Inspired by the Dreamiest Editor of All

When Magic Man and I first got married I was a new step-mom to four little kids and I didn't have anything kid related - toys, movies, etc.  One rainy day we were desperate to entertain the kiddies and that's when the Audrey Hepburn DVD set came in handy.  

I put on Funny Face and the girls 

(at the time aged 3, 5, and 7) were mesmerized. 

They were so captivated by the 'Think Pink' 

number they started to refer to the movie 

as 'Think Pink' and not 'Funny Face.'  

I loved that they loved Maggie Prescott, 

the Editor as much as Jo, the Model.

Also being obsessed with all things Diana Vreeland I loved how they'd repeat Maggie's catch phrases that were based on Diana, like 'Pizazz.' 

All girls need to learn about Diana Vreeland, right? 

"This world without a leopard . . .

I mean, who would want to be here?"  - DV

  

Argh! Such a genius!

Now that we are in Austin, I acquiesced to some of the local traditions, like decorating trees on the side of Capital of TX Hwy for Christmas. 

But I didn't want to just throw tinsel on a tree so I decided we would decorate a small tree inspired by Diane Vreeland: 

Meaning Red and Leopard and we could shout 'That's got pizazz!' as we dressed the tree. 

However, with four kids (the youngest being a 2 yr old boy), and with a very limited budget, things did not go as planned.  And I'm not just saying that because I ended up going in my pajamas.

First, we decided we would not even attempt to pull over on the highway, so we chose a tree close to the girl's school on a quiet street - so not the 360 Hwy where everyone can see. 

I was hoping we would concentrate all the beads, ribbon and faux red berries in a tight cluster for just a pop of 'pizazz,' but the girls wanted to string the beads and ribbon over a few trees, spreading out the limited decor and diluting the design.  

You could hardly see the end product, but we were doing this for them so I was not going to tell them 'no,' -- we were in it for the memories, not appearances. 

There were no shouts of 'Pizazz!' or singing''S Wonderful' or dancing around, but we did leave in one piece with no fights or meltdowns so I was pleased.

Avedon and His Dreamy Women

Richard Avedon was such a dreamboat 

AND a talented photographer, of course.  

I've already praised his portraits of men Here and Here, but I have not really expounded on my love for his photos of women.  I idolize and adore them, in case you could not guess where this post was going.   

His celebrity photos celebrate exactly why we are obsessed with these people.  How is it possible he made Elizabeth Taylor even more perfectly beautiful than she already was?

Avedon's portraits of socialites made them human while stil holding onto that 'you wish you were us' mentality.  

And he made statue-esque models leap from the pages.  For the first time fashion photography had movement.

He influenced some of the greatest photog's since.  Hello!  You know Helmut-Newton-the-Photographer was born when he saw this sexy lady.

 Of all his photos of women, 

this one is my favorite:

I first saw it at the ICP in New York and could not take my eyes off her (Donyale Luna).  I've never wanted to own an expensive piece of art more.  Maybe one day.

Twig

+

Tree

Dream Photographer - Dream Man

Richard Avedon has taken photos that moved me to tears.

But with this photo he has me tied up in conflicted knots:

I want it.

I want to hang it in my room and stare at it all night.

I know Avedon is a genius but come on!

He made George Bush Sr. so alluring,

there is so much swagger here.

Plus he titled it, 'George Bush, Director, CIA.'

Swoon!

I've been very conflicted about this whole thing.

I blame Avedon for making the white background so sexy And the powerful posture And the title.

I considered only writing about Avedon this month, but maybe I'll just write about wish-list items instead.

twig + tree

Dream Man - UK Edition

I love the way Richard Avedon records things

for the generations to come.

This is a ridiculous true story that I considered keeping to myself. I saw these photos at the Brooklyn Museum of Art's 'Who Shot Rock N Roll' exhibit. And when I looked into George Harrison's eyes I started to cry.

Looking at him felt like home and I was comforted and happy at the same. But there was also a twinge of sadness.

Dream Marilyn

Two Ways

I think Richard Avedon did it a little better. Meow.