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Miss Universe 2009 alternate finalists

August 28th 2009 04:14

I grew up watching Miss Universe with my father. He’d be illustrating away on his easel and I’d be glued to the television my adolescent hormones coursing through my lions. I remember Miss Venezuela winning in 1981. They’ve won the competition six times (the second highest after USA with seven wins). Puerto Rico has won five times, and Sweden three times. Miss Venezuela won last year and, setting a precedent, won again this year. Must be something in the water they drink.

I have a predilection toward the darker complexion and brunette hair colour. My lover is olive-skinned and a brunette. As they say, the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I’d agree with that. Although they also say blondes have more fun, and as a blond myself, I’d have to agree, but my eye will wander in the direction of a dusky jewel more often than a creamy strawberry or platinum bombshell.

I’ve decided to post my personal selection of finalists for this year’s Miss Universe, as they differ quite significantly from the official place winners, which were Fourth Runner-Up: Miss Puerto Rico - Mayra Matos Perez, Third Runner-Up: Miss Australia - Rachel Finch, Second Runner-Up: Miss Kosovo – Gona Dragusha, First Runner-Up: Miss Dominican Republic – Ada Aimee De la Cruz, and Miss Universe 2009: Miss Venezuela – Stefania Fernandez.

It’s rather curious how many Latin-esque darker beauties have dominated the finals in recent years. Even the countries that that are more famous for pure-bred blondes (ie some of the Scandanavian and Bavarian contestants) are parading mixed dark heritage. All good with me. My own selection certainly reflects this (with one very close crossover). I've also taken the liberty of including photos taken from their modeling careers. So without further adieu here they are:

4TH RUNNER-UP:
MISS EGYPT - ELHAM WAGDI

3RD RUNNER-UP:
MISS SWITZERLAND - WHITNEY TOYLOY

2ND RUNNER-UP:
MISS ECUADOR - SANDRA VINCES

1ST RUNNER-UP:
MISS NICARAGUA - INDIANA SANCHEZ

MISS UNIVERSE 2009:
MISS PUERTO RICO - MAYRA MATOS PEREZ

It was a tough call between Indiana and Mayra, but the island girl came out on top. Ms. Perez is one svelte foh-ox! So, my favourite pics would have to be; Whitney on the yacht, Mayra in her black swimsuit, Elham in her bikini, Indiana in her evening gown, and Mayra's emerald close-up. Go the mochachino flavour!

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Gia Carangi - session two

May 11th 2009 00:31

MATURE CONTENT

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Gia Carangi - session one

May 8th 2009 05:05

“Life & Death/energy & Peace/if I stoped today/it was fun” --- Gia (in her own words)

Gia Carangi was the first supermodel. She was also very likely the first female celebrity to die of AIDS. She was drop dead gorgeous, pun unintended. She enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and success. She was a charismatic pansexual figure on the New York underground disco circuit and featured on the covers of all the influential fashion magazines. She was the darling of numerous respected fashion and art photographers. She died tragically in 1986 after becoming infected with HIV through her reckless use of intravenous drug-taking. She was 26-years-old.

Gia Marie Carangi was of Italian, Irish, and Welsh heritage. She began modeling at the age of 17 after moving from Philadelphia to New York City. She quickly rose to prominence and became popular among the eminent fashion photographers such as Francesco Scavullo, Arthur Elgort, Richard Avedon, and Chris von Wangenheim. She was the first model to make a name for herslef presenting unusual poses, facial expressions and gestures. She was credited by many at the upper echelons of fashion to have created a new style of modeling, emulated by models since then to the present. By 1978 she was fast becoming the hottest model in the world.

In October 1978, Gia did her first major shoot with top fashion photographer Chris von Wangenheim. Wangenheim had her pose nude behind a chain-link fence with makeup assistant Sandy Linter. Gia immediately became infatuated with Linter. They were lovers, but the relationship was never stable enough to last.

Gia was a regular at Studio 54 and the Mudd Club. She usually only used cocaine in clubs, but later began to develop a heroin addiction. This drug abuse was compounded after Gia's agent, Wilhelmina Cooper, died of lung cancer. Gia was devastated. Scavullo recalled a fashion shoot in the Caribbean when "She was crying, she couldn't find her drugs. I literally had to lay her down on her bed until she fell asleep."

