LOTD: Forever inspired by Amy

I remember one day about six years ago I was sat at my desk in RL work and was raging about how badly Amy Winehouse was being treated (yet again) by the press. It was clear that poor Amy was going through sheer hell battling her own personal demons, yet the press seemed to relish nothing more than hounding her as she seemingly self-destructed. I recall a colleague at the time saying to me in an astonished voice “You really do care what happens to her don’t you?” and the fact was yes, I did very much.

I loved Amy’s work. It wasn’t just the fact that she had a soaring voice and a vocal range that belied her young years, she also wrote lyrics from the heart that were totally relatable to. That said, I didn’t like her very much; she came across badly in print and on screen and it took me a while to see through how she was being represented, but once I did I understood (as well as I could) that her behaviour stemmed from the fact that she was deeply troubled. Her drunken TV appearances and completely crazed antics were fuelled by more than drink and drugs, they were acts of utter despair and cries for help that only now we seem to recognise. And yet either no help was offered, or for some reason it was refused. Of course, it ended tragically and we lost someone that we should have cherished and nurtured rather than criticised and condemned.

I won’t watch the recent documentary about her, not yet anyway, although this clip gives me the shivers..

I don’t think I can bear to watch the progression of her condition and the ultimate sad outcome. Many people scoffed when she passed that it was a certainty that she would die young, but did it really have to be so? I can’t help but think we were cheated by her death. She was an amazing artist but she could have become so much more had she lived, and when I listen to her I sometimes feel very angry because we lost her.

For me she was at her most beautiful when she was recording the album ‘Frank’. She had long hair, hooped earrings and an absolutely fantastic figure; she looked healthy and happy and stunningly beautiful. Contrast that image with her in the ‘Back To Black’ video and she looks completely different; styled to within an inch of her with the melancholy beginning to really show.

But I think the most enduring image we have of Amy is of the towering semi- beehive hairstyle and the powerful black eyeliner that she sported along with Fred Perry shirts, short skirts and ballerina pumps. That’s what I’ve been inspired to recreate here; using the outstanding hairstyle named after her from VANITY HAIR and my old favourite eyeliner from MONS.

Amy was almost ten years younger than me; she was born 14^th September 1983 (I was born 13^th September 1973) and since we (almost) share the same birthday I always raise a glass to her on mine, and thank her for the wonderful music she left behind. I’ll be doing that again this year and I’d like to think that wherever she is now she’s at peace, she recognises her own talents and finally feels the love and admiration that all her fans, myself included, continue to have for her. RIP Amy.

Kitty Wears:

Basic look:

BODY: Maitreya ‘Lara’ V3.4

SKIN: Glam Affair ‘Katra’ (Polar) August NB

EYEBROWS: Just Magnetized – Diva Brows – Brunette02

EYES: IKON ‘Triumph Eyes’ – ‘Armor’ GROUP GIFT

LASHES: Hush ‘Flirt’

EYELINER: MONS Black Eyeliner Series No.8

LIPS: PXL Sweet Lips

LIPSTICK: Arise ‘Jenn’ Reds 6 pack – VINTAGE & COOL FAIR

EARS: Mandala ‘Steking’ Series 5 (Pixie)

HAIR: VANITY HAIR ‘Winehouse’ (Ombres Naturals)