Chapters Eleven & Twelve Inspirations and Visuals

Hey Y’all!

First of all, as always, I want to thank each and everyone of you whom takes the time to come to my little blog and read the story. You don’t know how happy I am and how touched I am that members of the best fan base in the world--the Michael Jackson Fanbase--are enjoying something that I wrote. All I try to do is keep Michael’s spirit and memory alive.

Now, that being said let’s just into the inspirations and visuals I had and used for the last two chapters. We’ve got quite a bit of ground to cover.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: 

There was actually very little visually to go by. The first half of the chapter deals with Lorraine’s revelation to Vtlette that instead of simply being touched (masturbated) by Marlon--as Vylette has by Michael, she has instead gone “all the way” with him, much to her cousin’s worry.
Somehow the conversation went from Jean Harlow’s silver manicure, to sex with a Jackson.
All whist reading the latest issue of Photoplay. 

(You really can find anything on Google.) 

It’s also revealed that like her cousin, Lorraine has also been given a diamond tennis bracelet.

It's much more simple than Vylette's in that's its only a line of princess-cut diamonds as opposed to the mix of ovals and princesses. 

And the bracelets come to signify, silently, that the girls are becoming intimately active with the Jacksons. At different levels, of course. 

The girls move from the five and dime to cross the street in search of Vinnie, where they encounter non other than Michael Jackson on the street, dressed casually. 

Michael's outfit is based on the one with the yellow shirt and plaid tie. Now that I look at it, I don;t like it so much anymore, but its too late. LOL. 

Michael invites the girls out to Jackson Manor, and runs to retrieve Vinnie. 

In the meantime there's a run in with none other than the odious Steven, who rags the girls on sitting in Michael's fine Caddy. Only to be made to look like burnt garlic by the time Michael Jackson gets done belittling him before his toadies. 

There's a short ride back to Jackson Manor in which Vinnie, amazed as riding in such an automobile inquires if the rest of Michael's family owns Cadillacs. 

All do, except for Latoya who drives a "fairy-floss pink" Rolls Royce. 

In an earlier draft  of the chapter Latoya was supposed to stay at the Manor, her car parked outside, but it was lost in a re-write. She stayed at the Landmark instead. The car will be seen before the story is over though. 

They all continue on the mansion, where Vinnie is astounded and stunned by the luxurious manner in which Michael and Marlon live, and is quickly added to this world, as Michael has taken the task of not only looking after her sister, but her too. 

Good news abounds as its revealed the three girls can order and anything they'd desire from abroad as they slowly make the moves into becoming socialites. Complete with the makeover at the hands of Latoya. 

Before the chapter ends Michael confides that both he and Marlon aim to marry Vylette and her cousin, with Michael planning to honeymoon in Vienna. And so, very quickly, the world will change. 

CHAPTER TWELVE: 

This chapter was much more detail-oriented and laborious for me. In general anything having to do with the "Rich" world takes a madssive amount of research and figuring. But I worked it out. 

In the wee hours of the morning, Michael was making a pig f himself as he drove Marlon's car into New Orleans. 

Michael is in a blue suit and I simply made up his lapel pin as I couldn't locate one I liked to look at. 

Vylette's outfit (left) and Lorraine's both came from this fashion print with the colors changed. Right down to the silly feathers on Lorraine's hat. 

Vinnie's dress is based on one I saw on Shirley Temple: 

Vinnie is the most difficult character to dress, as its hard to find dresses like this. You put in "1930s children" and all you get is Dust Bowl refugees and impoverished kids. So I am squeezing all I can from Shirley. I will also use ST as a model for every other child Vinnie plays with, except Esther Vale. 

I wanted Esther to be a worldy child, 11 going on 25. She's like a tiny adult. In my mind she's something like Aimee Godsey from The Waltons...

Facially this is Esther, I wanted a beautiful little girl--her eyes are dark though. And she has short waved hair like a little woman. 

She's wearing a dress based on the pink one to the upper right. 

She and Vinnie hit it off right away. Esther will appear again. 

The Landmark Hotel is based on the Hilton in New Orleans: 

I can't tell you where the interior came from, just an upscale place in London: 

I only specifically knew I wanted the black and white floor, like in the film Grand Hotel. This is a great film, you should see it!

Up on the the 12th floor, everyone enters Latoya's room, which according to Marlon cost 115 dollars, a night, in a time when a house could be bought with the same sum. 

