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Mink Schmink - Eartha Kitt

On this evening’s Peppermint Candy we’re very happy to be playing the Queen of Glam herself, the stunning Eartha Kitt. Kitt, of course being the purrrrrfect name for her. No, she’s not the car in Knightrider, but she is a leeeetle bit cat-mad. Not only did she play Catwoman in the Batman TV series, but she was never far from anything feline be it alive or dead. It might have been the abundance of wild cat pheromones that led to Orson Welles calling her the “most exciting woman in the world.” Miaow. In this day and age it’s surprisingly easy to live up to such catty standards. Take PPQ and Anna Sui, for example, who have both recently created fabulous cat hats. And to take it to its logical extreme, you could dress YOUR ACTUAL CAT up in a ridiculous/amazing outfit, a la the slightly bonkers Takako Iwasa who even makes all the costumes herself. Luckily for us, they’re all documented in the incredible book Fashion Cats which you can buy here. We’re totally feline that.

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Pennies From Heaven - Billie Holiday

We love the late, great Billie Holiday and are delighted to be playing her on this week’sPeppermint Candy. But we’re not the only people to notice the timeless allure of Lady Day, as Elle ran a whole ‘Get the Look’ feature on her back in May. And along with the 1940s obsession this season, kickstarted by Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu, it turns out shes bang on trend too. So grab yourself a rayon printed frock or a tailored suit complete with structured shoulders and peplum and join in the Holiday fever. And whatever you do, don’t forget the gardenias.

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Zombie Jamboree - Harry Belafonte

IT’S OUR FAVOURITE TIME OF YEAR. As you may have guessed from the above, we are rather partial to the fancy dress-fest that is Halloween. And our all-time fav Halloween track (besides such obvs crowd-pleasers as Monster Mash, Ghostbusters and Thriller) has to be Zombie Jamboree sung by Harry Belafonte. It’s a necromancer’s dream (nightmare?) come true, which is why we’re playing it on this week’s Peppermint Candy. And what to do to get yourself into a Halloween state of mind? We would recommend a trip to the Hoxton Pony tomorrow night, for a spooky evening of tunes from beyond the grave spun by not only YOURS TRULY but also the petrifying Pam Hogg and the grizzly Gizzi Erskine too. Get your tickets RIGHT HERE.

Blood-soaked dresses above by Maaike Mekking

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A Guy What Takes His Time - Mae West

On this week’sPeppermint Candy we play the inimitable Mae West and discuss her role in Hollywood censorship - a pretty conspicuous role considering her love of innuendo and euphemism; she’s basically the Sid James of America. She certainly wouldn’t be the same voluptuous temptress without her exquisite bias-cut gowns that show-off every curve, and that reveal even more in the lacier (racier) numbers she was often seen sporting in her publicity stills. A look that definitely doesn’t leave much to the imagination. And how to recreate this style today? Galliano (centre) is a modern master of the bias-cut, but due to recent events it’s understandable if you want to give him a somewhat wide berth. Luckily for us, the Parisian house of Vionnet (right) has recently been resurrected, bringing original 20s and 30s-style draping and bias-cutting back to the fashion-loving public. Fancy a bit of it, do ya? Ooooh, Matron…

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When Amelia Earhart Flies Home - Richard M. Sherman

We’ve all heard of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, but what interests us far more is the magnificent WOMEN who were involved. Amelia Earhart, for example, who we discuss this week on Peppermint Candy. Not only did she win about a gazillion awards and set even more records, but she continues to inspire myths and rumours about her mysterious disappearance even to this day. The allure of the unknown indeed. So we were delighted when we discovered this Richard M. Sherman version of ‘When Amelia Earhart Flies Home’ about the amazeballs aviatrix herself. For the well-heeled, we would recommend bagging yourself a piece of the Hermes collection from Autumn/Winter 2009 (they call that ‘vintage’ now) as it’s totes inspired by the great lady. Leathers, check. Shearling, check. Goggles, check. It makes you yearn for the feeling of the wind rushing through your hair as you loop-the-loop in early twentieth century aircraft. Tally ho, chaps!

