New York in the 60's : the place to be in order to succeed. Girls leave their hometowns to follow their dreams and reach fame. Giving up family and friends for the 'Big Apple'. Donyale Luna and Edie Sedgwick were one of them and their lives were a perfect representation of the era. Fashion icons, underground it-girls, these two women knew how to impose their own personalities to the New York scene, and leave their mark throughout history.
EDIE SEDGWICK
Edie Sedgwick is an iconic figure of New York in the 60s. This thin blonde girl, was a true embodiment of her time. Arrived in New York when she was only 20, she left behind her rich family from Santa Barbara, to get a name by herself. Indeed, Edie is a billionaire's daughter, her father used to assault her physically and mentally. Moreover, she had to grow up with the memories of her brothers suicide. She also dealt with her own mental illness, but anorexia and bulimia didn't stop her motivation to get a modeling career in New York. There, she had fun and did everything she could to get noticed. One day in 1965, her dream came true when she met the pop-art artist Andy Warhol.
As a fan of his work, she started hanging out with him and the rest of the Factory residents. It's in a glamourous atmosphere, that Edie Sedgwick blossomed into "New York Brand New It-Girl". The kind of girl whose The Pixies or The Velvet Undergrounds talk about in their songs. A lovely and charming night-bird, known for partying like no one else in the capital. Stuck with Andy she used to spend time at the Factory and quickly became one of his muse. The girl slowly, turned into his female version, by changing her haircut and her behavior to look more like her idol. On screens, Edie is the main character of Andy's movies : "Poor Little Rich Girl" is one of the most interesting of them, regarding their relationship and the artist's vision of his protegee. When she's not having fun on drugs, the young girl spends all her money on clothes and make-up. Moreover she also poses for Vogue or the Harper's Bazaar during her free-time. She's shown as the cool girl to hang out with, the one who's dancing at the Factory with a top and black tights. However, the more her private issues get public the less she gets professional opportunities. Her heroin addiction and her entourage not only put her career in danger, but her life too : indeed she almost died two times by setting fire to her floor. But Edie gets officially lost when Andy turned his back on her. All those events have contributed to her choice to leave New York, in the hope to fix herself. But even with her determination, Edie Segwick died of a barbiturate overdose in 1971.
