Bond Girls Are Forever...

I had the powerful urge to watch Casino Royale not once, but twice this weekend. I absolutely love the dialog between Vesper and 007... the rich, glamorous fabrics and classic European style...the glossy and gritty locations rolled up into one movie. It was then that I realized just how much my definition of what a woman should be has been shaped by the James Bond series. I began watching, studying, memorizing all of these techniques and various characters when I was a small child. Since then everything from the Avengers to Mata Hari have influenced my views. In every character, every Bond girl, I find a little particle of myself that usually has no outlet in daily life. Maybe this is why I am a daydreamer. I love thrill. I love intrigue. I crave glamor. I crave action. I crave it all.

I have decided that it is time that I start reflecting who I am on the inside by carefully selecting fabrics, cuts, and patterns that are an accurate representation. I always did love fashion. I wouldn't call myself a fashionista...that term is far too trendy. I am an artist. I know how to use fabrics to my best advantage. Silk drapes elegantly over every curve and indentation to suggest what the mind can only imagine. A crisp white tuxedo shirt gives an androgynous quality to a woman with minimal curves. The fabric takes on a whole new quality when a curvaceous woman fills out a tuxedo shirt, which is traditionally a masculine piece.

I would much rather dress my body in a sleek satin pencil skirt than a mini skirt. I just feel so much more myself in a pencil skirt.... it showcases the curve of my back, highlights the shape of my calves and flatters my delicate ankles. A miniskirt reveals absolutely everything, especially when you sit down. I would rather suggest than reveal. Secrecy. Hahaha *evil laugh*. How appropriate. I wonder if I am the only one who gives thought to these things. Pure frivolity you say? Maybe not. I am just redefining the game, dollface. This is what it takes to match me.

There are so many definitions of me. I am Lolita. I am the lust bitten (I wouldn't go so far as to say driven ;P ) sex-kitten. I am the bad ass, rough and ready girl who likes shiny, shiny leather. I am the girl who drinks vodka straight out of the bottle, who has pet snakes, wears a bikini to target practice (go Walther go!), and who wears stilettos pointy enough to pierce a vital organ ... should you have the cajones to try (did I mention I've fought off men with my bare hands...and won?A story for another time!). I am the adventurer, the global nomad, the citizen of the world. I am the daredevil. At the very same time I am the nourisher, the compassionate, the hopeful romantic, the sunny philosopher, the lover poet. Did I mention I've always been drawn to extremes? I don't even understand me so I don't expect anyone else to.

What was my point? I simply think it is amusing where I get these ideas from. Vesper Lynd, Honey Ryder, XXX Anya Amasova, Melina Havelock, the villainess Famke Janssen plays, have forever shaped my idea of femininity.

Comrade Von Pussycat

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" - Simone de Beauvoir

I haven't written a personal update for a while, so I thought that, for those of you reading and for my own personal enjoyment, I should write something of importance. Well, this may only hold significance for myself, but writing is one of my favorite pastimes, so here we go.

These will just be random bits of information I failed to mention here.

Flowers from an admirer:

I must have made quite the impression (unintentionally!) on the company flower man who comes to water the flowers every week, because one morning when I was filing paperwork, he came up to me holding a beautiful violet orchid, he held it out to me, and asked, "Would you like to keep it?". Ever since, he comes to my desk every week to check up on my orchid (which I named "Gilda"), and has brought me a replacement orchid every time I need one. I feel slightly bashful that he gives me so much attention, but what a beautiful feeling it is so receive flowers from an admirer. Beauty is both a curse and a blessing, incredibly unfair, as well as fleeting. I might as well enjoy these small things while they last, even though I usually feel undeserving of such attention.

The guy at Starbucks

I usually go down to the Starbucks in my building where I work to get a morning cup of coffee, and the people there are getting to know me. One young man, with beautiful latte colored skin and swirls of dark chocolate hair, when writing my name on that little paper cup, looked up and locked eyes with me and asked, "Does the name "Bettie Page" mean anything to you?"...my bright coffee colored eyes crinkled into a smile, and I answered, "Why yes, I adore Bettie!". He told me that I remind him of her. Even though I don't don the signature "Bettie" bang, I really took his compliment to heart. I don't try to imitate anyone, I just try to be myself, but if I by chance am channeling someone as great as Bettie, I'll take it!  

On becoming a woman

For the past few months, I have been on a diet. I eat as much as I can, and then a little more. After a bout with...I can't call it anorexia exactly, I guess it was stress induced weight loss...I severely abhor skinny. I am 5'5 and when I lost all that weight I was down to 110, all skin and bones, and I didn't even recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. It took me about 6 months to gain enough weight to feel somewhat recognizable again, however, I still was not satisfied. I am now up to 135, and my measurements are 36-25-36. I finally feel like a beautiful woman, and an abundance of flesh does not scare me the way it usually does other women in this society.  I have learned that my body does not look good "skinny", and I never want to go back to that skeletal frame I was 2 years ago. I enjoy having noticeable hips, and prominent breasts ( D cups! they are a beast to contain sometimes...I am not going for provocative, especially at work!), and if my thighs touch, I don't give a damn! I apologize for this blog turning into everything Sophia Loren (hopefully you don't mind, I mean, how could you, she is the epitome of "woman"!), I really enjoy finding women who embody...for lack of a better word...my body ideal.

In other news, I am waiting to receive my first order of What Katie Did stockings...I got the polka dot ones, nude with black seams, and nude with coffee colored seams. I think that will be the perfect way to celebrate achieving my body goals...and it was just my birthday, too! I have to get better at taking outfit pictures, I just get so self-conscious sometimes! 

Comrade Von Pussycat

My Cold Cream Routine - Nivea (Cold Weather Edition)

I just had to add this because I didn't know Marylin used Nivea too!

Nivea (pronounced [niˈveːaː]) is a global skin- and body-care brand that is owned by the German company Beiersdorf. The company was founded on March 28, 1882 by pharmacist Carl Paul Beiersdorf. In 1900, the new owner Oskar Troplowitz developed a water-in-oil emulsion as a skin cream with Eucerit, the first stable emulsion of its kind. This was the basis for Eucerin and later, Nivea. Nivea comes from the Latin word niveus/nivea/niveum, meaning 'snow-white'
During the 1930s, Beiersdorf began producing products such as tanning oils, shaving creams, shampoo and facial toners. The trademark "Nivea" was expropriated in many countries following World War II. Beiersdorf completed buying back the confiscated trademark rights in 1997. During the 1980s, the Nivea brand expanded into a wider global market.
Nivea is known for using perfume in their products.

You can read more about the history of Nivea here :)

Comrade Von Pussycat

Beautiful Hair Tutorial by Bettie Page Clothing!

 

I want pink grapefruit colored hair, it just looks like so much fun! And that blouse? Adorable!

Comrade Von Pussycat

A Lady Wears L'Aiglon...

It's no secret that I have been wishing for a change in season...I've been reading Anton Chekhov's "The Darling and Other Stories", longing for a fairytale or folktale existence in the country somewhere, in the middle of an enchanted forest with the scent of fresh pine trees mingling with the crisp mountain air. Ever the romantic, I embarked on a quest for fairytale worthy garments that will allow my fantasies to somehow be realized. I came across this beautiful mustard colored wool L'Aiglon dress with the most adorable white crochet trim collar and oversize buttons, and I just knew it was meant for me.The price was right, too. I don't have a ton of mustard colored things in my wardrobe, but I am looking forward to creating different looks with this dress...

Comrade Von Pussycat