The Queen Is Dead.

You are the best dressed angels in heaven.

May you both find peace together in the beyond.

Glamorous Eccentric: Ivanka Trump

For the next installment of 'Glamorous Eccentric' I want to take a slightly different path. You may be wondering if I have gone completely mad to have Ivanka Trump in the same category as Lady Gaga and Isabella Blow, but hear me out.

I have admired Ivanka Trump for a while now. I think it started when I saw her in the documentary Born Rich. In this movie, Jamie Johnson (heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune) interviewed a bunch of his peers on what it was like to grow up wealthy. Ivanka Trump was one of the few people he interviewed that came out looking tenacious, hard working, and intelligent. To be totally honest, I figured she was just a spoiled rich kid, but this movie changed my mind quickly.

The next time I was aware of Ivanka was on The Apprentice. I liked her style and presence and felt her image in the movie was NOT an anomaly- she was actually a strong business woman in her own right.

So needless to say, I was very excited when I found her new book:
Trump Card: Playing To Win In Work And Life.



In the book, Ivanka goes through her life and explains how she got to be Vice President in her father's company. She doesn't shy away from nepotism, but she also explains how she was raised by her father and mother to be the best at whatever she did.

The reason I decided to add Ivanka to my 'Glamorous Eccentric' list is because I think Ivanka is an excellent role model for women who might not want to be rock stars or actresses. She might not dress eccentrically, but the fact that she managed to get through her childhood without being spoiled is amazing. I also think it is wonderful that she decided to write a book to help other young people become the best in business- which is the majority of jobs out there.

And her taste in fashion is impeccable. Check her out:







What I like the best about her style is it is youthful without being slutty and refined without being dowdy. I would call it 'classic with a twist'. And this brings me to one of my favorite parts of her book- discussing her jewelry line.

Have you ever seen The Ivanka Trump Collection? It is pretty impressive. My sister and I have been lusting over a pair of her earrings (shown below).



These are exactly like Ivanka herself- classic with a twist. They seem to be normal diamond hoop earrings, but the twist is the myriad of cuts within the hoop itself. I have never seen anything quite like it before.

Ivanka mentions she and her jewelry business partner tossed the phrase, 'heirloom chic' around. Well, that is EXACTLY what I feel Tales Of A Retro Modern Housewife is about. It is like the perfect catch phrase! I feel the ladies who enjoy reading this blog are interested in the beauty of designs from the past with a fun modern twist. I use the term 'retro-modern' but heirloom chic works just as well.

Here are some other items from her jewelry line to help underline my point:





Aren't those pieces stunning! Of course, I am not buying diamonds anytime soon, but if I could, I would totally invest in Ivanka's line.

So if you think of Ivanka Trump as just being another spoiled rich kid who is hiding behind the success of her daddy, think again! And I highly recommend her book to anyone who is interested in business, especially if they are just starting out.



I would be remiss to not mention that Ivanka got married this weekend to business man Jared Kushner. Ivanka even converted to Judiasm for her beloved. So I want to wish the happy couple Mazel Tov and wecome Ivanka to the tribe.

Glamorous Eccentric: Dita VonTeese

You all must have known that Dita would be the number one glamorous eccentric, didn't you?

What can I say about Dita that you don't know already? Dita was born an old soul, always loved vintage clothing and especially vintage lingerie, was dancer who became a glorified stripper, and is now the most main-stream person wearing vintage clothing. If that isn't an amazing story, I don't know what is.

I think Dita is refined, elegant, eccentric, glamorous, and above all, an individual. She styles herself, including hair and make-up. Word on the street is she will have a beauty book out around the holidays (and I, for one, can't wait!). She was married to whats-his-name, but is now dating Count Louis Marie de Castelbajac. I happen to be a member of her website, and it says that she is visiting her beau's castle this weekend. I mean can you imagine? *sigh*.

