the best vampire movie you never saw

Rockula is, by far, my favorite vampire movie. In fact it is most often what I name as my favorite movie ever. This is usually baffling to people since virtually no one has seen it, and it sounds wicked dumb from the title alone. Sadly, Rockula seems doomed never to come to DVD, but you can watch it in 9 pieces on you-tube or scour your local video stores for a VHS copy like I did. Mine doesn't play anymore - I wore it out over prolly a hundred viewings. That's not an exageration at all.

I first saw it when I was 14 - my step-mother used to tape all the Dean Cameron movies for me - and it was a huge inspiration to my then-developing idea of what cool is, due in a large part to the absolutely pitch-perfect 1990 costumes. When I found out this morning that the costuming was done by Pamela Skaist - now Pamela Skaist-Levy of Juicy Couture - it all made sense.

You'll have to excuse the poor quality of these screen shots - you tube compression is ugly - but you can still get an idea why this movie stuck hard to me.



Toni Basil plays the most beautiful vampire ever - she has this 40s /what-we-now-know-as-Juicy-Couture thing going on that just slays me. That's a little white bolero w yellow puffballs, worn over a vintage cream beaded wiggle dress that we never get a great look at.



She rocks the giant bows pretty much throughout the whole film. She also raps. I'm telling you this movie is good.

Then there's Tawny Fere doing the quintessential 1990 thing



That's 50s vintage shortened in front only, with cowboy boots. She wears it with this motorcycle jacket with a Madonna painted on the back




Add this to the best shades ever file:




OK back to Toni Basil. Throughout she piles on the costume jewelry, and this version of the giant bow has morphed into a 40s floral tilt topper





here is the first thing we actually see her in - satin wiggle and a coque-feather fascinator



yeah I really love her whole thing


Giant evening bow, and piles of paste jewels. Seriously, slutty 1940s vampire mom is maybe my favorite look ever.

I tried hard to get a good cap of this dress, but it was impossible. You just have to watch the movie.. but here is the top part anyway:



those points at her hips are sort of pagoda-panniers, with a long slim brocade pencil skirt beneath. Here's the back:



This dress is art. I would love to really get a good look and know more about it.
I think my wardrobe goal in life now is to collect the pieces to be this woman.


I couldn't get any good caps of Thomas Dolby's wardrobe (yes, the She Blinded me with Science guy) but it is insane. He does this 60s Donovan at a rave thing that comes off as a sort of Seussian steampunk. Suits in insane prints, Lennon sunglasses, tiny top-hat with daisies on it, bell-bottoms, and an outstanding car:



Gotta love the car-as-fashion-accessory. Why have I been driving a soccer-mom truck for the last 10 years?

Bo Diddley is in it too, and the music is actually good, and the script is even funny. I am constantly referencing lines from this movie in my head. Really, it's a shame that rights issues are keeping this one out of public consumption. Or rather that the only way to consume it is with the crappiest picture quality in the universe. Apparently Paula Abdul was supposed to play the Tawny Fere part, and I can't help thinking if she had that this would be on DVD already. But Tawny is great in this, don't get me wrong. Everyone is very committed to the insanity here. And Toni Basil.. I'm telling you - life changing.

movie inspiration: twentieth century

Twentieth Century
Carole Lombard & John Barrymore. Not my favorite Lombard movie (see We're not Dressing w Bing Crosby, Gracie Allen & George Burns, Ethel Merman, and a rollerskating bear) but Barrymore's secretary here wins for biggest bow. Easy DIY, given enough spray starch. You can just make out her giant cufflinks there too.

contributed - first kiss

Elizabeth made a 'zine. Like old school, but she used the internet too. She collected first hand accounts of first kisses from a lot of cool internet types. Yes, my first kiss story is in there as well. Cringe along with me. Click the pic.

TV Inspiration: McMillan & Wife

You know I watch all detective movies/shows/old time radio broadcasts as part of my training to be a little old woman who solves mysteries. Of course most of what I pay attention to in the end are the wardrobes. Stay tuned for the insanity that is the Columbo costume dept - including a cameo by Edith Head herself - and a post dedicated to Mrs. Fletcher's massive collection of Coach purses and Cowichan sweaters.

Today let us take a moment to consider perhaps the best dressed crime solving heroine since Nora Charles - Sally McMillan of McMillan & Wife, 1971 - 1977. Susan St. James wears the hell out of some awful/amazing 70s ensembles and the best pantsuits ever onscreen.


Summery, w white lace-up espadrilles



white pantsuit w tubetop


She does the ribbon tied around the neck a lot. I did that all the time in high school. A wildly feminist teacher I had told me that it has the connotation of a dog collar and symbolized my desire to be controlled and degraded by men. What a load of crap.

Fitted glitter knit T



Blue velvet pantsuit



I wish I could get my hair to do this.. also best blouse ever.



Buffalo plaid pantsuit - must find.



Really good pixie cut on this waitress




Pretty much I wear this around the house/errands all the time - irish wool/old denim/60s hair



This glittery disco number is for a wake



Crochet & patent leather winter cap



That on the left is so MiuMiu a few years ago, no?



grey suit w oversize peach necktie





blanket skirt w overknee boots


Must find.

She does a lot of fitted long formal polyseter dresses too that don't screencap so well but look amazing.

the girl can't help it

check out little richard's shoes in the jayne mansfield movie 'the girl can't help it'.. flat black w gold tips & facings.

unicorn head

check out anna's new unicorn haircut




badass

movie inspiration: matt helm

snow days = marathon movie watching. this time around i watched all of the dean martin matt helm movies i could find online. you can see the ambushers and murderer's row on netflix watch instantly, and the silencers is on hulu for free. these are pretty much just like austin powers except it's dean martin instead of austin powers. the evil bad guy organization is 'the big O' and his assistant's name is lovey cravesit. but the costumes are some of the best 1967-69 had to offer.. holy cow the costumes are so good. gogo pop color and lowslung hiphuggers and see-through meshy divinities. he always ends up at some tropical locale surrounded by beautiful lady spies in amazing swimsuits. it's all ideal blizzard-movie-day material.
ready?:



1967 was the pinnacle of sunglass design. those above are gold hands giving the 'ok' sign.
and these



her suit is mostly mesh w solid inserts. hard to get pics of it because her character is clutzy and always falling over things.







serious badgirl earrings



serious badgirl cube ring
and matching super serious badgirl cube bracelet






insane asylum chic - white canvas gogo dress w giant red vinyl buckles and bleached pink hair. so future-now. i would like to be this girl today yes please. i have a drawer full of hairdye. i need some buckles.



blondie's mini is beautiful, but that on the right there is a proper double-breasted gogo shorts-suit. if it were leather that would be pretty right-now too.


love this - circusy harlequin but super classy

sheer mesh w solid yellow panels


there's an oleg cassini fashion show bit with a few dozen amazing prints. here is just one - all too good


i wish his fencing instructor wasn't standing at such a bad angle to really see her heart-shaped uniform. she never really turns around - more mesh



murderer's row has ann-margaret in it as a wild teen discoteque queen in cannes. i love a good longsleeved swimsuit


and pink vinyl hair bows for the pool



also can we talk about this daisy dress and matching daisy skullcap for a sec please


and matching daisy panties. bury me in this please.

she has yellow nailpolish on too. just sayin..

these are vinyl or leather. let's say they're leather

ann's is backless, which makes it weirdly sexy when she turns around. and those pointy white ankle strap shoes are my favorite. her whole thing (the blonde) is pretty ideal really. pink leather cape = true love.
but really. the daisies. w the red sunglasses. i don't need other clothes. i'll be the weird daisy chick, that's fine.