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Fly Me To The Moon - Julie London

When Julie London sang of ‘playing among the stars’ we assume she meant fashion stars, and by that the reigning queen of fashion Miuccia Prada. As no one says Fly Me to the Moon quite like 60s air hostesses, a reference which was all over the Prada catwalk according to The Guardian (and our own eyes). This also happens to chime perfectly with the new Pan Am series starring Christina Ricci that’s about to kick off in the States that we discuss on this week’s Peppermint Candy. How fortuitous! In fact, nothing says sexy and sophisticated quite like vintage airline uniforms. And Pan Am were so certain of their place at the forefront of air travel that they even set up a waiting list for flights to the moon and handed out “First Moon Flights Club” membership cards. We certainly hope Julie London signed up. Whoosh!

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Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals

We’re girls who love a bit of sparkle but we know that all that glitters is not necessarily gold. In fact, certain things sparkle much better than gold, especially when those things are covered in Swarovski crystals. So when we decided to play The Crystals on this week’s Peppermint Candy you can guess how easily our minds wandered. We’re big fans of Swarovski Elements (who have been providing their own brand of glitter and sparkle to the fashion world since 1895) as they collaborate with design houses like Ferragamo shoes, Roberto Cavalli and Jean Paul Gaultier to give you even more glittery bang for your fashion buck. Last year we were lucky enough to DJ at a party in Florence at the Luisa Via Roma boutique and we got to wear these GORGEOUS Mary Katrantzou dresses (made using Swarovski Elements of course). Sparkle, sparkle, swoon. Who needs kissing with this much glitter?

You can see a video of us in Florence for the Swarovski Crystal Lovers party HERE.

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Summertime - The Shake Spears

“Summertime and the living is easy” as the song goes. Well yes, if you live in the Mediterranean maybe, and your sartorial choices are simplified by weeks of endless sunshine. Not so for us UK dwellers, who can never be sure when the next downpour of the Great British Summer might catch us unawares. Best to be prepared then, which if you’re us involves carting round a lot of plastic clothes - Melissa shoes and Burberry macs being our top picks. So slip into an unbreathable fabric, sit back and listen to the Shake Spears, who we’re playing on Peppermint Candy this week. Plastic Fantastic.

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Matilda - Harry Belafonte

On this week’s Peppermint Candy we’ve got the the final part of our Calypso series. One of our favourite of such tropical tunes is Harry Belafonte’s first single ‘Matilda’ from 1953 - but what on earth should the sartorially savvy listener wear to accompany this? There’s no hope of being as impeccably dressed as the veritable Lord Kitchener (top row) whose togs were as beautiful as his tunes (listen to him here). Instead, we would recommend checking out Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week where you have the added bonus that some designers, like Sonia Mack, also design costumes for Carnival. YES! This is where it’s AT! You can see some of her magnificent creations above, including the option to turn yourself into Spider Woman with her 2008 Black Widow collection.

For Calypso and costumes a little closer to home, check out the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend, and read more about Caribbean Style in Ted Polhemus’ Street Style.

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Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) - Doris Day

Doris Day first sang Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) in the Hitchcock film “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” We’re playing the song on tonight’s Peppermint Candy, so who better to turn to for style advice than Hitch himself? Luckily the great man never held back on telling the world the qualities he liked in a woman:

“You know why I favor sophisticated blondes in my films? We’re after the drawing-room type, the real ladies, who become whores once they’re in the bedroom…Because sex should not be advertised…Because without the element of surprise the scenes become meaningless. There’s no possibility to discover sex.” 

Right. Blonde then. Why exactly a lady should have to be blonde in order to be sophisticated escapes us, but it seems we’ll just have to take his word for it and hit the peroxide. A word of warning though: simply slapping on the bleach does not automatically make you a “drawing-room type” and there is many a pitfall involved in stripping your hair of pigment. So how are the new generation of blonde celebrities faring? Gaga just about pulls off the icy blonde of Hitchcock’s fantasies, Donatella and Xtina not so much… Which camp will you fall into once the dye’s washed out? Que sera, sera!