100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - CHICA CHICA BOOM!

BLYTHE (FOR NO REASON AT ALL, WAS FEELING A LITTLE FRUITY THIS MORNING, SO OPTED FOR THE CARMEN MIRANDA EARRINGS AND PINEAPPLE HAT)

so, lately my mom has been greeting me quite early in the morning with a phone call, a little bit of a worried tone in her voice "are you ok? what's wrong", she says. "nothing, why?" i reply.

"well, there's no drawing on the blog. are you sure you're ok?"

i think this is all very cute, and it's lovely to know that my mom is loving what i'm doing it, and almost as ritualistically as making a cup of tea and reading the paper every morning,

she's reading my blog. if there is one.

(remember i said i wasn't going to go on about it, but i had knee surgery.

some days i can't move, some days i can...)

so, mom's suggestion was a carmen miranda blythe. i wasn't keen on the idea, but now that i've done it, i love it!

what a gal, that carmen miranda. born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha in Portugal,

she was raised in Brazil, and went on to eventually get a job in a boutique where she learned how to make hats which would serve her well in her movie career. after working in radio and as a samba singer, she filmed several brazilian movies before signing a contract in hollywood and moving to the US in 1939.

soon afterwards, she was formally presented to Franklin D. Roosevelt, starred in 13 movies, and became part of the President's "good neighbor Policy" which would help to strengthen ties between the US and Latin America and Europe.

by 1946, not only was she Hollywood's highest paid movie star, but she was the top female tax payer in the US, earning more than $200, 000 that year (roughly 2.2M today).

her most famous role in a movie was to be "The Gang's All Here" in 1943, in which she wore her famous fruit hat and outfit (designed by her).

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - FLASHBACK TO THE 60'S

BLYTHE QUANT (OPTING FOR THE MICRO-MINI DRESS FOR 60'S FLASHBACK FRIDAY AT WORK)

while we're on the subject of notable women in history (sorry guys, you'll have to wait a little while, at least until i start drawing boys toys, like Tonka trucks or Mr. T dolls...), who doesn't remember Mary Quant? if you don't, you know of her by her legacy - the mini skirt (now do i have your attention guys?)

Mary Quant was a British fashion designer who laid claim to the rise of the hemline on the rise - the mini skirt - and of course, hot pants. she was the first designer of our century to encourage people to dress to please themselves (what a novel concept!!) When she was asked what it was that inspired her to design the mini skirt, her reply was "Legs. I had good legs."*

In the mid-60's, women's clothing saw a change in tax methods - previously, the government taxed women's clothing based on the length of the skirt. now with the mini skirt being tax exempt due to the garment being classified as children's clothing, they began taxing the garments based upon bust size!

Quant was also a success in the cosmetics and beauty industry, and was known for her accurately cut short "bowl" hairstyle, and her dramatic eye makeup.

'good taste is death. vulgarity is life'*

-Mary Quant

*from "Women who Changed the World", Pier 9

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - BLYTHE VON TEESE

BLYTHE VON TEESE (LOVES HER JOB AS A BURLESQUE DANCER - IT MEANS MORE LINGERIE AND SHOES!)

i'm really not fond of reading blogs that begin with "it's been 3 days since i last blogged, because...". it sounds too "dear diary" to me. and it's usually some quite lame reason as to why, and it's not as though we're in high school and we have to blog every day, and now this is sounding more and more as though i ought to... so, let me see, how to begin... it's been 3 days since i last blogged because i had knee surgery and the pain has set in! and now that i've said that, i'm going to get straight into the business of blogging.

i'm almost certain that most grown adults would know who Dita Von Teese is, however if they don't, it's not that uncommon. she's a very influential, almost cult-like figure in the world of Burlesque, strip-tease, and the tasteful art of seduction. once i had decided on this drawing today, i spent the best part of the day researching von Teese, her iconographic looks, (you can even learn how to do Dita Von Teese makeup on You Tube!) This lady has taken us on a journey back to a time when corsets were not optional, they were as mandatory a piece of clothing as your left shoe, and she has created a newfound interest in the corset as naughty-but-nice lustful underwear... the thing is, she does it with such elegance and high-class that it seems almost unimaginable!

corsets, a constrictive undergarment made from whalebone, steel or horn, were thought to have been around since the 15th century, and worn primarily to alter the appearance of the figure. they were a sign of status and wealth, usually only reserved for aristocracy, and were a source of constant medical problems from day one. women used to have access to "fainting couches", "smelling salts", and were known to have "spells", all of which were due to the corset constricting and limiting the human body's normal functions, namely the cutting off of circulation, causing digestive problems, dizziness and light-headedness, even fainting. the smelling salts were made from ammonium carbonate, and were used to revive the unconscious women.

we now find that corsets have made a comeback in the fetish realm, namely in burlesque perfoming. fortunately for the performers though, they get to take them off at the end of their shift! they do however, look a lot more pleasing to the eye than they did back then... and can you believe that men used to wear them?? see if that would happen today!