Fashion Icons: Edie Sedgwick

Edie Sedgwick (1943-1971) was an American socialite mostly famous for being one of Warhol’s superstars at the Factory in the 1960s. With her eccentric behaviour Edie attracted Warhol’s attention and for a while this anorexic beauty from a prominent family was a star in New York City, at the same time when The Velvet Underground and Nico were doing their first light shows. Then she hooked up with Bob Dylan who broke her heart, and after a short marriage to Michael Post she died of barbiturate overdose at the age of 28.

To get this Poor-Little-Rich-Girl look think of large chandelier earrings, massive earrings, geometric prints, black and white combos, Mod A-line dresses, black tights with boots and gold or silver ultra mini dress, leopard print coat… She wore large fake eyelashes and it allegedly took her three hours to apply her make up! Film Factory Girl (2006) starring Sienna Miller as Edie is very good in my opinion and the costumes are really accurate.

Although Edie wasn’t the inspiration for Bob Dylan’s song Like a Rolling Stone, the lyrics bring the spirit of her short, glamorous and sad life:

“Once upon a time you dressed so fine
Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?
People call say ‘beware doll, you’re bound to fall’
You thought they were all kidding you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out
Now you don’t talk so loud
Now you don’t seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal

How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone

Ahh you’ve gone to the finest schools, alright Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody’s ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you’re gonna have to get used to it
You say you never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He’s not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel, how does it feel?…“

New York’s Young Design Scene 1967

WAY-OUT FASHION IN A BIZARRE YOUNG WORLD

”Canary lips, chalk-white skin, flaming hair – is this really what’s happening, baby? Not quite. The clothes are designed to be worn by young people under 21, but the colours are something else. They are the doing of an inventive photographer, himself equally young, who achieved his bizarre effect by using infrared film. As if seen under the madly shifting lights of a discotheque, red turns to yellow, blacks to red, blues to purple and reality to fantasy. Fledgling fashionmakers some not yet out of school, are responsible for the designs shown here. Produced by their creators on a one-of-a-kind basis, they are sold at a New York boutique called Abracadabra.” (Life Magazine, August 1967)

”And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow’s parties
A hand-me-down dress from who knows where
To all tomorrow’s parties
And where will she go and what shall she do
When midnight comes around
She’ll turn once more to Sunday’s clown
And cry behind the door.” (The Velvet Underground – All Tomorrow’s Parties)

”Here she comes, you better watch your step
She’s going to break your heart in two, it’s true It’s not hard to realize
Just look into her false colored eyes
She builds you up to just put you down, what a clown
‘Cause everybody knows (She’s a femme fatale)
The things she does to please (She’s a femme fatale)
She’s just a little tease (She’s a femme fatale)
See the way she walks
Hear the way she talks
You’re put down in her book
You’re number 37, have a look.” (The Velvet Underground – Femme Fatale)

”There she goes again
She’s out on the streets again
She’s down on her knees, my friend
But you know she’ll never ask you please again
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes
She won’t take it from just any guy, what can you do
You see her walkin’ on down the street
Look at all your friends she’s gonna meet (…)

She’s gonna bawl and shout
She’s gonna work it
She’s gonna work it out, bye bye
Bye bye baby
All right” (The Velvet Underground – There She Goes Again)

These photos were scanned by Sweet Jane from Life Magazine August 1967, and the photographs were taken by Barry Kaplan. Besides the fact that I adore the 1960s fashion, I think these photos make a great art statement, and the use of infrared film is so avant-garde, at least for that time, and so is the Velvet Underground which inevitably comes to my mind when I think of the ’60s New York. Therefore I decided to include their lyrics too, and hopefully you’ll give their music a try, in case you still haven’t.