Fashion Photography of Lillian Bassman (1917 – 2012)

Classic Hollywood Archetypes: The Femme Fatale

Jan Sterling

The femme fatale (which translates from the French as "deadly woman") is an archetype that pre-dates cinema. She is often portrayed in literature and film as a sexual vampire (leaving her male victims as shells of themselves), hence the turn-of-the-century American slang term "vamp", synonymous with this character.

The hey-day of the femme fatale  was seen in the film noire era of the 40's and 50's. Some debate whether she's a misogynist representation of something men fear, or response to the war and the new breed of woman independent from men.

You can spot her by her suspiciously seductive sideways glance, her serious bedroom eyes, the cigarette on her lips and the pistol in her garter (but you'll probably see that one too late).

Gloria Grahame

Lauren Bacall

Kim Novak

Ava Gardner

Ann Savage

Veronica Lake

Hedy Lamarr

Lizabeth Scott

Rita Hayworth

Yvonn Decarlo (later asked how she felt about playing Lily Munster, Decarlo said she'd "play her just like Donna Reed")

Linda Darnell

Marlene Dietrich

Peggy Cummings

Joan Bennett

New Bohemian: The Photography of Ellen Rogers

You can find Ellen Rogers' book "Aberrant Necropolis"  here.

Hula Hoop Hoopla

Spring, to me, is inextricably linked to hula hooping (and roller skating....and swinging...and silk dresses....).

But let's focus on hooping today.

Yes, it's got a retro panache, and a childhood association that makes you feel silly and can sometimes (lately) conjure up a fair lot of stinky dread-locked drum-circling images (for some reason)...but fundamentally, it's just damned good exercise.

I recommend getting a hoop made for you (it's inexpensive if you think of it as exercise equipment, as opposed to a toy: starting at about $25).

I had my hoop made locally by Hooped.com (based in Boulder), and they'll make one according to your hoop weight & color preferences.

Jane Russell Hoops

Everything old is new again: Life magazine documents the "50's Craze" of the 1970's

Salvaged Material covered hoops by RainbowsAndTea

I had my custom hoop made by Hooped in Boulder, CO