Row 1: Honey Ryder in Dr. No, 1962; Row 2: Melinda Havelock in For Your Eyes Only, 1981; Row 3: Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, 2006.
"Bond girls follow a fairly well-developed pattern of beauty. They possess splendid figures and tend to dress in a slightly masculine, assertive fashion, with few pieces of jewelery and that in a masculine cut, wide leather belts, and square-toed leather shoes. They often sport light though noticeable sun-tans, and they generally use little or no makeup and no fingernail or toenail polish, also wearing their nails short." —O.F. Snelling, author of Double 0 Seven, James Bond, A Report.
I'm under no illusion that there are several Bond girls that don't have tomboy style in the slightest, but after seeing For Your Eyes Only over the weekend and watching Melina Havelock wield a crossbow, I knew there were at least a few.
I'd love to know, do you have a favorite James Bond character and/or movie?
Photos via Two Inch Cuffs and Mariah Kunkel.
Within about a minute of finding Mariah Kunkel's lifestyle and fashion blog, Quite Continental, I knew I had to contact her (demand friendship). She's an honest contemporary of Katharine Hepburn, who is unsurprisingly one of Mariah's personal style icons. Everything I know about her is deliberate and smart, spunky and independent. And believe me, I'm not the only one that feels this way, last week while eating her lunch on the steps of the library on 5th Avenue, Mariah was photographed by the one and only Bill Cunningham.
If not in New York, I would live in... a beachy community of Southern California, like Topanga Canyon, the Venice Canals, Abbot Kinney, Santa Barbara, my dream would probably be Rustic Canyon.
My dream holiday would be to...tour the South Pacific and ride seaplanes, outriggers, sailboats and horses while exploring rain forests and coastal towns. I'd wear my hair wild and eat my weight in mangoes.
My current obsessions are...eating the aforementioned mangoes, as well as heirloom tomatoes, avocados, fresh mint, tacos, and sweet corn; listening to The Civil Wars and Ryan Bingham (when I'm not listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Janelle Monae); wearing my field jacket and nursing something of a chambray addiction; and stalking a few pairs of Dieppa Restrepo loafers.
I channel my childhood self when I...create collages, watch Auntie Mame (the original with Rosalind Russell), listen to southern rock, eat my mother's sugar cookies, ride horses.
The fictional characters I most relate to are...Weetzie Bat from the Francesca Lia Block novels and Denise from The Cosby Show.
If I had to be outdoors all day I would... want to wake up early on the warm shores of an ocean. Make strong coffee over an open fire. Walk through open fields with a happy dog or two. Find a horse, saddle her up with just a blanket, and ride over gentle hills, ford streams and let her stretch her legs in a full gallop as she liked. Return to the beach in the late afternoon to laze about playing gin rummy in the setting sun. Eat fish tacos and huge strawberries and peaches. Drink pineapple juice laced with mint and horchata and red sangria. Get a little drunk and dance to bossa nova, Les Nubians, Nina Simone, Argentine tango music. Smile until my face hurt. Fall asleep with sand on my toes.
My favorite quality in a man is... passion.
My favorite quality in a woman is... the same, passion.
I'm terrified of...stasis. And bedbugs.
My dream car is a...first generation ('66-'77) Ford Bronco, the earlier the better and without a top. I'd also like McQueen's Jaguar XKSS, while we're dreaming.
My cocktail of choice is...something gin-based: aviation, French 75, or gimlet.
My celebrity crushes are...Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
My friends and I like to...ride our bicycles around the city, partake in the 3+ hour brunch, drink openly on rooftops and furtively in movie theaters, wander museums, run Central Park and along the Hudson, go to drag queen bingo.
If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...can I cheat and say 1945 - 1955?
As a teenager I was totally into...Sassy magazine (the Jane Pratt years), soccer, 20-eye Doc Martens, Chanel Vamp, horses, 90210, fighting with my mother (we've since made up), drama class, vanilla Cokes, St. Christopher medals, James Dean movies, The Cure, and drive-in movies.
I tend to splurge on...too many magazines, plane tickets and liquor.
To most, it's because of the way I dress, but I believe my insatiable curiosity and love of adventure...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.
Mixed media photo collage by Peter Beard, scanned from Peter Beard: Fifty Years of Portraits.
She was the apex of femininity and yet still had a duality to her—visible when she pedaled her bike through Central Park, jumped a horse in Southampton, or took photographs in a white t-shirt en route to Nairobi.
Photo of Helen Preece circa 1913 from the George Grantham Bain Collection of The Library of Congress (via Mary Caple, an incredible tumblr).
