Dazzle me.

Upon entering the “Bazaar: A Decade of Style” section of ICP, I realized that the section stayed true to its name. It was Bizarre. The Bazaar photographs seemed to have no congruity from one photograph to the next. We’d go from moments in swimsuits to moments in Hollywood, to moments of nudity to posed moments in studios. It was brilliant and strange, thus encompassing the true meaning of Bizarre.

I must admit that I was not too engrossed in a good majority of the photographs. I was desperately looking for one that truly caught my eye and made me wonder. And then, suddenly, I saw her. The “Leading Lady.” I could see what happened to her in the photograph. After a horrible night with a group of friends, Elle (The French word for ‘she’) walked away in tears. Her hands trembling, her heart shaking, her eyes tearing. She walked in shame with her head fixated on her feet, when, suddenly, there was a light reflecting on the tips of her clear, crystal heels. She stopped mid-walk on the corner of the street and looks up. Gasp. There it was: a luminous light shining down upon her. No one was on the street. The red stop light flickered, but really, who was paying attention? Nothing else mattered but Elle and the light. The sky was painted a midnight hue and the lamppost flickered candescently in the background giving the atmosphere more ambiance. And at that moment, everything made sense to Elle because nothing else had to. At that moment, she was living. Then she realized that the most important part to life was to live.

Basically, my “Leading Lady” dazzled me. She was photographed by Peter Lindbergh in September 2009 in a 1950s setting. The description was, “A diaphanous silk dress makes its way into the spotlight.” Her dress resembled more of a flappers in the photo, but it was so elegant that I want to call it a Chanel masterpiece. You cannot see her face, but you can feel that she embodies the beauty of a 1950s starlet. It’s absolutely beautiful.

She was looking at the light as if it were a star – as if all her wishes were being asked to it’s eminence.

The photograph embodies the amazement of Gazing, Wishing and Wondering. Being. This photograph proves the beauty of independence and serenity.

This is all in my perspective, of course.