"And Then He Was a She"

"Holly came from Miami f.l.a
Hitchhiked her way across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
I said, Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side...."

I first discovered Andy Warhol and the downtown superstars of New York who he immortalised in his movies when I was about 17....and I was immediately fascinated, obsessed, call it what you will....I was THERE! - even though it had already happened!

Holly Woodlawn was the outrageous, messy, fan-freaking-tastic star of Trash (she played Joe Dallesandro's wife) and Women in Revolt, plus a ground-breaking role-model for this was a time of sexual revolution, gay liberation, Stonewall...history-making events. What I loved about Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis was that they pushed the tranny envelope, they didn't seem to want to be women in the way that Candy Darling so obviously did (and she did it so well, I still think she's one of the most beautiful women who ever was), but they were practically going through dustbins to put looks together, as they had no money, and this trashy, extreme, freak tastic kind of drag they pioneered was their creation and it was beyond the girly boy thing or the boy who could "pass" for a real woman....anyhooo, you might have gathered I'm a fan. F.A.N. Huge F.A.N!!! So....when Sadie Lee invited me to the opening for her exhibition "And Then He was a She" at the Drill Hall, 16 Chenies St, WC1 this was actually my big chance to see, possibly meet one of my heros\heroines!!

Do you think I met her?

Would Lana Turner wear a tight sweater?
'Course I did!!! First of all we went upstairs to the gallery to see the AMAZING paintings (actually that's a lie, we first went into the bar where Holly and her friend Connie were propping up the bar and not many people around and kinda pounced!) which you HAVE to go and see....beautifully painted as always but they show the transformation from man to Holly and are very honest, intimate and bravely modelled.

The exhibition starts on 1st October, check out the Drill Hall website for times etc http://www.drillhall.co.uk/pl285.html

I urge urge urge you to go!!!! L.E.G.E.N.D.A.R.Y!!!

madame x

Fashion and Food

I have to say that my photos of night-time shenanigans are getting pretty good, ever since Sarah showed me that slow syncro trick on my camera! These photos from the Eley Kishimoto fashion week party where Max and I were djing wouldn't look out of place gracing a Steven Saban article on hot night-life and beautiful people! I used to love his column in Details, my favourite was one illustrated by a fantastic picture of Halston with a disco light glinting in his sunglasses....oooh or the one with Margaux and Mariel Hemingway leaving a club, Margaux baring one breast as her spaghetti-strap fell down....




It was so great to have Katrina back in London...gotta catch up with her properly this week...

Me Emma, Jasmine and Sarah went out for amazing Tapas in Mornington Crescent on Saturday night and laughed and laughed and laughed.....and laughed!!


Until my nose caught on fire...

The restaurant is called El Parador and doesn't look anything special from the outside but the food is diviiiiiiiiine!!! The vegetable dishes were my favourites, artichokes, spicey patates, aubergine and potato patties and the hot bean and garlic mush to start was delicious!!!

Anyway, if you've had a rough week, tapas with the girls is the best antidote to the blues....I recommend!!

Yes, I'm wearing the new APC polka dot dress in these pics, have you seen the new delivery yet? No? Where have you been???

madame x

Hula like it's still summer!!

We did some hula-hooping, under the careful instruction of Nahid (who seems to be able to spin without moving!) to show you the new Sonia clothes, Obey jewelry and a bit of A.P.C. as well.....we just got another delivery of A.P.C. in yesterday as well and the storyboards are already being drawn up....keep a look out for our next escapades! Also spliced into this film is a sneak preview of Eley Kishimoto's collection for next summer - don't say we don't keep you abreast of what's hot in fashion!!!!



No time to chat as I'm meeting Emma to do bookwork so no time to tell about Eley Kishimoto fashion week party....i'll do that tomorrow!!

madame x
p.s. go out and buy a hula hoop, it's so much fun, I'm going to!!!!