By 1980 Gia began having violent temper tantrums, walking out of photo shoots, and even falling asleep in front of the camera. In the November 1980 issue of Vogue, Gia's track marks from heroin can be easily seen. For three weeks, she was signed with Eileen Ford, but the fashion house mogul soon dropped her.

In 1981, Carangi enrolled in a 21-day detox program, and started dating a college student, Elyssa Golden. The Carangi family, along with her mother, had suspected that Golden had a drug problem. Carangi soon began using again. She moved out of her mother's house and in with some friends, once again entering a detox program, but her attempt to quit drugs was shattered when she received news that her close friend, fashion photographer Chris von Wangenheim, had died in a car accident.

Curiously, early in her modeling career Cindy Crawford was nicknamed “Baby Gia” due to her resemblance.

The resemblence Cindy Crawford had to Gia is quite apparent. Her European heritage served her very well in the fashion industry. But her reckless disregard to her body and soul destroyed her. It is difficult to select my favourite pictures, but stand-outs are the red one-piece swimming costume, the patterned singlet, and the two with her in a black dress; one leaning to her left against a green railing (and hanging loose), the other to her right against a glass balcony wall, smoking the cigarette, and that close-up visage, thirteen down from the top of the main selection. It was considered by many that she had the best tits in the industry. Yup.

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Monica Bellucci - sofisticata signora

September 30th 2008 05:35

Monica Bellucci is one of the most sensational-looking women on the planet. In fact she never looks less than stunning. She's the epitome of elegance and poise, sultryness and sassiness. The camera adores her. She embraces fashion with the savvy and sensibility of a designer. She is style personified.

"Beauty becomes alive and interesting when it's habited."

It is her birthday today; September 30th. I thought she was turning the magnificently distinguished age of 40, as numerous online bios for her listed her birth year as 1968, but then I discovered several that listed it as 1964. I double-checked with imdb.com (which is most likely to be correct) and it is 1964. So she's turning 44. Even more incredible. The woman is aging as gracefully as a swan (I'm not sure quite what that means, I made it up, but it sounds poetic!)

Monica is Italian, but she lives in Paris and describes herself as a daughter of Europe. Born in a village known as Città di Castello, in Perugia, Italy, as Monica Anna Maria Bellucci, she studied the legal profession, but modelled on the side whilst attending university. She moved to Milan in 1988 and joined Elite Modelling Agency where she become hot property and enjoyed a successful career until her debut on television in 1990.

Although she featured as one of Dracula's brides in Francis Coppola's movie adaptation of the famous novel, it was in the excellent French dramatic-thriller The Apartment in 1996 which drew her international acclaim. It during this time that she met her future husband actor Vincent Cassel.

So as a tribute to the sublime visual aesthetic that is Monica Bellucci (I'm sure she wouldn't mind me talking about her like she's an l'objet de désir) I'm indulging her beauty in a two-part post: Monica as sophisticated lady and Monica as sex goddess.

Here then is my selection of pics that celebrate Monica Bellucci as sophisticated style icon.

I don't think I need to repeat myself. These images all speak volumes. Every pic is golden. The first three of the main selection are obviously when Monica was barely twenty years old. My, my, my. But if I had to single one out from the beautiful crowd I'd something I'd say "ROAR!!! Those suede knee high boots, that deep woolen top, and that slinky S-shape pose is killing me softly!" What is it with the way Monica touches herself?!

136

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models

October 22nd 2007 05:19

Of course this post is all about the visual aesthetics. That’s why they’re models. To be alluring, so that the viewer becomes hypnotised and the next thing they know they’ve bought the clothing because they want to look like the model, or has the hairstyle to look like the model, or buys the accessory to feel like the model.

There are actors who model, then there are models who try to act, there are strictly fashion models and there are adult models (models who bare it all), and then there are the super-models.

Supermodel Linda Evangelista famously said many years ago, “I don’t get out of bed for less than ten thousand dollars.” The supermodel was born. Fair call, I guess. Evangelista was part of the core group of the original supermodels which featured Cindy Crawford (whom Prince wrote a flirtatious song about on his infamous Black Album called Cindy C.), Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer, Tatiana Patitz. There were others that floated peripherally, but those ones were the most famous.

David Bowie married a famous model; Iman. Many other rock stars and some actors have dated and had relationships with models, such as the late Michael Hutchinson, who was with Helena Christiansen for a few years. That Babyshambles frontman dated Kate Moss for awhile. Tommy Lee married Pamela Anderson. The list goes on and on.

