what Josephine did all her life. She showed up in Paris and cut her hair, almost like the French men who show their part on the side. The other chorus girls said, 'She has no self-proudness,' but Josephine said, 'Look, the people love it.' She was a trendsetter - and to be a trendsetter, you cannot be a little lamb. You have a break the rules."
Friday, October 8, 2010
October AWARENESS month 2010
Dear peeps,
it's October 2010 and the month is dedicated to Health Awareness. With this note I just like to ask all of you to take a stand for a health issue or a relevant cause that you personally believe in. Unfortunately, we are living in a time of too many incurable diseases, but on the other hand there are risks that you may decrease simply by being informed about.
I would like to raise my voice for Diabetes awareness.
I don't want to flood you with pages and articles about diabetes. There are thousands of sources that you could use to read and learn about diabetes symptoms and treatment. I'm asking you to be responsible to the information you find and make sure you take an action on time.
However, I would like to share a few basic tips to stay healthy and/or to have a good future living with diabetes:
1. BE FIT: do some sports / make a daily walk through the park / stretch or dance even if you have no where to do it, but under the shower. KEEP MOVING!
2. EAT WELL: supply your body with varied food / make sure you deliver your body the complete range of supplements it needs / take vitamins during the autumn
2.1. Living with Diabetes Type 1 allows you to consume sugar, but you must take good care of your diet plan and measure your blood sugar regularly.
2.2. Diabetes Type 2 is better maintained without consuming sugar. Of course, there are plenty of substitutes on the market that replace chocolate, but make sure you consume only as much as your diet allows. A little hint: CINNAMON is highly recommended to diabetics in order to decrease the levels of their blood sugar. Bonus tip: Avoid gape & beans.
3. REGULAR BLOOD TESTS: It is recommended to have some blood examines at least once a year.
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!
TAKE CARE AND BE SAFE!
ANNA
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Don't Let Go
She hold so hard to him, so hard she made him ache and still she never let him go. She tore his skin with her baby nails. She stuck her fingers deeper in his flesh - she tought they could live as one. He bled for too long, but she refused to let him go. Her little muscles pump so tense. Her hands began to shiver from the tighten grip & still she refused to let him go. Her shoulders got so hard. The bones within her neck began to multiply. She lost her sleep at night - the pain in her back never let her blink. She even couldn’t turn aside - the left part of her chest began to freeze...But still she refused to let him go. And though her body didn't feel so well, she push harder to become a part of him - she insert herself to be his backbone. And finally she reached him from the inside - she found a womb to grow. And yes, in there it felt so warm; it felt just like real home. But oh, she was so tired from the act. She felt so small and couldn't move at all. Her shine just fade away, no one see her beauty anymore. She traded her world to be a part of him and it was home - she still refused to let it go. Her life turned out to be a supporting system of vanity. She kept him proud and tall, she never let him fall. She did all she could to save him good. And she just felt so right, cooperating on his flight. The days just flew so fast, they survived all the past. And they lived together just like birds, but her back never stop to hurts. The days were fine even without her special shine, but at night she couldn’t blink – an angel with a broken wing.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sanity is subjective ...
Madness?
Insanity?
Craziness?
Paranoia ... Schizophrenia
Reading Wikipedia articles won’t really teach you as much as my alter ego could.
But don't bother so much for my diagnose. My head is like a tin can full of tahini halva* and lokum* - sweet and exotic thoughts from the Orient. You force to open my head. You want to explore the unknown. Just like a can opener, your words press down over my top of existance. Shall I struggle? Shall I return the favor?
What's in your head? It's a mystery to your mother and father, but to me it's all visible through the uncracked skull. A green young brain at the size of a marble...or even smaller?! I can see it all clear - a pea bean. Really? Is that big your sanity? Is your reality that ripe? Don't make me laugh! Your universe is a joke!
Somebody give you the definition for “mad” and you easily label people around, like bottles of milk in your daddy’s supermarket.
How many stamps of “love” have you licked for your collection of envelopes? Licked? … I mean, you suck!
____________________________________________________________________
*tahini halva - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halva#Bulgaria
*lokum, a.k.a. turkish delight - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_delight
I'm a Big, Big Girl in a BIG, BIG World...to live a dream!
So, all you people out there, breathing your dreams, stop being so judgmental about theirs. Your choices get chances, so just everybody does.
You chose to serve in favor of society – inhale your dose of fresh air and get closer to God.
And they may chose to serve in honor of ART…serve in the name of LOVE…serve to their own good – than they should grab the veil from their angle and get higher.
We are all on the right track of our dreams.
