With Your Beating Heart

Detail of Patrick Nagel's cover art for Duran Duran's album, Rio (1982)

Thirty years ago, on May 10, 1982, Duran Duran released Rio.

I've previously mentioned that I wasn't an enthusiast of their music back in the day, but it is impossible for me to remember the early to mid '80s with hearing Duran Duran's music playing somewhere in the background. Now, with a mix of nostalgia and a fresh appreciation for New Wave-style music, I really enjoy this music.

Although I certainly would complain about the constant airplay that they received on the local radio stations and the various video channels, it was good music with captivating videos. Being very enthusiastic of sexy "Euro-babes" and the exotic beauties of the era, I didn't mind watching the videos over and over and over. ;-)

Patrick Nagel's alternative artwork for the Rio cover

And I've always loved the cover art. Nobody did stylish and sexy like Patrick Nagel.

Time Can't Touch Us

Christy Turlington (1993); photo by Jonathan Exley

I miss the days when "super models" dominated fashion magazine covers, when the queens of the catwalk defined that which was chic, from haute couture to commercial merchandising. It was a time when popular culture looked to the "glamour girls" as the ideal beauties, the leading look of emerging style.

I don't know who is my favorite super model, but Christy Turlington is certainly near the top of my list. It isn't because I find her to be the most gorgeous or sexy, but because there is an accessibility, a sense of invitation, to her posturing, a vulnerability intrinsic to her poise. With a broad chin and pinched nose, Christy is far from being a "perfect" beauty; her irresistible allure comes the intangible persona that her material features so strongly convey.

Today marks Christy Turlington's 43rd Birthday, born in 1969. Yet, I find her every bit as lovely as I did back in the late '80s.

Christy Turlington on the cover of Paris Vogue (August 1987); photo by Bill King

So, let's wish Christy a Happy Birthday!

Fashionable Frost

Nancy Kerrigan won the 1992 US Silver Medal in a Vera Wang outfit. (Photo: Mike Powell)


Much has been written about Nancy Kerrigan.

The history of figure skating provides high drama and extreme personalities in every generation. Arrogance, anger, despair, and kindness, the Passions rule the Ice. And the skater's blade has no sharpness when compared to their competitive spirits. Don't let the fancy outfits fool you.

But Nancy Kerrigan and her tumultuous times took it to the limit. In 1991, if a writer were to plot out the events that were to occur in the figure skating world over the next three years, their story would have been rejected as an absurd parody. The outrageous characters, the overblown antagonism, the breathless sensationalism, these would have been considered pure hack work of a puerile imagination.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Kerrigan won the '94 Olympic Silver in another Vera Wang outfit (Photo: Clive Brunskill)

So let's celebrate Nancy's birthday today and remember those days of drama. ;-)

Isn't That a New Fur Coat?

Promotional Image for the 1996 movie

Born on May 3rd, 1896, Dodie Smith is best known for her novel, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, written in 1956. This novel has been adapted into a movie twice, an animated feature in 1961 and a live-action movie in 1996. In both cases, the movies were box office successes and spawned sequels. And a Broadway musical!!!

It's a children's story, so the plot isn't complex or overly coherent. However, the somewhat remedial story is saved by a truly memorable antagonist, Cruella de Vil. Asides from the fact that she wants to skin the puppies to make a fur coat, she's just a loathsome and aggressive character. She's so extreme in her villainy that she becomes iconic. Cruella defines the archetypal vain rich lady who needs to get whatever catches her fancy, ethical or not.

Another element to the Hundred and One Dalmatians is that it presages the whole anti-fur trend that came into prominence in the early '90s, most notably in the social campaigns of PETA and the Humane Society. In the history of animal welfare, this novel is published right at the beginning of the modern trend toward animal rights. It is therefore an interesting expression of this zeitgeist.

Here's a vid:

Here's a link to Dodie Smith's Wikipedia page.

Here's a link to The Hundred and One Dalmatian page.

And here's a link to the Humane Society's website.

And here's PETA.

Now, get those puppies!!!

One of the Lonely People

Karl Lagerfeld in a hotel suite made of chocolate (Photo: Jacky Naegelen. Reuters)

Sometimes you come across an image that steals your ability to make coherent commentary. This is one such image. That's fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld standing next to a chocolate sculpture of Baptiste Giabiconi, attired only in white briefs. Moreover, the entire suite is decked out in chocolate, like some demented fantasy from Willy Wonka.

Apparently, this is some sort of promotion for Magnum Ice Cream. Hmm. . . I can't say that this makes me desire to try it out. Kind of the opposite. Although this Rachel Bilson ad is a little better:

Anyways, it's hard to imagine that the Choco-suite was designed without consideration of all the off-color comments that it would generate. Just read the comments over at Boing Boing.

Here at Paideia, we'll steer clear of such blue humor and instead offer you some Hot Chocolate:

Here's an article at Curbed, Karl Lagerfeld Apparently Designs All-Chocolate Hotel Rooms, which also contains links to other related articles.

Here's a link to Karl Lagerfeld's Wikipedia page.

And here's the Wikipedia pages for Rachel Bilson and Baptiste Giabiconi.

And since I'm in a shillin' type of mood, here's Magnum Ice Cream's website.

Enjoy!!!

Dark Angel

Bettie Page

Bettie Page was born on April 22, 1923. In the 1950s, her iconic photos earned her the title of "Queen of Pinups." Many gorgeous women have since graced the centerfolds and pages of erotic magazines, but Bettie is still the Queen for me.

She wasn't the prettiest lady of her era. However, the combination of beauty and personality made for an enthralling and compelling effect. There is a sexy playfulness to her pose. Her facial expressions are inviting and vivacious. Most of all, she's bold, but without being brash. It all seems to come naturally to her. This spirit is expressed by the quote:

"I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn't trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn't think of myself as liberated, and I don`t believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn't know any other way to be, or any other way to live."

That's why Bettie was special. In erotic depictions, there were countless women who preceded her and there have been and will be countless women following, but Bettie Page remains as an unforgettable icon of female sexuality.

Here's a cute vid of her dancing. (Don't worry. There's no nudity.)

Here's a link to Bettie Page's Wikipedia page.

Here's a link to the Official Site of Bettie Page.

Enjoy!!!