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Elvis: The King of Fashion – new book out August 2024

Pre-order now from! https://amzn.eu/d/3PrpjFa

https://www.lehmanns.de/shop/kunst-musik-theater/65887820-9781399049849-elvis-the-king-of-fashion

Clothes encounter: Elvis: The King of Fashion, the new book by White Owl Books about how Elvis’s unique style influenced the world as much as his music did is out August 2024

Elvis Presley’s life was the ultimate rags to riches story, and it was the rags, as much as the riches that drove him, defined him, and made him the global icon he is today. Born in a shack in America’s Deep South in 1935, to impoverished parents struggling in the wake of the Great Depression, he sprung from a life of deprivation to one of international fame and untold wealth – all before he was twenty. Brought up dirt-poor, but surrounded by love and music from birth, Elvis was infused with the sounds of gospel and the raw, hard-life blues of the ‘cotton country’s’ plantation workers. And when the family radio brought country singers, crooners and spiritual quartets to his young ears, his musical DNA was fully-formed. Elvis’ boarding pass for the rocket-ship to stardom was a voice of liquid gold and his striking appearance upgraded him to a VIP fast-track ticket into the entertainment stratosphere. His unique sense of style and musical talent went hand-in-hand in creating Elvis the Showman.

Knight in pink satin: 1950s Elvis in a pink satin, gender-ambiguous shirt

As a teenager, before he sang a note, it was his unconventional look that singled him out among his peers. Later, it was his voice that stopped a conservative 1950s America in its tracks. This book looks at how Elvis broke down cultural and racial barriers and smiled in the face of safe dressing. His bold outfits were his trademark yet, no matter how dazzling, they never outshone him. They were also his force shield, superhero costumes that protected him from anxiety, pain, the glare of the spotlight and, in difficult times, from reality. It considers how Elvis’s extraordinary style – as much as his pioneering music – defined his life and the experiences that he lived through.

Cool customer: Elvis in black shirt and striped waistcoat, Lansky Bros menswear shop, Memphis with life-long friend Bernard Lansky (pic Lansky Bros)

It includes exclusive interviews with: * Hal Lansky, whose family dressed Elvis for three decades, and who advised Austin Butler on what to wear playing him in the 2022 movie, Elvis. * Award-wining producer director, Steve Binder who resurrected Elvis’ career and put him in that black leather suit for the 1968 Comeback Special. * Butch and Kim Polston, who maintain Elvis’ legacy, recreating his spectacular 1970s Vegas jumpsuits, including those worn by Butler. _Elvis: The King of Fashion_ marvels at how an intensely shy and disadvantaged boy from the wrong side of Tupelo, Mississippi, went from homespun to Hollywood in the blink of an eye and became the most popular, successful, idolized and imitated solo performer of all time. Most of all, it regards the rollercoaster life of Elvis, the man, through a fashion lens as he strode like a colossus through the world of showbusiness, dressed like The King he never quite believed he was.

Published by White Owl Books

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Book out now – Scouts, soldiers, secrets …

Robert Baden-Powell – one man, two lives, both remarkable

www.instagram.com/reel/CtvZ0X-IyP

@lorrainegibsonauthor

Robert Baden-Powell: A Biography https://amzn.eu/d/3aDmPn8 @Pen and Sword Books @Rosie @Waterstones #history #books #military #AuthorsOfTwitter #scouts #army #familydrama #camping #boer #bromance #gift #bromance #victorians #horses #controversy #secrets #adventure #poole #drag #art #acting #brownseaisland #dorset #statue #mothers #strongwomen @goodreads

♬ original sound – Lorraine Gibson

Robert Baden-Powell was Britain’s first celebrity.

A conflicted character – militarist and pacifist, macho man and drag artist, elitist and socialist – he was one of the 20th century’s most influential and, latterly, controversial Englishmen, finding fame not once, but twice – and for two very different reasons.

Before donning his trademark shorts, the man known for inventing the Scouts is hailed a hero of the Second Boer War, the first military conflict covered in great detail by the media.

Reports of his unconventional methods of holding a Boer army at bay, despite being woefully outnumbered, at the South African town of Mafeking, make global headlines and when he returns home to England, hordes of adoring fans pack London’s streets, waving flags and declaring him the Hero of Mafeking.

The same ingenuity, reconnaissance skills and spectacular eccentricity that win him this military acclaim become the foundations of his second mission, that of saving Victorian boys from poverty and despair, and himself from having to grow up, by teaching them scouting.

A youth movement is born which today boasts 54 million members throughout the world.

This book examines Baden-Powell’s dual personality, or his ‘two lives’ as he called them, including his difficult childhood with a domineering and unaffectionate mother whom he loved even after she forced him into the army at 19, dashing his dreams of becoming an artist.

It looks at his military career and his love of drama and at why protesters wanted to topple his statue on Poole Quay in the pandemic summer of 2020.

It also considers a recently-discovered telegraph that adds fuel to the speculation over the nature of his relationship with a fellow-soldier that endured for 30 years – until he married a 22-year-old woman in secret when he was 55.

Baden-Powell achieved great prominence, as well as notoriety, in both his military and scouting lives, driven largely by a constant yearning to win his mother’s approval.

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Scouts, secrets and soldiers. Robert Baden-Powell: A Biography by Lorraine Gibson – foreword by Bear Grylls OBE

One man, two lives, both extraordinary

By Lorraine Gibson

“Gifted with an admirable species of madness”

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Robert-Baden-Powell-Hardback/p/21626

Robert Baden-Powell was Britain’s first celebrity.

A conflicted character – militarist and pacifist, macho man and drag artist, elitist and socialist – he was one of the 20th century’s most influential and, latterly, controversial Englishmen, finding fame not once, but twice – and for two very different reasons.

Before donning his trademark shorts, the man known for inventing the Scouts is hailed a hero of the Second Boer War, the first military conflict covered in great detail by the media.

Robert Baden-Powell statue by David Annand gazes over the harbour at Poole Quay, Dorset. Photo ©️Lorraine Gibson 2022

UNCONVENTIONAL

Reports of his unconventional methods of holding a Boer army at bay, despite being woefully outnumbered, at the South African town of Mafeking, make global headlines and when he returns home to England, hordes of adoring fans pack London’s streets, waving flags and declaring him the Hero of Mafeking.

The same ingenuity, reconnaissance skills and spectacular eccentricity that win him this military acclaim become the foundations of his second mission, that of saving Victorian boys from poverty and despair, and himself from having to grow up, by teaching them scouting.

Photo of Check Lorraine Gibson ©️ with Robert Baden-Powell:A Biography by Lorraine Gibson – foreword by Bear Grylls OBE



A youth movement is born which today boasts 54 million members throughout the world.

This book examines Baden-Powell’s dual personality, or his ‘two lives’ as he called them, including his difficult childhood with a domineering and unaffectionate mother whom he loved even after she forced him into the army at 19, dashing his dreams of becoming an artist.

It looks at his military career and his love of drama and at why protesters wanted to topple his statue on Poole Quay in the pandemic summer of 2020.

It also considers a recently-discovered telegraph that adds fuel to the speculation over the nature of his relationship with a fellow-soldier that endured for 30 years – until he married a 22-year-old woman in secret when he was 55.

Baden-Powell achieved great prominence, as well as notoriety, in both his military and scouting lives, driven largely by a constant yearning to win his mother’s approval.

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Scouting for Christmas books? Robert Baden-Powell: A biography with foreword by Bear Grylls

One man, two lives, both extraordinary
Pen & Sword Book Cover / Jacket artwork copyright: Pen & Sword
Soldier, singer. Macho man, mummy’s boy. Scout, loner. Fighter, drag artist. Socialist, elitist. Footballer, artist. Man, boy. Militarist, pacifist. Animal lover, hunter.
Here’s my book. Robert Baden-Powell, a biography. It’s out now and available from good bookshops, including online:
Robert Baden-Powell was Britain’s first celebrity.

A conflicted character – militarist and pacifist, macho man and drag artist, elitist and socialist – he was one of the 20th century’s most influential and, latterly, controversial Englishmen, finding fame not once, but twice – and for two very different reasons.

Before donning his trademark shorts, the man known for inventing the Scouts is hailed a hero of the Second Boer War, the first military conflict covered in great detail by the media.

Reports of his unconventional methods of holding a Boer army at bay, despite being woefully outnumbered, at the South African town of Mafeking, make global headlines and when he returns home to England, hordes of adoring fans pack London’s streets, waving flags and declaring him the Hero of Mafeking.