"Among all of the famous athletes from all parts of the world who are taking part in the Olympic games in this city, a fifteen-year-old English girl stands out most prominently. Helen Preece has enetered for the cross country ride of 4,000 meters, a ride of a course of 5,000 meters, a swim of 300 metres, fencing with the epee and shooting with a revolver at a target of twenty-five metres distant." —an except from Fifteen-Year Prodigy at Olympiod, The Evening Independent, July 9, 1912.
Christys' wool felt bowler ($122); Smythe Equestrian jacket; Frye Melissa riding boots ($300); Hermes gloves (sold out).
Photo of 24-year-old Elspeth Beard in London after completing her solo ride around the world on her used 1974 R 60/6 BMW in 1984 via Motorcyclist Online, found via Mary Caple.
Her first bike was a Yamaha 100 and she soon graduated to a Honda 250. She found that useful for nipping around London but, after a while, felt the urge for something more macho. "I worked for months in a pub saving the money to buy my BMW 600," she says. "That gave me the bug for travel on a bike. It's the best way to get around - cheap, efficient and I enjoy the freedom."
When she finished her training to become an architect, Elspeth wanted a taste of adventure before settling down, and decided to ride round the world. She shipped the BMW to New York where she picked it up and rode to Canada, then to Los Angeles, before putting the bike on a ship for Sydney.
Once reunited with her BMW, she rode across Australia to Perth, where the bike was placed on a boat again, this time to Singapore. From there she rode north through Malaysia and Thailand. "Burma was closed to me," she says, "so I rode back to Penang and put the bike on a ship to Madras."
The next stop was Calcutta and her route continued to Katmandu, Nepal and thence to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and back home through mainland Europe. The trip, covering 48,000 miles, lasted nearly three years - and wasn't without incident. —Kenric Hickson in an excerpt from Typical biker: Elspeth Beard.
I love how Jane Birkin decorates her bag (the most coveted on the planet) with stickers and beads and carries it as her sole utility bag until it wears out (she auctioned off the above in April to benefit Japan). I've never been a die-hard handbag devotee, but the high-end bag married with a low-maintenance attitude is really working for me.
“There’s no fun in a bag if it’s not kicked around.”—Jane Birkin
My friend Kingsley and I wore Belgians in high school when they were *not* cool. I just had to disclaim that fact as a half-brag, half-embarrassing reveal. Now-a-days I leave the Belgian wearing to my husband who looks extra sharp in them, but I've been thinking: It's a new century, maybe it's time I roll out a new pair.
Look No. 1: Photo via Pose, an ultra-cool shopping app (that is launching its next version very soon, more to come on that); J Brand 811 jeans in bright green ($176); Belgian Midinettes in Camel Leopard ($350).
Look No. 2: Photo of photographer/DJ Rachel Chandler's feet (not her hand) at Avenue by Oliver Zahm via purple DIARY; Brass Lighter ($20-$50); Belgian Midinettes in Navy Lizard Calf ($325).
Look No. 3: Photo of Elle Macpherson's feet via Who What Wear; Original Wayfarer ($145), which Elle was wearing with Belgian Midinettes in Dalmatian print ($350).
Hunter originals ($125); Ilse Jacobsen rain boots ($179); Tretorn Sofiero boots ($80); L.L. Bean Signature waxed canvas hunting shoe ($129) shown in men's, also available in women's sizes in Navy; Tretorn Stråla boot ($60) shown in men's, also available in women's sizes in black and prune.
My thoughts are with all of those suffering in Missouri. Please visit The Red Cross to make a donation.
Photo of Charlotte Rampling trying out a new career as a fashion photographer at the ready-to-wear show of Parisian couturier Christian Charrat in 1975, via The LIFE archives.
Rampling has successfully run the gamut of tomboy style, wearing everything from velvet tuxedos to three-piece pinstripe suits. But despite how she can pull off the most elaborate of ensembles, I think she looks so at ease and yet so perfectly chic in a simple button-down oxford. She's been on this blog before, but thank you Angelica for reminding me how great she is.
Canon 35mm F-1 (produced from 1971-1976, available used); Carrbank shirt ($112).
Photo of Jane Fonda, dressed as her character Catherine Ballou for the comedic western film Cat Ballou, by John Springer, 1965; and similar photo via Movie Love.
I'm pouring over everything Jane Fonda at the moment, mostly because there's a photo of her (neither of the above) that I'm really hoping will end up being the cover of the book (fingers crossed!). In the mean time I've queued up this movie for the weekend. I might have time for another one too, so I'd love to know:
What's your favorite Jane Fonda film?
Photo of an unofficial collaboration of Vans and Hermes from The Vans 66 flickr album via Miss Moss.
I couldn't help but re-post this photo from the always spot-on blog, Miss Moss; my head nearly exploded when I saw it. It's not an official collaboration, just a custom project made from vintage Hermes scarves. Insane. Oh, and please check out this guest post I did for A Cup of Jo on how to pack smart with tomboy style.
Classic sneakers have been a staple in the tomboy wardrobe for generations. Every year I go through at least one pair of canvas Vans Authentics, originally known as the Vans deck shoe—a design that hasn't changed since 1966.
I'd love to know, what's your favorite classic sneaker?
Here are a few of my favorites: Converse Jack Purcell ($65); Tretorn T56 ($78); Converse Chuck Taylors ($45); Superga 2750 Classics ($65); Vans Authentics ($52).
Photos of Nicki Bluhm by Feather Love Photography.
I think I'm going to have to start paying the wonderful Julia Wheeler who has been giving me only the greatest of suggestions for Tomboy Style—not least of which turned into this Q&A with the rad California musician Nicki Bluhm. Nicki's latest record, Driftwood, is an eclectic mix of bluegrassy folk and soulful Carter/Cash-like country that will also make you nostalgic for 1970s AM radio. Her style blends 1960s Cher, 1970s Linda Ronstadt and 1980s Joan Baez. Pure gold. —LGM
If not in San Francisco, I would live in... Hollister Ranch, CA with lots of horses—and my friends of course.
My dream holiday would be to...drink red wine and eat cheese and pastries in Paris with my husband, then ski tour the Dolomites in Italy.
My current obsessions are...wearing Diptyque's Eau Lente perfume, Nanak's Coconut Lip Smoothee lip balm, Patagonia's Nano Puff jackets; cooking from The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual, shopping for meat at Guerra's Meats in the Sunset District of San Francisco; listening to Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, The Mother Hips and Stevie Nicks.
I channel my childhood self when I...am trying to keep from being left behind on a ski trip with the boys.
The fictional character I most relate to is...Mary Poppins.
If I had to be outdoors all day I would...ride horses, Telemark ski, hike, walk the beach, go backpacking, collect sea glass and swim.
My favorite qualities in a man are... sincerity, confidence, and humor.
My favorite qualities in a woman are...compassion, humor and easygoing-ness.
I'm terrified of...dead gophers. I have two house cats who believe they are wild animals but actually aren't that hungry.
My cocktail of choice is...red wine or if I'm feeling spicy, a martini up with two olives (my dad's drink). It's the first drink I ever ordered because I knew how to say it.
If I could go back in time for one decade it would be... The 1850s. In 1851 I would take a wagon to San Francisco in a fabulous dress only to dirty it up immediately and probably go swimming in it.
As a teenager I was totally into...horses, driving my Volvo, and breaking into country club pools at night.
I tend to splurge on...products from my local co-op Other Avenues, they sell oils, herbs, incense, candles, handmade soaps, I could stay in there for a long long time.
A love of Rock and Roll, paddock boots, denim, dirty hair, big packs and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.
Photos by The Séeberger Brothers, via Miss Moss.
I waited about three seconds after seeing this post on Miss Moss before I purchased the book Elegance: The Séeberger Brothers and the Birth of Fashion Photography ($9+ used, $108 new), a book that The Sartorialist also blogged about a few years ago, noting the timelessness of the imagery and the outfits. Some say this series, which captured French society women in the 1930s and 1940s, is the first true example of street fashion photography. I can't wait until the book arrives, how perfectly chic are these women?
Photo of Christine McVie, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, in repetition via F*** Yeah Christine McVie.
Nancy Collins: What are the advantages of being a woman in Rock 'N Roll?
Christine McVie: The same advantages of being a man in Rock 'N Roll: money, prestige, interesting people to meet. I don't see it being any different for women as it is for men, really. —an excerpt from a 1980 interview with Nancy Collins from the series Women in Rock 'N Roll.
A big thank you to Julia for the suggestion.
Recently an older man saw my bike and asked, "Why are you riding a boy's bicycle?" I just shrugged and said, "Because it's a better design." I hadn't really thought about it.
Today bike frames are designated less and less by gender (although it is still very common), and more frequently as either a "diamond frame" (gents) or a "step-through frame" (ladies). The step-through frame was made simply to accommodate skirts and dresses and clothing that could easily catch on a cross bar—the equivalent of riding sidesaddle on a horse.
I originally thought a diamond frame was a better design because I think they look better aesthetically, but I learned that diamond frame bikes are also typically lighter and therefore faster as well as structurally much stronger.
I'd love to know: What do you ride and why?
I lean towards pre-war/mid-century classic repro bikes like the above:
Linus Roadster Classic, Schwinn Coffee 1-speed, Velorbis Student Balloon, Kettler Men's City Commuter.
Photo of my mom in Bermuda hot off a Vespa in 1977.
This Mother’s Day, I’m turning to the mother of Tomboy Style, literally...my mom. There’s so much I could tell you about how she’s inspired me—from her courageous return to college in her early 40s, to running for office as an unknown underdog in her late 40s. But most importantly, she taught me that if you want something, you have to go out and pound the pavement to get it.
If not in Lake Forest, I would live in... Southern California. I love how health is a big part of the culture on the West Coast.
My current obsessions are...looking for vacation rentals on VRBO, drinking 2007 Shafer Chardonnay (which my wonderful son-in-law introduced me to) and listening to Joni Mitchell and Stan Getz.
I channel my childhood self when I...sit at my desk. As a kid I always imagined myself working. When I was in 2nd grade I got a desk for Christmas, by far my favorite gift of all time, and I’d sit at it and keep myself busy pretending I was doing all sorts of important professional things.
The fictional characters I most relate to are...Nancy Drew—because she ran the show, and Jordan Baker because, like her, I’m very competitive, and of course I move my ball strategically on the golf course from time to time.
If I had to be outdoors all day I would...be tan.
My favorite quality in a man is...accountability.
My favorite quality in a woman is...a strong personality.
I'm terrified of...being idle.
My dream car is a...1970 red Fiat 850 Spider, which I bought in my 20s for $550. It was sporty and totally impractical. I love driving stick because it makes me feel in sync with the movement of the car.
My cocktail of choice is...I don’t drink anything but wine, but I used to like Stingers, an after-dinner drink that men used to order in Chicago after eating steaks. I recently saw the Mad Men character Peggy Olson order one in an episode set in 1963, I loved that.
My celebrity crushes are...The greats: Elvis, Liz Taylor, Princess Diana, Jackie O., and of course her late son John.
My friends and I like to...go out to dinner and debate current events.
If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...1960s. There was so much going on. Everyone was experimenting with different ideas and lifestyles. It was such a creative time. People felt comfortable and encouraged to go out on a limb.
As a teenager I was totally into...dancing the Hucklebuck and The Twist to British Pop in my friend’s basements (and secretly doing nerdy things like stamp collecting).
I tend to splurge on...watches, red meat and vacations.
I hold my own in a male-dominated profession...and that's what makes me have Tomboy Style.
Photo of a Stones fan peering underneath a police barrier at Forest Hills stadium by Walter Daran, 1966.
Photo of Diana Ross by Francesco Scavullo, 1979.
"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself." —Diana Ross
RGB Dove nail polish ($14); Made in Heaven jeans ($233); Siri Ruffle top ($165) or similar Metallic linen henley ($55); Upside Down European single ($9 on eBay).
Photo of Hollister and Porter Hovey by Michael Weschler for The New York Times, photo of Hollister Hovey by Porter Hovey.
Hollister Hovey has been cultivating a 19th and early 20th century-inspired well-traveled aesthetic for some four years on her popular blog which bares her name. Each time she acquires something, like say, a vintage LV steamer trunk with purple and white stripes or an Out of Africa-esque safari chair I curl up with envy, so I had to find out more about Ms. Hovey. When I initially approached her to do a Q&A she was on her way to Spain for a quick getaway in a pair of navy and white espadrilles, now she's back stateside with some excellent answers to questions of great importance.
If not in New York, I would live...in The Hudson Valley (yes, still NY state). My sister went to college up there and the natural beauty and architecture are beyond compare. You get mountains, an incredible river, English gardens, wild woods and old graveyards—and robber baron mansions.
My dream holiday would be to...go on safari and find relics from the colonial era in an undiscovered small town shop. My aunt and uncle went to South Africa to do just that a few years back. From what they said my African shopping fantasy is just that. Ralph Lauren's staff probably got to it all first. They were served gin roughly every two hours, though. The dream stands.
My current obsessions are...Braising Fred Flintstone-sized lamb shanks that cook so long that the meat falls from the bone and melts in the mouth along with artichokes or Brussels sprouts quartered and roasted 'til soft and bearing black char marks; listening to Clyde McPhatter's version of Lover Please, which has been on repeat for a week (not in rotation, on repeat)—my sister wants to kill me; and shopping at the J.Crew men's shop, which is revolutionizing the American male, and the classic collaborations are trickling over to the ladies, it's wonderful.
