When making the Ford Edsel the company was trying to find new ways to come up with a name:

The naming contest and polling having yielded a bewildering, and essentially useless, surfeit of possibilities, Ford’s own head of market research decided to take a new tack. He put in a call to the woman many considered the most prominent American poet of the day, Marianne Moore , and informally commissioned her to present a list of names that would evoke what he called “some visceral feeling of elegance, fleetness, advanced features and design.” Even among literary critics and fellow poets, Moore was considered an eccentric. Her suggestions more than lived up to that reputation. Among them were Resilient Bullet, Andante con Moto, Pastelogram, Mongoose Civique, Ford Silver Sword, Varsity Stroke, Utopian Turtletop, Thundercrest (and the variant, Thundercrester), and Intelligent Whale. A late entry was Turcontinga, which combined the name of a South American bird, the cotinga, with turquoise, a popular car color of the 1950s.

“May I submit UTOPIAN TURTLETOP? Do not trouble to answer unless you like it.”
Letter to the Ford marketing department from Marianne Moore, December 8, 1955

From the chapter on the Ford Edsel failure in Alan Axelrod’s book Profiles in Folly. Seen as a comment here this morning.

‘Kanga’ Tryon.

I could be going from daughter to mother in one fell chop. Saucy old thing was the most exciting thing to happen to Charles since this. You cannot beat an Aussie bird.

Or Molly:

It’s coming off:

(Sherilyn Fenn + Laurel Pantin) x Thursday night = haircut. Can’t wait.

Three top picks from the Kerry Taylor auction tomorrow.

1) Alice Pollock bias cut dress - 70s

2) Rudi Gernreich suit - 50s

3) Jacques Fath suede bomber, belonga Marlene Dietrich.

I’m feeling neutrals.

Kids are great. I have twelve nephews and nieces! I babysat my entire teenage life. Such fun!! Lots of music and choreography and dancing and dressing up. Sometimes I think GEEZ I wouldn’t mind one of my own to dress up if it meant some vintage Osh Kosh B’Gosh:

Lucky for me I have my very own adult size pair of OSH KOSH (ticking!!!!!!) winging its way to me by Royal Mail RIGHT NOW!!

Alexander Wang Diego bag, via Rackk and Ruin.

Molly Ringwald + Miu Miu SS10 = Cyrinda Fox.

Personal Style is what this book is all about.

Cheap Chic by Carol Troy and Catherine MiIlinaire, was published in 1975 and has been a bit of a bible for me since I picked it up two years or so ago at Battersea Boot Fair. It’s based on the premise that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to look great - that knowledge, thought, a sassy attitude and a smile can get you much further than your mastercard.

It features big names (YSL, Jerry Hall, Betsey Johnson, Rudi Gernreich) alongside unknowns and friends of the authors talking about what style means to them. Here’s Lauren Hutton in a pair of Levis, a man’s shirt and a cashmere sweater:

“Ninety-five percent of my clothes are in navy blue, white or Khaki” says photographer Helene Gaillet talking about her ‘layer theory’ and daily uniform of five-year-old YSL boots and bag, cheap jeans, boys monogrammed shirts from Brooks Bros and an army surplus jacket. What she saves on clothing she spends on a collection of delicate gold jewellery and her first layer - a lithe supple body.

Ingeborg Day is another favorite who has a ‘cost-per-wear’ system (cost divided by number of times worn) and minimal wardrobe. I am taken by the way she dresses to complement her stature with flowing clothes and two signature pieces around her neck: a strand of pearls and Guatemalan bag - what a perfect contrast!

Duggie Fields represents the UK with a wild pair of saddle shoes and one of the first mentions in a book of Malcolm and Vivienne’s shop SEX:

Nancy Crow is super-sexy in wrap skirts, vintage smocks and bed jackets over little t-shirts. Like Helene and Ingebord she spends more on jewellery, shoes and bags and wears the rest as cheap finds or vintage.

I think this look is perfect. It illustrates the virtues of shopping for local artisan goods on holiday - in this case mexican cotton and baskets. I wish I was there.

This French Jewellers smock hasn’t changed in design for hundreds of years and is worn elsewhere by the same woman but under a fair isle vest and tweed jacket with knee high brown leather boots. If anyone knows where I can find one please let me know!

The moral of the story is be creative and have fun. I often refer to this book when I look at a pair of shoes I can’t afford or when I get the urge to go spend. It’s a lesson in looking at clothes as just one aspect of your existence and making the most of what you’ve got.

Still working on Friday night at half past eight. I feel like pulling a fierce look with cigarette like Joan Didion and this Facehunter girl… Unfortunately I don’t smoke.

…I think can this be love.

File this one in heroes.