Models work the runway, play the catwalk, schmooze the catalogues, drink the champagne, powder their noses, and throw tantrums when they don’t get their own way. Okay, so I’m generalizing. I haven’t got much to say for this post. What is there to say? Models; seen, and seldom heard. Pretty faces, gorgeous figures, pony walks. Some models are way too thin. That whole heroin chic bullshit that was around for while seems to still be poking out its ribs; it’s as ugly as sin. Call me old fashioned, but a model should have some curves, and not look like she’s been starving herself.

As for the male models, it’s funny, but there really aren’t many famous ones at all. And they all look the same too. It’s a weird anomaly, but the world of modeling is very female-centric. Of course there are thousands of male models. But I couldn’t be bothered finding any pics of them. The women rule.

So here they are.

Of course, none of these models are as beautiful as my Mediterranean lover, my Butterfly Blue, but she prefers to be on the other side of the camera herself. And I'll be showcasing some of her best work in the future. Of the supermodels I was a big fan of Christy Turlington back in the day, until I saw Laetitia Casta and Adriana Lima. Of the adult models Alley Baggett and Tabatha Cash win hands down. Of the actors who model young Josie Maran is the quiet achiever here, but Claire Forlani smoulders. And then there's the divine curves of Morian Atias.

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footwear

October 19th 2007 02:11

They say the shoe makes the man or woman. Certainly it defines a person’s look, probably more so than hats, or shades, or even jewelry. Footwear comes in so many shapes and sizes, colours, textures and price-tags. Women can spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on shoes. And they do.

In fact women with money (and some with not so much money) tend to have wardrobes set aside just for shoes; shoe closets, they call them. It’s a kind of status thing, they more shoes they have the more powerful they feel, which reminds me of an American television commercial from around the late 70s, early 80s. It was an ad for Hush Puppies, a brand of shoe for men and women. “How many pairs of shoes do you own?” asked an off-camera voice to a well-to do lady, “Ten, eleven, twelve pairs of shoes,” the woman replies smugly to the camera, “But I live in Hush Puppies,” she adds with a sly smirk

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sunglasses

October 17th 2007 01:10

“Put ‘em on your face!”, that was the tag which sunglasses manufacturer Bolle insisted on. Fair enough, although I’ve never been a fan of Bolle’s designs. I prefer the old school wares, like the Raybans’ warefarer design, made famous in the movie Less Than Zero.

The Aviator design, also by Raybans, has been a fixture for decades, made famous in the movie Top Gun, but pilots have been wearing them since the 1920s. Personally I prefer the less ostentatious look of the classic black 1950s look which Italian actor Marcello Mastrioanni wore in Fellini’s 8-and-a-half. If I could find a piar like that I’d be a happy man

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hats

October 14th 2007 23:12

Hats are a curious thing. The can look exceptionally cool, or down right silly. I’m hat fussy. I’m also hat intolerant. I really only dig certain hats. On the whole I think of them as masks for people to hide an element of insecurity behind, in an unconscious kind of way, I might even proclaim a shy kind of vanity.

I can’t wear hats on the whole. My head is too big. That sounds conceited, but it’s simply that I have a large girth. My head, that is. Ahem. Most hats don’t fit me. And when I do find one that fits, it just looks wrong, because as I said, I’m hat fussy

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bikinis

September 6th 2007 02:37

The history of the bikini begins far before the official introduction of the bikini swimsuit in the summer of 1946. Some historians believe that the bikini may have been one of the first public swimming costumes in existence. Drawing evidence from 300 A.D. Roman mosaics, historians point to the bikini as the swimsuit of choice for ancient Roman women. However Minoan wall paintings from approximately 1600 B.C. also depict women wearing the seemingly quite popular two-piece bathing costume!

The official history of the bikini, under that name, begins in the summer of 1946, just one year after the end of World War II. During that summer two French designers almost simultaneously created and marketed the bikini swimsuit. Barely leading the charge, Jacques Heim, a fashion designer and beach shop owner in the French resort town of Cannes, introduced his swimsuit creation, the “Atome,” early in the summer of 1946. The swimsuit was named the Atome because of its miniscule size (as compared to the then smallest known particle of matter, the atom). Heim sent skywriters high above the Cannes sky, with the simple, yet striking message “the world’s smallest bathing suit

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