ADVANCE WARNING

Tonight I am meeting Pippa, Jasmine and Sarah and we are having dinner at a secret location in Mornington Crescent. I am writing this blog to alert all residence in the area to be on the lookout for four ravishing beauties. Please lock up your sons. And daughters. And if in the wee hours of the morning there is a small Australian girl huddled in the gutter being ill, that one will be me so please offer a kind hand and send me home okay...



And here is another French Pop video - or is it Max wearing a sweatshirt that looks eerily like the Eley Kishimoto Flame print from a few seasons back singing along to accordian music played by both Pippa and I all at once?

xx Emma

DID YOU MISS ME?

Hey Everyone!

It has been ages since I've blogged here - but for a gazillion reasons I haven't had the time [or the tools - my laptop at home is getting old] to keep you up to date with my high octane fashion life. *GUFFAW*. But maybe by the end of this blog I will have had the chance to convice you otherwise?!

So - OMG - I was in Paris for a week with my other job [of course my real job is at Maison B but I don't actually do anything at the moment] on the stand for KH. The hotel was on rue Madame in the 6th and there were two A.P.C. shops within walking distance. I stalked them both but realised the A.P.C. Pippa buys is the stuff I like best anyway. I did become good friends with cute French shopguy Oliver. My gaydar wasn't working too well - I couldn't work it out...

Here are my three best friends in Paris. DJ "LOVE" Koyote (one half of Diamond Grills), Mathieu Berenholc (Editor of VICE France) and DJ "Peace" Goon (the other half of Diamond Grills). We had dinner at a faboulous restaurant called Hotel du Nord by the canal not far from Republique. I didn't take any pictures though of the food. I was too tired.
A self portrait:

No not really, but that is how I was feeling at the end of it all. Super tired from speaking in Frenglish the whole week, long days early starts and finding out my ex has a new girlfriend. Blurgh.

Here is a little picture of a massive necklace I bought for myself in Paris. It is Bijoux de Sophie - an the first I heard of this was from Sascha Knight who designs Hyde SK. She had the most incredible black skull ring! I was super thrilled to find a shop in Paris that sells it.

After my Parisian jaunt then it was down to the lawn at London Fashion Week to do the same thing all over again. This time we had Kesh from the Coconut Twins on our stand modelling the collection.

Every time there was a TV crew around, Kesh had to stand in the background and look amazing. I'm so immature though I was trying my hardest to crack her up by pulling faces and throwing signs at her.

In other news, there is a photo of ME - well more to the point, my crotch - in the new Boom Box book that just came out which KH took some pictures for. Here is KH and I in a more serious moment doing some hard work on the stand.
Here folks, take a closer look:

And no Max, that isn't how I look up my dress - it is just the GUSSET OF MY TIGHTS.

Anyway - just in case you ever doubted that cakes were ever in fashion, here is my picture of the shop window at Harvey Nichols celebrating London Fashion Week and their food hall:

Not quite as amazing as a cake of Ladurée but more than appealing never the less.

Speaking of Ladurée - caramel and salted butter flavour in town (weird but amazing) and two newish boxes: Yellow with ladybirds and daisies or black and a million cakes all over it. You decide the one you prefer - either way you can't go wrong [maybe theblack one is better cause it fits more in?)

xx Emma

OBEY MADAME!!!

Went to Obey HQ on Monday for a peek at the men's and women's spring/summer 08 collection...of course it turned into an opportunity to make a movie to show you - also, might I add my first film edited etc on my own!!!! Yes, Simon was operating the camera at times - how else was I going to be able to fulfil my role as star (as well as director, writer, music consultant and overall concept thinker-upper)?????!!!!! But I hope you like the result and a HUGE GREAT BIG THANKYOU to Simon and Gordon who are the most amazing hosts! Caffe Latte anyone?????

