A couple of months ago I saw the amazing 1975 documentary “Grey Gardens” for the first time. If you haven’t seen it yet (which you probably have since you are gay and/or interesting), it is a film that studies the later years of Edith Bouvier Beale, Jackie Onassis’s cousin. Edith grew up as an east coast socialite, and in the 30′s and 40′s was considered the “it” girl of New York (insert obligitory Paris Hilton reference here). She was wealthy, beautiful, and repected.
Then in the 50′s the shit hit the fan.
Edith moved in with her aging mother’s at her estate, Grey Gardens. Apparently, Edith’s brother robbed her mother of their inheritance (somehow), and she was now living on $300 a month in social security. Edith and her mother live off this small amount of money, as the luxurious estate and lifestyle surrounding them crumbles. Edith becomes more and more eccentric and paranoid as the years roll on. By the time the documentary is filmed about them in the mid 70′s, the two have created their own isolated and bizarre world.
Here is an example of Edith’s classic/crazy storytelling style:
I wanted to learn more about this film and these people, so I decided to do another one of my “searching for” projects…
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Searching For Grey Gardens
Previous Topics:
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Grey Garden’s Jewelry Collection
Recently, the wife of Edith’s nephew (I assume this would be the son of the man that robbed her of her inheritance) started an online vintage jewelry store called Grey Garden’s Collections. Basically, the self proclaimed “world traveler and treasure hunter”, sells cheap vintage costume jewelry for extremely inflated prices by exploiting her famous Aunt’s life story. The brooch to the right is $100. Trust me, you can get the exact same thing on Ebay for about a fifth of that price.
I can’t help but ponder the fact that this enterprise didn’t begin until a couple of year’s after Edith passed away… Would she have allowed her image to be used in such a venture?
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Drew Barrymore is Edith Bouvier Beale…
It’s not just Edith’s family members that are cashing in on her persona after her death. It turns out that Hollywood is churning out a biopic about her life starring none other than Drew Barrymore.
I have a hard time imagining so-so actress Barrymore being able to pull off Edith’s thick accent, especially considering that her voice is kind of fucked up sounding to begin with…
I wonder how the recently deseased Edith would have felt about this. Footage of her puts forth in her an interesting duality as a woman who craved being the center of attention but who also rebelled against the mainstream status quo of her time.
Though clearly less exploitative than the jewelry line based on her life, this seems like another project the Edith would have been opposed to. There is already a film about her life, and the story comes directly from the mouth of the woman who lived it.
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Grey Gardens + Madonna = Gayest thing EVER!
Now that’s what I call faggy.
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Grey Garden’s: The Next Big Fashion Trend???
“As much as Edie serves a cautionary tale of time lost and missed opportunities, she is also a fashion revelation! Her way of turning sweaters into turban and skirts (pictured on Ebersole) was all over the fall runways (like Vera Wang). “ – Teen Vogue