I channel my childhood self when I...go to natural history museums or buy paints. I was a paleontology and art maniac as a kid. I loved dinosaurs and art supplies, not dolls.
The fictional character I most relate to is...Max Fischer. There wasn't a club I didn't join in school. Max had fencing and model planes—I had math team and quiz bowl (and about 3,456 others).
If I had to be outdoors all day I would...spot up like a Dalmatian. Or wear loads of sunblock and ride horses in Montana, walk the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut or sit on the dock by Lake Megunticook in Camden, Maine.
My favorite quality in a man is...kindness and honest confidence (a tie—and traits that often go hand in hand).
My favorite quality in a woman is...a wicked sense of humor.
I'm terrified of...frogs and grasshoppers. And I hate the smell of dying earth worms after a hard rain (it's a real smell, and it's awful).
My dream car is a...sea foam green Land Rover Defender—or an 1980s Mercedes 450 SL convertible in ivory with tan leather seats.
My cocktail of choice is...a Gordon's Cup (but I actually just drink far more beer and wine).
My celebrity crush is...Lee Pace. He's got great eyebrows.
My friends and I like to...hang out in all of our crazy apartments or go to sailor themed bars.
If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...the 1920s.
As a teenager I was totally into...watching foreign films and My So-Called Life.
I tend to splurge on...luxury purses and luggage.
My obsessions for old boxy cars that weigh more than tanks, navy blazers with gold buttons, men's velvet slippers and all clothes and accessories worn by late 19th and early 20th century soldiers...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.
Photo by Eliot Elisofon, 1951 scanned from The Making of the African Queen or How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind.
I love the way Hepburn describes Bogart in this book, which she wrote almost thirty years after the film was made:
He walked straight down the center of the road—
No maybes. Yes or no.
He liked to drink. He drank.
He liked to sail a boat. He sailed a boat.
He was an actor. He was happy and proud to be an actor.
He'd say to me, "Are you comfortable? Everything O.K.?"
He was looking out for me.
To put it simply: There was no bunk about Bogie. He was a man.
Photo of Vassar students from Vogue, 1957 via Ivy Style.
Schwinn Coffee 1-speed cruiser ($349); Peterboro bicycle basket ($54); London Weejuns ($109); Brooks Brothers Boy's pinstripe sweater ($80).
Vassar style became increasingly defined in relation to the neighboring Ivies. Many female students saw the Ivy League Look as a means of outwardly affirming their right to be in this exclusive, selective and respected academic world. “Looking too feminine wasn’t in,” recalls Mira Lehr ’56. “I started wearing less makeup and very simple clothes and hair cut—kind of a female version of what the guys were wearing at Princeton and Yale. I was dressing to show intellect and to be part of the elite.”
Soon Vassar women had adopted their own unofficial campus uniform: Bermuda shorts (madras or Black Watch tartan), knee socks, loafers, Brooks Brothers oxford shirt (preferably men’s), topped with a classic Vassar blazer, Shetland sweater or cashmere twin set.
The influence of Ivy-educated fathers, brothers and boyfriends played a leading role in this transition to full-fledged Ivy style. For years, college girls had watched boys visit Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Fenn-Feinstein for their collegiate wardrobe, and now girls rushed to these same stores to purchase their own college collections.
Vassar style was almost “a direct clone of men’s Ivy League style,” remembers Karen VanderVen ’59, adding that girls even wore menswear in small sizes to get the genuine look. Brooks Brothers had launched its women’s capsule collection in 1949, presumably profiting from the popularity of classic menswear pieces on Seven Sisters campuses. Yet many women continued to prefer the look and feel of a classic men’s oxford. —Rebecca C. Tuite, in an excerpt from the Ivy Style piece Boyfriend Jacket: The Vassar Girl and the Ivy League Look, 2010. Tuite's book "Vassar Style" is out this year.
Film stills of Barbara Hershey in Boxcar Bertha (1972) via screenshot.
Tomboy Style reader Courtney, originally from the mountains of North Carolina where she says "there's plenty of tomboy style to go around", recommended Boxcar Bertha to me last week. I watched the early 70s Scorsese film last night on a long flight and loved it. Bertha is a rootin' tootin' gamblin' train robbing tomboy, and as Courtney aptly put it, "Bertha Mason is a train robber, so she has to keep stylish yet practical on the go. I imagine her thinking 'If I can't hop a train in it, toss it!"