The same ingenuity, reconnaissance skills and spectacular eccentricity that win him this military acclaim become the foundations of his second mission, that of saving Victorian boys from poverty and despair, and himself from having to grow up, by teaching them scouting.

A youth movement is born which today boasts 54 million members throughout the world.

This book examines Baden-Powell’s dual personality, or his ‘two lives’ as he called them, including his difficult childhood with a domineering and unaffectionate mother whom he loved even after she forced him into the army at 19, dashing his dreams of becoming an artist.

It looks at his military career and his love of drama and at why protesters wanted to topple his statue on Poole Quay in the pandemic summer of 2020.

It also considers a recently-discovered telegraph that adds fuel to the speculation over the nature of his relationship with a fellow-soldier that endured for 30 years – until he married a 22-year-old woman in secret when he was 55.

Baden-Powell achieved great prominence, as well as notoriety, in both his military and scouting lives, driven largely by a constant yearning to win his mother’s approval.

Featured

How make your work stand out by using great images

How to sell yourself, or something else, using strong, engaging visuals

By Lorraine Gibson

A picture paints a thousand words, but is your’s saying the right thing?

Think about what you want to portray

and how you want to be perceived.

Basically, what’s the vibe?

 

Cool:

 OK, you need trends, zeitgeist, fads, the unexpected

Photo: Squash Court by Lorraine Gibson

Caring: Go for soft, sweet, natural, gentle, kind, loving

Photo: Heart Strings by Lorraine Gibson

Professional: Be clear, sharp, confident, slick, bold, uncluttered, classy

Photo: Red Velvet by Lorraine Gibson

Friendly: Bright, breezy, cheerful, familiar, funny, silly

Photo: Pretty Flamingo by Lorraine Gibson

Natural: Make Mother Nature your go to; think waves, flower close-ups, pebbles, skies, animals, plants, eco

Photo: Coastal Curve, Dorset by Lorraine Gibson

  •  Foodie: Food (obvs) but close-ups of ingredients, dishes, plates, food, tables, food, flat-lays (ask me if you don’t know what that is!) of food, food. Wait, did I mention food? 

Did Elvis have Jewish heritage?

Priscilla Presley may take centre stage in
Sofia Coppola’s recently released biopic but
Lorraine Gibson, author of Elvis: The King of Fashion puts the focus on Elvis’ (supposed) Jewish heritage in this article

Pre-order Elvis The King of Fashion by whiteowlbooks now at https://amzn.eu/d/1oNPGLw

1349jn-42-elvisDownload
1349jn-43-elvisDownload

https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/elvis-had-jewish-blood-but-his-mum-told-him-to-keep-shtum-about-it/

A girl took a stroll … Julia Donaldson talks to Lorraine Gibson about her childhood memories of Bournemouth

Author Julia Donaldson with a toy Gruffalo

A girl took a stroll through a deep, dark chine …
And grew up to write tales That were simply divine.

NOT quite on a par with the delightful, rhyming prose of Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and countless other much-loved childrens’ stories, but true nonetheless, for the world-famous writer spent much of her childhood playing in the chines and beaches of Bournemouth. 

“I came every year on my holidays when I was young,” says Julia, formerly the Children’s Laureate. “My grandparents lived on Alumhurst Road and me and my sister stayed there each summer.

“I have fond memories of us walking with my grandad who, I particularly recall, was always armed with a pocket knife and would take swipes at hedges as we went. He was very mathematically-minded and would chat on about equations, which we didn’t really understand.”

It was words, not sums that Julia was into and she remembers how she and her sister would make up stories while heading towards the seafront.

“We’d stroll through the chine down to the beach and on the way we played crazy golf on the cliffs. There’s a car park there now.

“Grandad and Granny Grace left us to our own devices, so we would go off for hours exploring.

And making up stories. 

The girls grew up surrounded by books. Indeed when I speak to Julia at her home in Glasgow, she tells me that she is looking at a copy of The Arabian Knights her Granny gave her years ago.

“I’ve always loved stories. As I child I read all sorts of stuff – Shakespeare I really liked. I had a collection of little Shakespeare books bound in leather. I loved them.”

As well as adventuring through Alum Chine, she loved rummaging in a dusty little second-hand bookshop located in the arcade in Westbourne.

Young Julia went on to get a job at the BBC writing songs “to order” for children’s shows, where she honed her skill for composing those funny rhymes children and adults love so much today.

