(all images via google.com)
I'm extremely sad to report that the great and now late Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor died this morning due to her ongoing battle with congestive heart failure. She was 79. Elizabeth was one of the last living legends of our time, especially on my list! With all the fabulous women i've looked up to for years quickly passing faster then time itself, I wonder where the next generation's inspiration and drive will come from...hopefully not some of the quick rise to fame tragedies like KE$HA or Lohan.
One of the attributes I will always remember about her is her eternal and effortless GLAMOUR. Rock like diamonds clad to her chest, plunging necklines on priceless gowns, beautiful hair, luxurious jewelry, and the perfect hourglass figure that shaped the must have silhouette of the 40's, 50's, and 60's...and not to mention her unforgettable violet eyes. She was always full of grace and poise, and will be a beauty in my eyes forever, minus the constant scrutiny she faced in the press in past years for her basket full of ex husbands and near death experiences.
(Taylor in one of her most famous roles as Cleopatra)
Fame was never unfamiliar to Taylor. She's was a star from the minute she hit the movie screen at the age of 9 for her first film titled, "There's One Born Every Minute" with Universal Pictures. Although she got off to a rough start because she wasn't the full package of talent (including singing and dancing as well as acting), over the next few years she was groomed to become the world's next big Hollywood starlet. At the age of 12 she wowed the critics with her performance in MGM's National Velvet! And thats where it all begin...Who knew that would be her ticket to a life of over 60 years in the making in the TV & Film business. Some of her most notorious roles were in Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Raintree County, Giant, and her ongoing role on All My Children in the 70's along with many other films and work.
(pictured here with Paul Newman in a clip from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)
Beside her acting career, she was also best known for being a passionate enthusiast of an unbelievable amount of fine jewelry. She owned some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces to date. (I'd love to see who receives that major parting gift in the will. All I have to say is they better be well taken care of and restored to be seen for years to come.) Most were given to her by her late husband and actor, Richard Burton, so she was always sporting the latest and greatest in diamonds. She owned quite a few well known pieces like the 33.19 carat Krupp diamond, the 69.2 carat pear shaped Taylor-Burton diamond, and last but not least the 50 carat pearl once owned by Mary I of England! Talk about a collection this is literally to die for! (no pun intended) She later went on to design for the Elizabeth Taylor collection and eventually wrote a book titled "My Love Affair with Jewelry" with many photographs of her personal collection..
(Taylor-Burton Diamond)
(Iconic pearl necklace once owned by Mary I)
In her life, she won 2 Academy Awards for Best Actress (which only a handful of other women in the history of the ceremony have also achieved.) She was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1999, received a humanitarian award for her contribution to HIV/AIDS research, as well as (in my opinion the most successful tribute), The Lifetime of Glamour award, which was given to her by the CFDA in 1997, among many other triumphs! Successful, beautiful, caring, and utterly fabulous. Need I say more?
I've gathered some of my favorite photos of her over the years in remembrance of this legendary goddess that may be gone, but will never be forgotten.
If there is one thing i'll always carry on from her lifetime to mine, it's that beauty always lies within the beholder and to always look your best, because you never know where you'll go or who will be watching..
and DIAMONDS are FOREVER.
Your extraordinary style and impeccably stunning jewelry collection will live on way beyond your years! See you in the afterlife, DIVA!
(one of my favorite roles of her as the witty mother in law on the new age Flintstones movie)
Put on a spritz of White Diamonds and seize the day.
<|3
