A New Marilyn

Photo of a t-shirt spotted at VA beach (October 2014)

In the 1970’s Vivienne Westwood opened “SEDITIONARIES” boutique at 430 Kings Road Chelsea, London with her husband Malcolm McLaren.  The boutique became infamous for churning out distressed t-shirts emblazoned with provocative slogans and imagery.  Many years later, Westwood admits that much of the “punk” artwork was created to not only titillate but to challenge societal norms.  Today politicizing fashion by juxtaposing everyday images with more subversive ones is not so unusual.  Take my favorite femme fatale, Marilyn Monroe.  On a recent trip south of the Mason Dixon I encountered a side of Marilyn that I had never seen.   Instead of retreating behind a hand full of sedatives, the 2014 Marilyn is head up, full frontal, barrels blazing.  The altered image resonates as most provocative images do.  How different would Marilyn’s life have been if she could handle a firearm?

Read up on a Fashion Icon: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD: new biography by Vivienne Westwood and Ian Kelly launched October 8, 2014