PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN'S ALL TIED UP..

This rare photo see's Joan model a corset designed by Celebrity designer of corsets, dresses and accessories - LYALL HAKARIA.  In the photo Joan wears a flesh coloured corset with lace overlay & jet and lace jeweled swag. Joan's Diamond necklace is by Graff.

BETWEEN THE COVERS : MR BLACKWELL'S WORST 30 YEARS OF FASHION..

As a regular posting I feature a book that had either Joan on the cover or mentioned inside.. This time it's a 1991 book by the acid tongue fashion critic Mr Blackwell.. Featuring 30 years of fashion fiasco's, Joan came to the beady eyed attention of Mr Blackwell in 1983, after Dynasty hit the heights.. For the year 1983, Joan topped the ten. Blackwell commented on the year...
" Flashdance made women resemble a brigade of bag-ladies with a fetish for shredded sweats. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the mall, the return of the rag loomed on the horrified horizon. Miss Joan Collins who played the biggest bitch on television, was also the pinnacle of movie queen camp, Nolan Miller wise. Miss Collins made an onscreen comeback in the role of Alexis that rivaled Cleopatra's entrance into Rome, her jewels were mind-boggling. Off set everything about her was equally shocking. Her Flo Ziegfeld inspired evening dresses, with more glitz than the Ritz, buried her in more bombs than an old Eddie Fisher resume!
Here is the 1983 top ten..
1 - JOAN COLLINS - " Barely, bizarrely Hollywood!"
2- BARBRA STREISAND - " A boy version of Medusa!"
3- JOAN JETT - A Bronx Pochontas in black leather goes porn!"
4- JOAN RIVERS - " In borrowed rags she proves the House of Pancakes still has the best!"
5- TWIGGY - " Lady Godiva dressed for a Roman orgy!"
6- KOO STARK - "A fashion Frankenstein waiting at the palace gate!"
7- LAUREN TEWES - "A shipwrecked Tugboat Annie!"
8- DONNA MILLS - "Yesterday's draperies from the Roxy Theatre!"
9- OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN - " From toes to nose, a shredded tragedy!"
10- BOY GEORGE - " VICTOR/VICTORIA in bad drag!"

The following year, Joan made the list again, but fared a little better where she shared the number 5 spot with Dynasty co-star Diahann Carroll. Blackwell commented on 1984.. " So many fashion flops in 1984 and so few slots to slip them into for posterity's sake. In 84 forget Vogue and Women's Wear Daily, the new fashion bible was MTV, whose twenty four hour orgy of music videos, paved the role reversed road for the mass unisex eraze. Leather jackets, Marine cuts, torn jeans, chain link fence jewelry, outfits only suitable in dubious retreats indigenous to San Francisco were now spotted by girl scouts in broad daylight! " On Joan he commented. " Dynasty's Joan Collins and Diahann Carroll tied for fifth place, beautiful women in sequined travesties that parodied every chorus girl in her Saturday night worst. Hopeless!"
1- CHER - "A plucked cockatoo setting feminity back twenty years!"
2- MISS AMERICA SHARLENE WELLS - " Looks like an armadillo with cornpads!"
3- PATTI DAVIS - " Packs all the glamour of an old wornout sneaker!"
4- CYNDI LAUPER - "Looks like the San Francisco earthquake!"
5- DIAHANN CARROLL & JOAN COLLINS - "Two movie queens fighting for the 'tacky taste' crown of the forties!"
6- VICTORIA PRINCIPAL - "She is everyone's 'Yankee Doodle Dandy'!"
7- BARBRA STREISAND - "The Al Capone look with electrocuted hair!"
8- SALLY FIELD - " The Flying Nun takes a fashion dive!"
9- PAMELA BELLWOOD - " The living end of the endangered species!"
10- TWISTED SISTER & PRINCE - "One's a Mardi Gras nightmare, the other a toothpick wrapped in a purple doilie!"
Joan appeared on the list in 1985 and in 1987 ..the book only goes to 1990 so haven't got later lists to hand. Will feature 1985 and 1987 in next Sunday's posts!

ON THE COVER : WHAT'S ON TV .. APRIL 1991

This cover from 1991 is from the TV listings magazine "What's on Tv"  ....

PHOTO EXTRA : STOP THE PRESSES IT'S TIME FOR COFFEE!

Here is another shot from Joan's recent Hello magazine shoot, featuring both Joan and Percy taking time out for a coffee in their Belgravia kitchen..

ON THE COVER : MODERN SCREEN .. DECEMBER 1982

This cover features a bevy of glamorous TV stars of the time, including Linda Evans, Jaclyn Smith, Pamela Sue Martin, Valerie Bertinelli, Linda Gray and Joan.. All great names ..Can't think of many of today's TV stars worth mentioning who can come close to the great stars of the 80's!

PHOTO OF THE DAY : PETROVNA IN PINK

This lovely still features Joan as the glamorous Russian spy Katrina Petrovna in the 1986 mini-series, "Monte Carlo" which also starred George Hamilton and Lauren Hutton..

