Pretty in Pink

My original desire for this blog was to explore the idea of wacky tacky as it relates to design - graphic, interior, industrial, fashion, culinary, etc.  In terms of interior design, I envisioned sharing thorough documentations of homes that were physical manifestations of the wacky tacky aesthetic.  A truly wacky tacky interior can be elusive but in the home of Amber Foxx, particularly in the dressing room, wacky tacky thrives.

 Amber Foxx

Southern California's undisputed Queen of Rockabilly and big deal in Europe, Amber Foxx is above all things a lady; that fact is plain to see when entering the converted garage of the charming 1930's home that she shares with her husband, talented musician Bob, and their pets.  Amber envisioned a lady-like dressing room/vanity/closet that would speak to her inner Dorothy Draper and create a beautiful place to beautify her face every day.  Think PINK!

"Think Pink" from Funny Face (1957)

Equal parts Disneyland, Draper, and drama with a little bit of Barbie Dream Castle thrown in, Amber created a whimsical space that, no matter the angle, leaves one cast in the most flattering shades of pink.  Numerous closets house clothing, a laundry room, and Amber's infamous collections of jewelry.  A dropped, curvilinear, soffited ceiling highlights the nooks that display vintage dolls, hats, jewelry, sunglasses, gloves, knick-knacks and beauty supplies.

Amber's pink room

A closer view of the custom vanity

The entry is flanked by a collection of vintage sheet music featuring beautiful ladies

The inside of the "garage door" displays curios, family photos and vintage accessories.
The facade of the house remains unchanged.

A group of 18th Century-style pincushions

Mary & Emily are in the pink!

Pretty birds and pretty things

 Old packaging juxtaposed with pink shelving imbues the room with history
without feeling like a museum

Curated displays lend all kinds of  charm to the room

A row of lady head vases

A frosted glass chandelier lights the room

My favorite part of the room is the ceiling. 

A detail of the ceiling

The Queen of the Castle at her custom vanity

Would Amber Foxx's pink room be featured in Architectural Digest?  Given the current design climate ruled by "custom" cabinetry and granite countertops, it is hard to say.  In our humble opinion, however, Amber's cotton candy vision is our idea of haute design.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Life's a Beach

Today, with a million and one things yet unchecked on my to-do list, I decided it was a fine time to go to the beach.  I am one of those terrible Californians upon whom the beach is entirely wasted;  I cannot tell you the last time I set foot in the ocean.  I live fifteen minutes from the shore but rarely visit.  Strangely enough, I find it immensely reassuring that it is there.  I have recurring nightmares about being landlocked and am glad to wake up knowing that the coast is close and clear.  As infrequently as I visit the beach, I truly appreciate the beauty and activity of nature.  Therefore, we motored down the coast to Calafia Beach in San Clemente.  The thing that I love about beaches in south Orange County is their feeling of remoteness and timelessness.  To get to this beach one must drive through a neighborhood, go down a winding hill and cross the train tracks.  The beach was populated by only a few surfers and photographers and was the perfect setting for the near-perfect weather we were enjoying today.

As soon as the train passed, we decided to hike a short ways back into a miniature canyon.

The walls of the canyon were very soft and upon closer inspection, they were heavily carved by others who had taken the same trail.

Knowing that we would not cause permanent damage to the canyon walls (we could see previous carvings that had been diminished by the rain), we thought we should leave our mark on the canyon too.  Ever the Girl Scout, Mary whipped out her pocket knife and we started carving.

On a good day my level of humor is "3rd grade bathroom."

We ended our mini adventure by hitting up some of the local thrift stores.

I found this Frankoma Pottery refrigerator jug

 I also found these two vintage neckties for just $1 each!

We also stopped in at Pedro's Tacos; hands sown, the BEST potato taco I have ever had.  I'm thinking maybe it is because the potato content is hashbrowns.

I think I'm going to have to visit San Clemente more often!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

wacky tacky icons: Carmen Miranda

Carmen Miranda was born in Portugal!  Yes, the archetypal Brazilian who put Brazil on the map and introduced the Samba to the consciousness of the world was a native of Portugal.  

 

Born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha in 1909, her family moved to Rio de Janeiro shortly after her birth.  In the beginning of her career she dressed in contemporary modes of the day and became famous for her beautiful interpretations of the samba.  Her international fame exploded after she played in the 1939 musical revue "Streets of Paris" on Broadway.  A one-woman Good Neighbor Policy, Miranda quickly began her American film career playing herslef in a musical sequence from the 1940 Fox film Down Argentine Way.  From then on, she was about as famous for her costumes as she was for her voice.  

Her beautiful phrasing and sensual dancing could not be hidden under the mile-high turbans that she wore but she will always be remembered for her extreme presentation of "bahiana" style. It seems a sacrilege to relegate Miranda to anything but Technicolor but several of her film were in black and white??!!  Some of her get-ups, many designed by Miranda herself, were so ridiculous that even Donald Trump would have a difficult time questioning her wacky tacky credentials. 



Typical Bahiana style

We're bananas for Carmen's muito-Bahiana style

I tried to cull some images to show that there was more to Carmen Miranda than just the iconic "Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat."

Really, she was always cookin' but how
often do you think of Carmen in the kitchen?

1930's nautical

Now those are some bumper bangs!

Her hair was almost always up; it is nice to see those tresses flowing.

Where's Carmen?  Where did she go?
This almost looks 3-D...at least on my screen.

Well-Suited - even in street clothes she had great style!

She embodied wacky tacky ideal number one - more is more!

At roughly five-feet-tall, Miranda's diminutive stature was obviously overshadowed by her huge presence, enhanced exponentially by the crazy platform shoes that she popularized during the 1940's.

Carmen towering above her  wealth of platforms.
Eat your heart out Imelda Marcos.

One of the under-acknowledged high-fashion trends that was born at the tail-end of the depression and continued into the 1940's was wild platform shoes.  Here are a few pairs that Miranda could easily handle, but in which most would break an ankle.

Carmen Miranda was above all else, a performer; she gave new meaning to the word "trouper" during her final performance.  In 1955 Miranda made a guest appearance on The Jimmy Durante Show.  She wowed the audience with her signature costumes, malapropisms and SAMBA! 

At about 3:31 she drops to one knee after suffering a mild heart attack mid-dance.  She goes on to continue the routine and finish the show!!!  She died in her home of a second heart attack later that evening.  What a woman!

In her lifetime, she took some heat from Brazilians for being "too American" and for becoming a caricature of herself and her country.  The ill will became so strong that for a period of time, Miranda refused to return to Rio.  In the end, however, she was embraced by her country and her death was mourned by the people of Brazil.  I am not a huge fan of biopics, but I would LOVE to see one done well about Carmen Miranda.  The trouble would be finding someone with the charisma, dynamism and talent of Carmen Miranda- a difficult task indeed!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny