After 1975's faggoty wet dream, Mahogany, Lady Diana's status as a fashion icon was firmly cemented, if there was ever any doubt. First off, we have the diva herself, all 18 lbs of her (13 in the hair alone) as Tracy, an aspiring fashion designer living in the inner city. Then we have closet case--and one-time beau of Tab Hunter, the Paul Walker/Josh Hartnett/insert wooden pretty boy here, of his day--Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins as a photographer who "falls in love" with Tracy, later renamed Mahogany when she becomes an international supermodel (!). Third, we have a brilliant fashion montage as Mahogany rises to the top of the modelling world, with many stunning looks, including a bejeweled bodysuit or two. Fourth, we have Mahogany's Japanese geisha-inspired collection featuring over-the top kimonos, as referenced in a recent episode of Project Runway.
Fifth, we have Billy Dee Williams in his pre-Colt 45 heyday as Tracy/Mahogany's toothy love interest. And finally, there's the Oscar-nominated ballad, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) ," Ms. Ross' third #1 of her solo career. Add into the equation that the film is absolutely terrible and campy (unintentionally) as anything John Waters has shat out, and you have the perfect crystallization of the Ross fashion iconography and perhaps the gayest thing to come out of the 70s, besides Peter Allen, natch.
1 comment:
I was so in crush on Billy Dee. pre-colt days, of course.
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