So all the stuff in the movie is for next Spring/Summer which gives you something to look forward to....my personal favourites are the jeans (sixty quid!!! You can keep TopShop!), the Obey sunglasses necklace and matching ring and oh, which t-shirt, they're all awesome but Peace Love Obey rocks my world somewhat.....Shepard Fairey exhibition coming soon too, I'll give you details nearer the time but it's gonna be HUGE!!!!!!!

In the meantime, we've had our A/W Obey delivery in and James is modelling two of his favourites here....


Yes ladies and gents, he's looking pretty hot! So get yours while they're still in stock....starting to fly already!
No doubt I'll see you soon, we made a movie last night of some of the new Sonia and Eley Kishimoto, so look out for that too!!!! How do we do it????

Madame xxxxx

Laugh?

Ok, if you don't come to the Lost Society next month you're MAD!!! I don't think I've laughed so much in AGES...just one of those nights where the fun starts and you can't stop until you realise you've laughed yourself onto the floor of the cab on the way home...eh, Sarah?

so if this is how the evening ended, what on earth went on in the lead up to this?

Mr Mark Eley and I nearly got into a scrap behind the decks...can you see the tension brewing? But I love a good battle and really it was only the pina colada talking....

...and there were better things to do like DANCE!!

..even in your Westwood prostitute shoes, the music was too fantastic to sit still!

Especially when I was on the decks!!!!

There reallly is nothing so wonderful as dancing around your handbag in good company to fantastic music, and though it doesn't look like it here, this was a drug-free high-on-life (plus some fine wine...) kind of a night...

In fact, the only thing to do was make like a monkey (sarah's idea...thanks for that..) swing from the beams and get friggin FUGLY!!!! Even with the special effect light effects which Sarah taught me there's no getting away from the fact that this is one of the scariest picture of me that has ever been taken.......mother of two, how proud the boys will be of me one day....

Forgot to mention House of Boing who did a delightful performance using the whole room, twirling in beautiful frocks and generally bring a bit of class to the proceedings......then it was back to this...


Do come down next time...you know you want to! madame xxx

This and That

As we try to make the most of the last days of summer, I've been craving the sunshine we never had yet secretly enjoying slipping into a woolly tanktop, tweed skirt and, yes an over the knee stocking/sock. I feel cheated yet thrilled by those wintry textures....I mean, look at me 2 weeks ago in Norfolk for instance:

yes, it was August......wierd.
I've not blogged because I've been somewhat busy doing bitty things, mostly trying to spend as much time with Duke and Joe as possible before they go to school. We stayed in this:

with Paul, which was an adventure...did a bit of this:

at the weekend, ate outside for possibly the last time this year:

Ritually sent a McDonald's toy to his death on the back of a rocket:

You see, I hate McDonald's.

On the frocks front, Sarah and Bev have been snapping the new season APC, Eley Kishimoto and Sonia by Sonia Rykiel. Jasmine and Alex have flown through on their way to and from glamorous appointments, and I of course am always in residence to be snapped....and I don't need much encouragement as you know. I'm waiting for some shots of the others, and we'll be making one of our fashion feature films later this week if I can organise everyone to be in one place at once, but in the meantime, here's a few of me in some of my favourite pieces we've just got in:

Bev took this of me in my favourite Eley Kishimoto dress...I've been dreaming about this one since we saw it 6 months ago. To me it conjures up the best of Joan Crawford, it's film-noirish and sexy, and I don't usually wear black.....FIERCE!!

Sarah took this in the stripey Sonia bow jumper and heart brooch

..and this one where I feel I've taken on a 60's librarian-ish persona in Eley Kishimoto jumper....
Chilli did a little modelling, wearing the APC fairisle scarf with the panache we have learned to expect from her cute little self:


I can't wait to film our next movie.....but before then, it's The Look at the Lost Society 697 Wandsworth Rd tomorrow night, where Mark Eley from Eley Kishimoto of course, will be djing along with Max, Paul and myself and there's a performance by House of Boing which promises to be pretty amazing....from 7, do come down....


madame xx