Here are some of her amazing outfits:





(I tried to find ensambles you might not have seen before)

For some reason I am obsessed with what Dita wears while flying. I guess it is because air travel is the most uncomfortable thing to do that has paparattzi around (the number one horrible thing is standing in line at the DMV, but there are no paparattzi to be seen at the DMV)and therefore I can find a ton of pics of Dita in her 'most casual'. Here are a few:






Here are two more pics of Dita in her 'causual' clothing:



I could go on for hours about Dita and her amazing fashion, but I will leave it here. Sufficet to say that I adore Dita and her wardrobe, and I find her to be a good 'spokeswoman' for the vintage lifestyle.

Glamorous Eccentric: Lady Gaga

Ok, ok, I can feel you rolling your eyes. But bare with me and let me explain my fascination with Lady Gaga.

For those of you who don't follow pop culture, Lady Gaga is the newest 'Pop Princess' on the scene. She came out with her first album, The Fame, last year and her first 3 singles have all made it to the Top 40, making her the third artist in history to achieve this feat, and her first two singles made the top 10 highest digital downloads of all time.

I became interested in Lady Gaga when I started to workout again and was looking for some good dance songs to listen to while on the treadmill. Well let me tell you, from the first time I heard 'Just Dance', her first single- I was hooked. I immediately watched all of her videos on YouTube and I found her persona fascinating. It was like she was a combination of Donatella Versace and Madonna all wrapped up in one tiny blond, crazy dancer. And the fashion. THE FASHION! She is bonkers. Totally off her rocker. She lives her whole life as one big act of performance art. Seriously. Her. Whole. Life. Check this out:




Those two pictures are from two different interviews with the media. I mean hello? She is wearing a Kermit the frog coat and hat. For real. I think that is totally rock star. Here are some more beauties:







But here is the thing: she can actually write music and perform beautifully- unlike say Britney Spears. Check out her talent:



It might not be your cup of tea, but you have to admit, she has talent.

The other thing I like is how she puts the press in their place. She is an incredibly sexual, strong woman and the press is always asking her the stupidest questions and she handles them like a rock star:




But the reason I love Lady Gaga is because she truly inspired me to follow this path of glamour that I have decided to take. I guess if Lady Gaga can wear a dress made out of plastic balls, then I can wear a lovely dress from the 1950s. If she can put herself out there, then I can too.

Glamorous Eccentric: Isabella Blow

Isabella Blow could be considered the most eccentric tortured soul in all of modern fashion. Famous for being the muse to both Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen, Isabella was blessed with an innate passion for the fashion industry, as well as deep insecurities about her own looks. I found this article written after her untimely death, and I feel it says everything I could possibly say, only a million times better. So please, read the entire article, because if you have heard of Isabella Blow, this article will enhance your love for her (for if you know her you must love her) and if you have never been properly introduced to Ms. Blow, then let this article be your introduction.

Glamorous Eccentric: Tilda Swinton

Here is someone you might not have heard of: Tilda Swinton. Tilda is an acclaimed, academy award winning British actress who always brings the crazy to the red carpet. She is not hounded by paparazzi, so I couldn't find many pictures of her in her everyday garb, but there was plenty of red carpet fun to be had. Take a look at this:













Have you ever seen such things on the red carpet? Usually you get very curvy sexy dresses with plunging cleavage or, on the flip side, large ballgowns. Tilda brings her own sophistication and color sense to a place that doesn't often get to see either. The mainstream fashion press just doesn't know what to do with her, so she is usually on the 'worst dressed' list, but I have to disagree. To me, the worst dressed women on the red carpet are boring. They are easy safe dresses usually found by a stylist and the dress ends up wearing the actress, not the other way around. But Tilda is different. Even her casual clothing is avant-garde:





But the thing I adore most about her is the fact that she lives with her husband AND her lover in Scotland! How awesome is that? Talk about an alternate lifestyle. Now this might not be an option for the rest of us, but good for her for making an unusual choice and not giving a damn what everyone else thinks! So I raise my glass to the completely bonkers Tilda- for being a total original in both her lifestyle and her fashion.