PHOTO OF THE DAY : LIFE IS FULL OF FEATHERS FOR JOAN!

This photo features Joan as the legendary Josephine Baker, which was one of a series of photo's taken for LIFE magazine in 1984, where Joan depicted many famous women in history including Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe and Wallis Simpson...

TV ALERT : EVEN MORE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT! CBS NOVEMBER ..

Yesterday I posted some photo's of Joan as Bunny Dunbar in the upcoming episode "Les Bros" from the hit CBS series Rules of Engagement, which will air on November 8th.. Here are a some more shots of Joan in the episode, where she plays David Spade's character's mother, who drops in for a visit!

ON THE COVER : MIDWEEK ... JANUARY 1994 ..

This issue of London magazine MIDWEEK features Joan and Steven Berkoff in a scene from the film "Decadence" which was on release at that time...

TV ALERT : RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ... " LES BROS " CBS

Here are a few scenes from the upcoming episode of Rules Of Engagement guest starring Joan as Bunny Dunbar.. The episode entitled "Les Bros" airs on Monday November 8th at 8;30 ET/PT on CBS ..

ON THE COVER : STAR GUIDE .. JANUARY - JUNE 1991.

This cover for Horoscopes magazine Star Guide, features a glamorous shot of Joan from the 80's, although the magazine is from 1991....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN & THE JANSSEN'S HOLLYWOOD 76..

This photo features Joan with her guests David & Dani Janssen at a party held at Joan's Chalette Drive home in Hollywood 1976. Joan and then husband Ron Kass threw the party for Edgar Bronfman Jr whose father, the Seagran Whisky Heir, ran Sagittarius films with Ron. The party was a roaring success, but the celebrations were short lived as far as the Kass's were concerned as the day after the party, Bronfman Senior sacked Ron, which devastated Joan and sent Ron into a spiral of addiction.. Although David Janssen is no longer with us, his wife Dani is still a good friend of Joan's and she famously holds an exclusive Oscar party for a select group every year, which Joan is always invited and attends, her schedule permitting!

DVD ALERT : THE OPPOSITE SEX .... WARNER ARCHIVE..

Just to mention that Joan's 1956 film "The Opposite Sex" is now available to purchase from Warner Archive.. This release is only available to USA viewers at present.


              www.wbshop.com/0pposite-Sex-The-MGM/1000181485,default,pd.html?cgid=ARCHIVENEW
***********Click Link To Purchase***************

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN REVEALS A SOFTER PAST! 1979

This photo from 1979 see's Joan toasting the launch of the paperback edition of her best-selling auto-biography "Past Imperfect" in The River Room at The Savoy Hotel ....

ON THE COVER : VISION NOW ... MAY 1993 ..

This cover features Joan wearing a pair of her award-winning eyewear on this issue of opticians magazine "Vision Now"..

PHOTO EXTRA : SAY HELLO TO JOAN!

As an extra photo of the day, for those who have asked if I could share more from Joan's current "Hello" magazine spread, here is a gorgeous photo of Joan from the shoot.. Will feature more in future posts...

ON THE COVER : THEATER WEEK ... FEBRUARY 1992 ..

This cover from 1992 features Joan as Amanda and Simon Jones as Elliot in the Broadway production of "Private Lives" ....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN ENTERTAINS A FULL CIRCLE ..

This photo features Joan as Denise Darvel in the hit 2004 UK tour of the Alan Melville comedy "Full Circle".. This scene features Joan with John Quayle, Nickolas Grace , Judith Hepburn with Gary Raymond in the background..Going Full Circle, Joan's costumes for this production were designed by Emmy award winning Hugh Durrant, who is currently putting the finishing touches to Joan's spectacular costumes for the upcoming "Dick Whittington". Can't wait to see them.. Watch this space!.More on "Full Circle" in future posts.

ON THE COVER : HEALTHY EATING .. JUNE 1994 ...

This cover features Joan all ready to exercise as she promotes her best seller "My Secrets" and her video "Secrets of Fitness & Beauty" in 1994... This British magazine featured everything you wanted to know about eating well, as well as feeling and looking good!

PHOTO OF THE DAY : TRIBUTE : SIMON MACCORKINDALE .. 1952 TO 2010 ..

I was saddened to hear that the actor Simon MacCorkindale has lost his battle with cancer. Today as my photo of the day I decided to feature this photo of Simon, with his wife Susan George, Tom Conti and Joan at an event in the 90's. This photo is by Richard Young, but I have no press release on it, so can't recall the event.

Simon who was one of the most dashing of actors appeared in such varied productions as the classic "Death On The Nile", the fantasy series "Manimal", the long running "Falcon Crest",the British drama "Casualty" and he even appeared in "Dynasty". He was also active in the theatre and most recently appeared in the recent London Palladium production of "The Sound Of Music" .. He will be missed and all good wishes to his wife the legendary Susan George...