And we finally see the eccentric Latoya Jackson. Part of the reason I used Latoya was because of her part in the Say Say Say music video, as a flapper. 

Physically, this is how Latoya looks. I think I got it about right, right down to her long ass fingernails. 

Dressing her was a chore. I modeled her after the most extravagant film star I could think of--Gloria Swanson. (You know, the nutjob in Sunset Boulevard.) 

Young Gloria, back during her silent days. 

Her tangerine dress is REAL. 

Latoya is painted as the foremost authority on all things to do with fashion and looks. Her own looks landing her the ridiculously rich Claude Randolph, who owns Randolph's department store. 

Claude is based on actor Gilbert Roland. 

An earlier draft had Claude in NO with Latoya, but I changed my mind. He may appear...
And immediately, Latoya is scrutinizing the girls and for the most part, thinks them all beautiful--although she finds problems with Lorraine's freckled, sallow complexion.
On Lorraine's part, the mention of bobbing and bleaching her red hair sent Marlon into nearly having a seizure. (Which we all know by the prologue of the story will occur anyway...just when is up in the air as of yet.)
Vylette is highly praised for her complexion and queer eye color but when told to lose a mere five pounds Michael threatens to end the entire process and take her home.
Michael remarks Latoya drove actress Barbara Lamarr to the diet that killed her--a claim Latoya denies.
 
Barbara Lamarr was a real actress from the silent era. She was quite popular and once called "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful". She died in 1926, at the age of 29, after a yo-yo, crash diet weakened her immune system and she took ill with tuberculosis. That whole dieting craze isn't a recent thing...our grandmothers were in on the gag.

The men are then dismissed so that the girls can be made over properly and I went through great pains to establish their new, refined looks.

Lorraine:

Lorraine is left as a long-haired redhead, but her hair has a wave to it, with a chic bob-mimicking style:

Of course, the look is pulled straight off of Jean Harlow for her.

Lorraine's dress. I made it all silver because I felt all that color would clash with her bright hair. I styled her very sexily with a no-back gown.
Vylette:

Don't be fooled. I would NEVER make Vylette blonde. I simply stole this hairdo off Myrna Loy. (This is actually a wig for one of her film roles) I liked the earrings so much, I took those too!

Vylette will ALWAYS look like this. (Myrna was actually more tan and I lightened the photo to make her complexion creamier.)

Vylette's dress. I wanted something body-skimming but much more demure than Lorraine's revealing gown to show the difference in the two. It's navy and gold. I love dresses by Fortuny. They all look like this with the crinkle fabric.

For the girls, I invented the fictional cosmetics line, Ferocious. It's based on the real 1930s line Savage.

I always thought the ads were so ethereal and beautiful. 
The packaging is based on this Deco reproduction. I went through about 20 samples before I decided this would be the color of the boxes and packaging with everything else in black glass bottles. I chose black glass because it was more expensive and difficult to make.

Once again, I stole from Shirley for Vinnie. Shirley wears this dress in "The Little Princess".

Latoya, again is stolen from Gloria Swanson. I didn't know how I was gonna get that stupid headpiece on her, but I wanted it!

I remarked several times on what their manicures looked like, as being with bare tips and moons with a colored middle. Here you go, an ad for Cutex nail polish. I'm partial to the Ruby shade. 

The fancy dinner was taken in The Tropics Room of the Landmark Hotel and I modeled it after the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub: 
I thought it was cute and kind of kitschy to put them in this odd setting while so dressed up.
Whilst waltzing with Michael, it's revealed to Vylette that she and Lorraine and Vinnie will be staying overnight in the hotel rather than being driven back to the Parish--as Marlon's car was on the fritz.
Of course, the couples got stuck together after Marlon booted Michael out, in favor of being with Lorraine.

Michael, of course, bought sleepwear for Vylette and Vinnie: 

Vinnie's gown is to the top right.
Initially I wanted Michael and Vylette to have sex in the Landmark that night, but I changed my mind for fear that getting it on in a hotel would cheapen what should be a wonderful, inspiring experience. So that sort of thing will come later, but more "Love Lessons" will appear in between to help her learn more.

Losts more of this Saga is on the way. And this blog is what happens when I have too much time on my hands. As lengthy as this was, from now on, I'll leave each Inspirations blog to a single chapter.

THANK YOU FOR READING!