Archive for August 2011
Richard Gere
Today’s birthday boy is Richard Gere.
I remember first becoming acquainted with the work of Cancer designer Giorgio Armani when “American Gigolo” became a hit in 1980. It was about the same time that I began to take an interest in fashion. I didn’t really understand how Armani was changing the way clothing was designed, but I did know he was doing things differently than the designers before him.
Take this jacket worn by Gere, for example. The lack of internal structure gave the garment a slouchy appearance quite unlike the previous decade’s double-knit polyester jackets. Paired with the loose trousers, it was the look that was going to inspire a whole new era of fashion.
Nevertheless, the concept of this look represents the Virgo aesthetic far more than the Cancer style. In the years following Armani’s big breakthrough, his classic tailoring became his hallmark rather than his occasional jaunts into conceptual fashion. Tom Cruise, his fellow Cancer, became the celebrity normally associated with the label.
So I’m going to give some credit here to Gere. I wonder if the look would have become such a phenomenon on the back of a different actor? I don’t think so.
Cameron Diaz
The birthday girl for August 30 is Cameron Diaz.
I like the way Diaz dresses. She seems to understand contemporary fashion without giving in to its most foolish affectations. The worst thing a Virgo can do is to overthink everything. Too many poorly-dressed Virgo individuals pile on the accessories, double-up on the logos and broadcast their knowledge of fashion by dressing two seasons ahead of the pack. The result is a look that screams “FASHION VICTIM!”
In my book I mentioned that Virgo style icon Sophia Loren can get away with looking better than anyone else without wearing anything more than a dress and a pair of shoes. Get a load of how great Diaz looks in the center photo in a similar ensemble. It’s like she read my mind — or maybe she read my book. Of course, I choose to believe the latter.
Courtney Stodden
Today’s birthday girl is Courtney Stodden.
Known for doing nothing besides looking trashy and getting married to a fifty-plus man when she was sixteen, Stodden has earned a lot of attention over the past couple of months. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong sort of attention (although I admit I’m loving the segments about her that have been featured on “The Soup“).
Now I’ve never really explored this before, but when I was still in my late teens, my two best friends were both Virgos. Looking back on those days, I’ve never known anyone who has wanted to grow up faster than those two. In fact, their hard-living lifestyles caught up with both of them; one is deceased and the other one has every trip to rehab etched into her face. It’s tragic. I was always the voice of reason in our relationships. I was the guy calling us a cab and making sure that we all got home in one piece. In both cases, I had to distance myself from them because watching the two of them self destruct was killing me before I had even got out of my twenties.
What I have explored on this blog is the lack of self-reflection that many Virgo natives seem to share. Both of my friends were prime examples of that quality. They were often the first ones to point out the shortcomings of others while remaining completely oblivious to their own. However, I’ve never really looked at the issue from the perspective of someone who wants to grow up too quickly; discovering that today is Courtney Stodden’s birthday has me wondering if there’s something to that theory.
I’m going to have to give it some thought.
Florence Welch
Today’s birthday girl is Florence Welch.
Here’s a photo of Welch on the cover of the recent issue of “Vogue Japan,” shot by the singer’s fellow Virgo, Karl Lagerfeld. Is it just me, or does the Kaiser have a disproportionate number of Virgo muses? I can think of Florence Welch, Blake Lively, Claudia Schiffer, Coco Rocha – and that’s just off the top of my head!
I guess it’s not so weird to want to surround yourself with your own kind. My friend and fellow blogger Auntie Fashion has her League of Incomprehensible Gorgeousness which only includes Capricorns born during the first week of the year. I’m a member of that club, so who am I to disparage Karl’s little clique?
Pee-wee Herman
The birthday boy for August 27 is Paul Rubens aka Pee-wee Herman.
When I wrote my book I assigned certain fabrics, colors, patterns, etc., to different zodiac signs. I gave Glen check to Virgo, along with other small-scale repetitive designs, including houndstooth and Prince of Wales plaid. The organization of fine details in these fabrics suited the Virgo aesthetic perfectly. I didn’t really consider the fact that the most famous Glen check suit of all time belonged to a Virgo. I was writing for women and about women, and I hadn’t really considered the zodiac sign of Paul Rubens’ character, Pee-wee Herman.
It just goes to show you that I really, really, really know what I’m talking about.
Mother Teresa
Simplicity is the backbone of every well-dressed Virgo woman’s wardrobe. She can wear less while saying more than anyone else in the zodiac.
On that note, the birthday girl for August 26 is Mother Teresa . . .
Christian LeBlanc
The birthday boy for August 25 is Christian LeBlanc.
I’m a huge fan of LeBlanc. In fact, Michael Baldwin ties with Phyllis Newman as my favorite character on “The Young and the Restless.” While I imagine that the actor shares some similarities with the character he plays, I’m not really sure to what degree LeBlanc resembles Baldwin. Yet Baldwin seems to be a Virgo through and through. He’s disciplined, highly-critical, neurotic and he’s flirted with a mental disorder. But even when he’s got his head in the clouds, he really seems to be down-to-earth.
It’s interesting that actress Michelle Stafford who plays Phyllis Newman is also a Virgo. I can’t keep my eyes off of her, either, while she’s on the screen. I’ll try to remember to discuss her wardrobe when her birthday rolls around in a couple of weeks.
Alex Colville
It’s always interesting to me when an artwork gives away the zodiac sign of the artist who created it. I see that happening in the work of iconic Canadian artist Alex Colville, today’s birthday boy. Clean, conceptualized, disciplined — everything about his paintings screams “Virgo!” He may be considered to be a photorealist, yet there’s a subjectivism to his work manifested as tidiness that puts him into a category all his own.
I see the same qualities emerge from the work of the best Virgo fashion designers, including Karl Lagerfeld and Tom Ford. Even their most practical work is refined because neither designer can escape from the fact that cleaning up the world around them is in their nature.
Shelley Long
The birthday girl for August 23 is Shelley Long.
I expected to confirm that Long was born while the sun was in Virgo when I punched up her chart. I was wrong! Not only does she have a Leo sun in the final degree of the sign, she also has a Leo moon. But what didn’t surprise me at all was her Virgo ascendant and the placement of Mercury in Virgo in the first house. Her twelfth house sun and moon are weakened substantially.
The role that made her into a star — playing Diane on “Cheers” — made me believe that Long had to share something in common with her anal-retentive character. Of course, Virgo natives are known for being picky and detail-oriented (in other words: anal). Born a few minutes later, perhaps Long wouldn’t been bitten with the acting bug that makes so many Leo individuals pursue fame. It’s an interesting combination of astrological factors because it explains everything about the actress and the role that made her into a star.
Kristen Wiig
The birthday girl for August 22 is Kristen Wiig.
There are a lot of funny Leo women in show business, and there are a lot of Leo women who have become famous for wearing wigs. For some reason, I just start to laugh when Kristen Wiig shows up in a scene with a ridiculous wig or a stupid hat — that’s all it takes! I do believe that she’s funny without the headgear, but not nearly as funny as she is with it.
It just goes to show you that you should stick with what you do best. Leos were born to be crowned with something.
