Hive Jive

It was called 'the bouffant, the up-do & the B52', but the beehive that originated in Chicago in 1960 was the true definition of the 'big hair' fad that caught on like wild fire and gained world wide appeal.  The overly back combed, overly aqua netted style, was named the 'beehive' because it actually looks like a hive, or a nest of some sorts.  It's been said that part of the allure of the style is that it added the illusion of height to the wearer.  I know the history of the hive first hand as my mother who grew up in that era told me she sported the style when she was 16.  She said..."The higher the hive, the cooler you were considered to be".  The first girl group to get on board with this style was 'The Ronettes' but the trend lasted through to the late 70's with the emergence of the pop culture iconic group 'The B52's', as band members Kate Pierson & Cindy Wilson rocked their own retro version of the boof.

Well into the 80's it continued to trail blaze & continued to be re-popularized, especially after the cult John Waters film, 'Hair Spray' starring drag queen Divine & Ricky Lake was released, & over dramatized the 'do' to the hilt! & it made it's way back again with a re do of the popular movie from the same script starring John Travolta in drag & newcomer Nikki Blonsky in 2007.

In 2006, Amy Whinehouse stepped on the music scene with her signature style which was soon to be emulated by her female followers.  Her hair was what she was known for aside from her amazing other worldly vocal abilities. It was stated that her poof measured close to a half of a foot high!  In her whole career regardless of her state of being, you never saw her minus the hair-do.  She was quoted as saying ...  "My hair is always on point, even if the rest of me is really naff." 

This vintage hairstyle just seems to keep evolving but has definitely come along way from it's beginnings when it was originally created by Margaret Vinci Heldt, winner of the 1954 National Coiffure Championship.

This variation of the style won an award at a British hairstyling competition in 2010 which is sheer proof that in years to come we're just going to keep seeing the style moving into new and exciting directions!

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Looking Back At The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Through The Years..

Sports Illustrated magazine has been around since 1954 and it was primarily a periodical that covered every avenue, of anything sports related up until a decade after it had been in publication.  In 1964, the magazines editor, Andre Laguerre invented the swimsuit edition to fill up the Winter months which were typically slow in regards to sports writing. It was a simple idea that became an effective marketing tool, being that it featured beautiful models in exotic locations.  It is thought by many in the mag biz, that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was behind the succession of the 'Super Model' and that could very well be since it made Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley and Paulina Porizkova, household names.  Here's a little re-cap of S.I through the years...


1964: Babette March, a former hairdresser turned model from Germany was Sports Illustrated's 1st ever Swimsuit Issue cover girl.

1974: Ann Simonton, an American writer & lecturer who ironically became a radical feminist activist.

1984: Paulina Porzikova, a Czechoslovakian model was the first Eastern European woman to be on the cover of S.I.  She's also known world wide for marrying Rick Ocasek, the lead singer of The Cars.

1994: Kathy Ireland from the U.S., Elle Macpherson from Australia & Rachel Hunter from New Zealand, known in the modeling world as 'The Dream Team'. 

2004: Veronika Varekova of the Czech Republic, graced the cover of the 40th Anniversary Issue.  A model, and also a successful climber who went on to brave Mount Kilimanjaro in 2008.

So to bring you current, Irina Shayk, a Russia model who has worked closely with Armani and was recently in a Kanye West music video was the latest of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models.

Given the change in the modesty factor throughout the decades, who knows what route the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will take as the years progress?  Not to sound too prude'ish but it appears as though the vibe of the mag has moved in a sketchy direction since the beginning of the new millennium.  Curious, what do you think about it? 


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