4-13-25 MY INSPO: who's your (dead) daddy?

 if you're on the same side of the internet as myself, you are not a stranger to the many posts lamenting the death of an robin williams, jim morrison, kurt cobain, and other men that were icons turned legends posthumously. i once read someone describing that each girl in her twenties ends up choosing her own emotional support dead man, and one learns their lore until all resources are exhausted (many times these sources are limited because they are in fact - dead). sib, for example, could share some deep dirt on david bowie or some other 70s rockstar with shady history. in my teens, vincent van gogh was pivotal to me, i would watch the doctor who episode featuring van gogh just to get into my emotions and mourn the couple hundred old artist who would've been long dead even prior to my birth. i read his letters to his brother faster than my mandatory school readings. i made the art hoe aesthetic my bitch.

the reason why i'm bringing this topic up is because i am reading a book by another dead man we all praise and quote in bars and restaurants - the late great hedonist - anthony bourdain. i'm currently reading his book medium raw, and it got me thinking, damn, i really have a bizarre affinity to these dead dudes. before any trip, i check where bourdain himself trekked, watch that episode and make arrangements to sleep, eat and practically shit where bourdain did. anthony bourdain simply had that coolness about him, with the pinky rings and band tees and just that fuck it mentality. we can all appreciate his unglossed reports in his shows, his love toward the indigenous people and their meals, and culture, and his hatred of the fast food and clout mentality in the dining industry. while i am only a twenty something girl with a full time job, i may not be as brave to take on the exact same paths as he, but his ways opened my eyes to appreciate even some local hidden gems - such as zubal books here in our own downtown cleveland, a bookstore with an insane inventory. boyfriend and i made our way to their warehouse (that is opened only earlier in the weekdays, not super compatible for us 9-5ers) a couple years ago for mlk jr day when we were both off. it was a brittle cold day but we managed to wander through their warehouse and i got to chat with the manager and even get some good deals on some books. ditch barnes and noble, check out zubal!

jfk jr and carolyn bessette kennedy died in a pair and were my obsession in a pair - and their lore was last summer's big one for me. the more i'm writing this, the more morbid and morally wrong it is, but in my defense - is it inherently bad if we could say we are honoring these influential people after their passing? just so you know, an i told ya t shirt and an edition of george magazine during jfk jr's years are still on my wishlist. and i'm going to say it - jack schlossberg may be the last kennedy, but jfk jr still holds the throne of being the most beautiful one. 

during covid i was itching for a new hobby, and while i was always into art and decent in school, i never seriously took it up and treated myself with art equipment, until lockdown and 2020 happened. i struggled with insomnia-like symptoms during this time, and enjoyed watching bob rossthe joy of painting to help with my sleep. i got so inspired, that shortly after, i was at joann's scouring easels, canvases and oil paints, paint brushes and other varnishes that would probably give me a headache and hallucinations in an improperly vented room. that spring i would haul my equipment onto the balcony of my old room and follow the calming words of bob ross, like a meditation. if you want to learn how to paint, i am dead serious, his tricks and advice work like magic! the netflix documentary bob ross: happy accidents, betrayal and greed was a heartbreaking and disappointing. still, his true legacy is beyond the money and merch.


before you timothee chalamet loving bitches, and you dudes who think you know how to play the guitar, come for me - bob dylan did not deserve the 2016 nobel prize for literature. not when the following emotional support dead guy exists: leonard cohen. we were introduced with hallelujah watching shrek, and his red needle cocktail is one i frequently make (tequila, cranberry juice, lemon stirred over ice). 2016 was a rough year when we think how many incredible icons passed away. the nobel prize always stings, because i do think cohen was snubbed. 

if you're croatian, or croatian-american, old or young, you may recognize this icon just by association: striped shirt, cigar, boats and seagulls. i hope you guessed correctly. the next emotional support dead guy is oliver dragojević.  his songs are a hit at any event, in any place - diaspora or duga resa. he encapsulated the dalmatian lifestyle so impeccably, you feel transported into his world with just the few notes of moj galebe. his passing in 2018 encapsulated the way croatians do a celebration of life - numerous boats equipped with flares, guitars and fans glided through the coast of the adriatic in honor of this legendary singer.

another honorable mention goes to a man lesser known to the croatian-american community, but almost equally impactful in croatia. not necessarily a citizen but a man i dubbed as the princess diana of the balkans - the macedonian toŔe proeski. he passed only a couple months after i moved to croatia, but it was so newsworthy that i begged my parents for his cd igra bez granica, and i got it for my birthday (and even brought it with me to the states). he died in a car accident at the age of 26. he was immensely talented, incredibly humble and just beautiful. his talent was known across all of ex-yu and loved by all.


this wouldn't be a fashion blog if i don't mention at least one of the greats: alexander mcqueen. his documentary shed light on his controversial shows and his mental health. when i first moved to the states, unemployed with no driver's license, and just beginning college, my days were spent on youtube scouring his givenchy and mcqueen shows, looking up songs used in his shows, and searching and pining for his pieces on therealreal and ebay for a deal (impossible). he hated the bourgeoisie, he despised most celebrities, but he loved women. he loved them at their best and worst, welcomed the good, the bad, and the ugly. 
 ā€œi design clothes because i don’t want women to look all innocent and naĆÆve… i want woman to look stronger… i don’t like women to be taken advantage of… i don’t like men whistling at women in the street. i think they deserve more respect. i like men to keep their distance from women, i like men to be stunned by an entrance. i’ve seen a woman get nearly beaten to death by her husband. i know what misogyny is… i want people to be afraid of the women i dress.ā€

last but not least, it would be a sin to not mention the king of pop - michael jackson. his passing was my 9/11. his songs are my absolute all time favorites. now, controversies still circulate around him, but we cannot deny the sheer greatness of how he would create a song by just humming along and creating rhythm. i am not ashamed to say i am the hee-hee man's greatest fan. 


in other news, the house of versace has a new daddy itself. the fashion world was shook by the news that prada group bought out versace. historical "rivals", each distinct in their aesthetics. both italian powerhouses, both powerful and popular in their respects. even though prada and miumiu are considered "sister" (rightfully so), i always view pradace as a sister duo, probably because one of sib's fave brands is versace, and mine is prada.
these companies are bubbling up like amoebas (i don't know biology), or better like those .io games that were popular a few year back, where the bigger one eats up "smaller" brands. 


personally, i am not a fan of the process of buying out brands - it takes away from the integrity and the freedom those brands had before. from a financial standpoint - okay, i guess there could be benefits. but with mother donatella VERSACEšŸ’œ leaving a few months prior, and now this change... is gianni (another emotional support dead man) rolling in his grave out of frustration? is this going to kill the iconic extravagant legacy? could it be that the medusa lost her power among the other fashion gods? i fear only time will tell. i will be on a lookout for versace in the following fashion seasons, and pay attention to the changes in trends. 







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