Broad of the Month- Lady Gaga

Who She is:Lady Gaga, a former burlesque dancer who was born Joanne Stefani Germanotta, now has the number one dance song in America, Just Dance.

Why we love her (Love is actually an understatement as we believe her to be the second coming of pop music with Madonna being our lord savior, but whatev): Gaga was born in Yonkers and attended The Convent of the Sacred Heart in NYC (fellow alums include the Hilton sisters and Caroline Kennedy-Gaga managing to matriculate without becoming incredibly annoying seems feat enough for us). However she credits Lower East Side dive bars with her real education at the hands of drag queens and go go dancers. Role models for us all...

Lady Gaga is no overnight success though and has been clawing the way to the top in her onesie bodysuit and crazy wig since she was just 14 doing open mike nights at NYC's Bitter End. She was signed by Def Jam at 19 and dropped just 3 months later and has spent the last few years writing great pop songs for shitty acts like the Pussycat Dolls, Fergie and New Kids on the Block. It's about time she had her time to shine.

Extra Credit: Lady Gaga got her big break from Akon, which makes it all the more unbelievable that she doesn't suck. We can't believe there is actual talent where the autotune should be..

Trivia: her name is a reference to the song "Radio Ga-Ga" by Queen). A producer started calling her "GaGa" as a nickname around the studio after noticing her highly theatrical stylings bore striking semblance to those of Freddie Mercury.


A girl from New York with an exceptional voice who is inspired by trannies and degenerates, she is clearly our kind of broad.

Ms Gaga- if you every need another corseted bodysuit to roll around on the floor in, come see us. We have just the thing...

With Admiration,
Dames and Broads

Dame of the Month- Georgina Chapman

Who she is: Georgina Chapman is the co founder of the sometimes amazing, most times remarkably average fashion line, Marchesa, and the second wife of the most feared man in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein.

Why we love her: Though not the first wife or the only founder, she seems to be the only one that matters. Just try naming the other women, we dare you. Press completely ignores the other chick whose blood sweat and tears also went into creating Marchesa, and all marvel at the newly tamed, kinder, gentler Weinstein after his marriage to Chapman, 20+ years his junior.

Extra Credit: The daughter of a millionaire coffee entrepreneur, Georgina could have sat on her gorgeous English laurels or been quite content with her mildly successful modeling career (recognize her from her early nineties Head and Shoulder ads? Neither do we). But she didn't. She seems to be a workhorse who hasn't let family money or lukewarm reviews from fashion critics stop her from becoming a force to be reckoned with. We have a feeling that her husband hasn't hurt her visibility either. Ever notice that all the stars of the Weinstein movies (current and upcoming) just happen to be in Marchesa on the red carpet, or that Georgina has walk on roles in nearly every film? What the hell was she doing in The Nanny Diaries?!

Trivia: Marchesa just happens to be named after an Italian socialite and Femme Fatale, Marchesa Luisa Casati- another amazing Dame.

All hail the beautiful and alluring Ms. Georgina Chapman- a true Dame if we ever saw one.

When you are ready Mrs Weinstein, we have some great lingerie for you...
Hugs and kisses,
Dames and Broads

Dames and Broads of the Month--- Here's to the Hustlers...

We are going to try something new here at Dames and Broads at the suggestion of our friend Lisa. Every month we will be honoring women who we admire and respect for all the wrong reasons. The ones that we call names but secretly want to be when we realized that sometimes being a lady simply is not enough. Here's to the hustlers, the working girls among us, the not so nice girls who finish first. Here's to the Dames and the Broads... We raise our champagne flutes in your honor...

Feel free to suggest upcoming dames / broads of the month. Not sure the difference between a Dame and a Broad? We see the Dame as a bit more stately and the Broad as scrappier. Both are formidable. But the Review Guys have given us pretty good guidelines:

Broads-
The Word itself has a Sinatra-esque gangster-ism ring to it. A broad can take care of herself, is probably out for herself to begin with. She’s tough and not to be messed with. She might be intimidating, but also sensuous. Is she a tough broad? A dumb broad? A smart broad? Regardless, she is a broad to be reckoned with.

Dames- “Dame” is French for “woman”, though it’s pronounced the same as a beaver’s “dam” (no beaver jokes, gutter-mouths!). This girl-nomer has a “can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em” quality I find irresistible. Implies the hold a woman can have over a man. I picture a Sinatra-era guy shaking his head, muttering “dames” under his breath, tortured, at once loving us and hating us. It’s great.

Pictured above: The icons- Mae West, Joan Crawford, and Eartha Kitt... They did it their way.

Paris, Sales, and Lingerie- these are a few of my favorite things

(From the top: Agent Provacateur, Chantal Thomass, and Princesse TamTam)


Paris, Je viens...

Next week I am headed to my birthplace, Paris, France. No, I was not actually born there, but I was reborn there and that is certainly close enough. Plus, it is far sexier than saying Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love pales in comparison). I lived in the City of Lights for a year a decade ago and it was the first time I learned what home feels like. I can't wait to go and cheat on the love of my life, New York City.

My timing is impeccable. Not only is it Salon Lingerie, the largest lingerie trade show in the world, but it is also sales season. And not just any sale... under French law, retail stores are only allowed to run public sales for several weeks in January and July, so this one will be the business. Nowadays my pockets are lined with lint but I am a proud American and we spend "irregardless" of our financial circumstances. Who says I am not patriotic?!

My plan is to hit up all the French lingerie designers I can't usually afford. I even know what I want. The pics are my shopping list (Princesse tamtam, Chantal Thomass, and Agent Provocateur- I am taking the Eurostar to London after all... ).

Paris, discounts, and panties- Life aint so bad after all.

XOXOXO
Dames and Broads

"Engaging" gifts for the betrothed

A few days ago, a dear friend of mine got engaged to the man of her dreams. I am incredibly happy for her and am quite positive that he just might be the luckiest man in the world. But, there is another feeling at work as well. Surprisingly, it is not jealousy. I am definitely a women who covets and have long ago accepted the fact that I might never view my grass as being greener. However that gnawing longing to be in her shoes does not exist here.

It also doesn't make me hopeful like many of the other over 30 battle weary New York women who heard the news. Not once have I thought, "well if she can find her soulmate then maybe I can too..." If you know this dame then you know there was never any doubt. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty damn fabulous, but she has certain admirable powers (there is this beguiling, hard-to-get, southern belle, subtle sensuality, ladylike thing) that I will never master. As a point of reference, my own mother once said "honey, you aren't easy but you damn sure ain't difficult"--- that pretty much sums up my demure qualities.

But what it does makes me feel is grateful; lucky that I have been her friend long enough to get to see her much deserved happy ending (which is really only the beginning). We have over 10 years in the game together and I am fortunate that I get to witness this part of her life.

Above are just a few lingerie engagement gifts perfect for dear friends. The first is the Sista Shei Silk Tie Side Brief & Eyemask. The second is the Etoile Bow G String from Kiki De Montparnasse.

Both say "Congratulations and I hope you both have a great sex life till death do you part" in a very loving and inappropriate way.

Hugs and kisses,
M