There is no “better”! Insanity is dogmatic. Madness is a term that encourages the masses, drunken with ignorance, to stand against geniality.
Your reality won’t defeat their surrealism. And their cosmos of dreams won’t harm your room. There’s a lot of space for everyone …
Stop pointing fingers at the different ones, while claiming to be different than the others. Regular or irregular – take the measures on your own scales and RESPECT others big jumps. If you are afraid to break some bones, don’t hate those who aren’t, just take pride of your weak selves and giggle once they fall and bruise. But do not laugh too hard, because some are brave enough to turn their insides out and walk the streets with no shame of their bleeding flash. If only we could all be just that opened… Open minded. Open hearted … Cut open.
GIF animations generator gifup.com
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Society against Individuals
*Should a woman who doesn't want any kids (EVER) be obligated from family and society to change her mind? Does the motherhood come from the womb or from the
heart? Could a loner raise a lover? Would both parent and child find happiness, ever?
*Would it be wrong to set an age limit for IVF (in vitro fertalization)? What hurts more: a bruised ego or a maimed life?
*Should homosexuality be denied from religion? Is human's hypocrisy sacral enough to speak on behalf of God's will?
*Should the kind ignorance rise a voice for literacy?
*Does a wound hurt more if we know it would never heal? Does pain bring us down or just give us the strengths to rise above...above it all? Doesn't the spirit go higher only when we feel lower?
*How big is your sky?
heart? Could a loner raise a lover? Would both parent and child find happiness, ever?
*Would it be wrong to set an age limit for IVF (in vitro fertalization)? What hurts more: a bruised ego or a maimed life?
*Should homosexuality be denied from religion? Is human's hypocrisy sacral enough to speak on behalf of God's will?
*Should the kind ignorance rise a voice for literacy?
*Does a wound hurt more if we know it would never heal? Does pain bring us down or just give us the strengths to rise above...above it all? Doesn't the spirit go higher only when we feel lower?
*How big is your sky?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Unwritten
I wake up when others fall asleep. I dress in nudety and walk under the sky. When nature gives me SUN, I live like it's a SUNday morning. When nature gives me RAIN, I make myself a RAINbow(L) and eat it with spoon...sometimes I help it with forks, but I always carry a knife in my back. I don't mind, since my skin is like a map of where your hypocrisy has been...I give you directions. I keep on walking, when the others stop...I learn from books and dying souls - they are the closest to God... I believe. I have Faith. I give my trust ... They'll never take my spirit - that's why they'll never saint me. Still, I may rise above you, but only to help you get back on your own two feet. But I won't mind crawling with the one I love if love brought us down. Gabo, I aim for the mountain top, but I promise you I'll never forget that my happiness is in climbing up hill! I promise you!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
FALCON[-RY]
A graceful bird with body size of 50 centimeters and a wingspan of 100 centimeters caressed by a human hand in a stylish leather glove.
THE FALCON & THE FALCONRY
The FALCON is a collective word for any species of the bird of prey. These are birds that hunt other small animals by using their keen senses, especially vision. Due to the record diving speed at 320km/h, the falcons are the fastest moving creatures on Earth.
The FALCONRY is a sport which involves trained prey birds to hunt some wild quarry for the humans. It's a sport with a great history record that could be very conflicting in different literature pieces. The thing that's certain is that falconry dates back thousands of years BC and evolved through ages - from the Asian Huns habits to the Saxon England lands. Nowadays, it's a very expensive choice...but not only...
Falconry is not just an exotic hobby to fulfill your leisure time with. The falcon is no ordinary pet, that you can simply leave for a week while on vacation.
href="http://fvx.com>Create An Animated Image"
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Марина Абрамовић - The Performance Artist
Marina Abramovic, age 64, is an active performance artist with an impressive history of works and a present exhibition at the MoMA NY called "The Artist is Present" (March 14 - May 31, 2010). The pigeon* represents the history of performance art and her history represents the present of performance art. Wordplay?! Yes, but it makes sense, once you enter her world!
Active for 3 decades, this lady of expressions have affirmed the connections between artist and audience and have pushed her body and mind to the limits of resistance. Her latest work, performed during her "MoMA's days", confirms the willpower of the artist's spirit, describing it as "the longest duration of time that she has performed a single solo piece"
* pigeon refers to: 1. a Serb (Cigan as they call themselves), pertaining to Serbia, its inhabitants, or their language; 2. a native or inhabitant of Serbia
Rhythm 10 (1973)
At the early '70's, Marina presented her first piece, exploring the elements of gesture. The "5 finger fillet"* leaded to 20 cuts on her hand, all recorded on a video tape. After watching it and exploring the reactions of her body to the caused pain, Marina repeated the performance in order to exceed the limitation of physical and mental pain.