Now a best-selling author – The Gruffalo alone has sold millions of copies – and libraries, schools and homes the world over are stuffed full of this and her other titles. The little lass skipping along Bournemouth beach has come a very long way.
Yet, she is disarmingly modest, shy even, admitting that she comes up with verses while soaking in the bath or going for a walk.
“I aim to write a book a year, but who knows when the ideas could dry up,” she says.

Considering her ability to constantly come up with immensely entertaining and original stories, this seems unlikely.

Which should please Malcolm, her doctor husband. “Each evening he reads what I’ve written. It’s great, because he’s a good actor and does all the voices. It’s also useful as it highlights any rhymes that don’t quite work.”

Even her sons, Hamish and Alistair are involved, reading at book events and the likes.

Hamish, she says, sort of inspired Princess Mirror-Belle, a girl’s slightly rebellious, more gregarious doppelganger who pops out of her mirror. Although listening to Julia’s childhood tales of secret languages, writing plays and exploring Dorset, one suspects it’s Julia herself.

The other person privy to her unpublished work is Alex Scheffler, the genius illustrator Of the gloriously silly Gruffalo and endless other Donaldson characters.

“We work well. Axel lives in London and I’m based in Glasgow. I write the story, send it off to him and he comes up with the illustrations. It’s very exciting when I get to see what he’s come up with,” she says.

“After The Gruffalo, I think he was happy not doing trees – he’s done a lot of trees!”

Robert Baden-Powell: Scouts, soldiers, strong women, sexual repression and skirt dancing

New biography reveals the conflicted character of Robert Baden-Powell, the man behind the uniforms of soldier and Scout

https://www.theblackmorevale.co.uk/2022/09/15/baden-powell-the-boy-scout-who-never-wanted-to-grow-up/

Pen & Sword Book Cover / Jacket artwork

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Robert-Baden-Powell-Biography-Lorraine-Gibson/dp/1399009303

Robert Baden-Powell: A Biography – one man, two lives, both extraordinary

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“Gifted with an admirable species of madness”

Robert Baden-Powell – One man, two lives, both extraordinary

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Robert Baden-Powell: A Biography is out 30 August 2022

One man, two lives, both extraordinary

Pen & Sword Book Cover / Jacket artwork copyright: Pen & Sword

Here’s my book, Robert Baden-Powell: A biography.

It’s out end of August 2022 and available NOW to pre-order from good bookshops, including:

Statue of Robert Baden-Powell by David Annand. Taken at Poole Quay 2020 © Lorraine Gibson
Robert Baden-Powell was Britain’s first celebrity.

A conflicted character – militarist and pacifist, macho man and drag artist, elitist and socialist – he was one of the 20th century’s most influential and, latterly, controversial Englishmen, finding fame not once, but twice – and for two very different reasons.

Before donning his trademark shorts, the man known for inventing the Scouts is hailed a hero of the Second Boer War, the first military conflict covered in great detail by the media.

Reports of his unconventional methods of holding a Boer army at bay, despite being woefully outnumbered, at the South African town of Mafeking, make global headlines and when he returns home to England, hordes of adoring fans pack London’s streets, waving flags and declaring him the Hero of Mafeking.

The same ingenuity, reconnaissance skills and spectacular eccentricity that win him this military acclaim become the foundations of his second mission, that of saving Victorian boys from poverty and despair, and himself from having to grow up, by teaching them scouting.

A youth movement is born which today boasts 54 million members throughout the world.

Site of Robert Baden-Powell‘s first experimental scouting camp (1907) on Brownsea Island, Dorset. Local and international Scouts still camp there today.
Photo © Lorraine Gibson

This book examines Baden-Powell’s dual personality, or his ‘two lives’ as he called them, including his difficult childhood with a domineering and unaffectionate mother whom he loved even after she forced him into the army at 19, dashing his dreams of becoming an artist.

It looks at his military career and his love of drama and at why protesters wanted to topple his statue on Poole Quay in the pandemic summer of 2020.

It also considers a recently-discovered telegraph that adds fuel to the speculation over the nature of his relationship with a fellow-soldier that endured for 30 years – until he married a 22-year-old woman in secret when he was 55.

Baden-Powell achieved great prominence, as well as notoriety, in both his military and scouting lives, driven largely by a constant yearning to win his mother’s approval.