At the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles for the "Conversations" show, I was browsing the California history section on the lower level when I came across a display devoted to silent film sensation Mae Murray.
She was a movie star who personified the easy fortune of the Jazz Age. The museum had the dress (designed by Adrian) she made famous in Circe the Enchantress. The accompanying text, rather snidely, noted that she was much more well-known for her chic look, fashion sense, publicity and "bee-stung lips" than her talent. And also that she went crazy and died penniless.
As though having personal style that endures nearly a century later weren't an achievement! It would certainly be enough for me.
Other LL Icons: Denise Levertov
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