*5 finger fillet refers to: a Russian game in which rhythmic knife jabs are aimed between the splayed fingers
The following performances called Rhythm 5, Rhythm 2, Rhythm 0, in 1974, were a high light at her artist statement.
During the performance of Rhythm 5, Marina lost consciousness due to a lack of oxygen while implementing a final act of purification in the middle of burning communist five ray-ed star. She concluded that the physical and mental limit of the artist is the consciousness. One can't be present when passed out.
Rhythm 2 came like a natural result from her previous act and was basically a research over the artist's unconsciousness. Marina took a drug to force her body to pass into series of seizures and uncontrollable muscle contractions. After the first part of the performance, Marina stuffed herself with an opposite-effect drug, causing general immobility. The base line between body and mind grew stronger.
In Rhythm 0 , the artist involved the audience into her act by letting them to manipulate over her body. While playing a passive role, Marina offered the public the opportunity to examine her with 72 random objects among which: whip, knife and a "Russian roulette" gun.
In 1976 Marina Abramovic collaborated with the German performance artist Ulay*.
*Ulay refers to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uwe_Laysiepen
She continued the "body and mind" acts through the years. In the '90's her works get even deeper involved with the topic of "physical and mental resistance" only these times the works were more related to the her origins and geographical roots. Adding the flavor of her "Balkan" background, Marina managed to reveal a whole new dimension in a world of modernism.
Right now, she is still in MoMA, New York and she's there for you. How further would you go in order to get to know your own limits?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Into the World of Music 2 ... I Like!
Top 10. May 2010
on my playlist these days
1. Owl city - Sunburn
2. Anja Garbarek - Big mouth
3. Melanie Pain - My name
4. B.o.b. - Nothing on you
5. Gossip - Pop goes the world
6. Mika - I see you
7. Usher - So many girls
8. Chocquibtown - San Antonio
9. Anouk - Three days in a row
10.M.I.A. - Born free
on my playlist these days
1. Owl city - Sunburn
2. Anja Garbarek - Big mouth
3. Melanie Pain - My name
4. B.o.b. - Nothing on you
5. Gossip - Pop goes the world
6. Mika - I see you
7. Usher - So many girls
8. Chocquibtown - San Antonio
9. Anouk - Three days in a row
10.M.I.A. - Born free
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
into the WORLD of MUSIC ... I Like!
Top 10. April 2010
/On my track list/
1. MIKA - Rain
2. Scissor Sisters - Invisible light
3. Farah - Gay boy
4. Gerald Toto - Chocolate cake with cream and raspberries
5. Zazie - Sur Toi
6. Vanessa Paradis - I love Paris
7. Lily Allen - LDN
8. La Roux - I'm not your toy
9. Dan Finnerty - Candy shop (cover)
10. Steve Miller band - The Joker
/On my track list/
1. MIKA - Rain
2. Scissor Sisters - Invisible light
3. Farah - Gay boy
4. Gerald Toto - Chocolate cake with cream and raspberries
5. Zazie - Sur Toi
6. Vanessa Paradis - I love Paris
7. Lily Allen - LDN
8. La Roux - I'm not your toy
9. Dan Finnerty - Candy shop (cover)
10. Steve Miller band - The Joker
Understanding FREEDOM
"You won't understand what FREEDOM is. You were born in a free world and to you FREEDOM is like air - invisible, accrued and unappreciated. You just could not understand the sacredness of it, but you always use it in your profane speeches for the FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF CHOICE, etc. Only those who were born in such form of modern slavery, like the Communist regime, may probe the freedom after 1989. "
One wise man, that I'm proud to be an attendant on his class, Professor Maslarov.
Friday, February 12, 2010
REQUIEM FOR ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
I am too shocked and upset to make a good blog entry right now, so I'll just follow my need to share this grief for my true muse - Alexander McQueen!
He was...IS...the one true inspiration for my imagination!
The news for his death simply took the intensity of the colors from my eyes!
To me, he was the genius who broke the stereotypes for beauty. The one who revolutionized the shapes and manners in dressing. The innovations he brought in shoe-art, accessorizing and clothing changed the world of fashion and beyond...
My prayers go to all of you devastated from the terrible loss, including me!
He will always be remembered! My admiration and love would last for a life time! He died so young and in such a sad way...
May his soul find peace in heaven! I believe his colors brighten the sky !!!!
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