Introducing: The Darling Essentials

***THE DARLING ESSENTIALS ARE SOLD OUT AND NO LONGER AVAILABLE***

Alter Brooklyn presents THE DARLING ESSENTIALS: a collection of necessary accessories curated by Darian Darling, available exclusively on shop.alterbrooklyn.com.

This "cheap & chic" collection consists of jewelry inspired by dark glaMOUR, nightlife and glitz, as well as Darling-esqe staple wardrobe items such as the Champagne Shadow sheer gloves, the Darling Beret and the Cabaret Diamond Tie.

When The Alter Boys (and Precious Empire members) Tommy and Roy propositioned moi with this idea I couldn't have been more thrilled! My fans have been asking for Darian Darling merchandise for quite some time. I thought curating an affordable selection of accessories inspired by my persona was the perfect starting point. I'm super excited to share some of my glaMOUR...after all I have enough to spare! Here are a few highlights:

ANGELYNE KISS RING $24

We all know a lipstick feature is my thing. Here is a gem-studded lip ring in my two signature shades: red and shocking pink!

MISS WORLD POWDER PUFF RING $20 & GUN MOLL PEAL NECKLACE $24

I love an oversize strand of pearls. The ones I wear are my mom's from the 70's but these are a close approximation. Wear them with this leopard cropped shirt for pin-up glaMOUR or with an oversize flannel shirt for a less prissy look. Compliment the look with a powder puff ring for easy touch-ups!

THE JUDY TALON RING $24

This bedazzled talon is perfect for late nights in fancy nightclubs. Also available in silver.

AMAZON CUFF $26 & THE GASPER NECKLACE $26

Add some strength to your look with this chic cuff inspired by Wonder Woman's Amazon Bracelets of Submission (twin bracelets Amazons are forced to wear by the goddess Aphrodite, as a reminder never to submit to the will of man)! I recommend buying two and wearing them as a pair. If you're feeling in an autoerotic mood wear this metallic and bejeweled noose!

PRECIOUS WEAPON HIGH HEEL NECKLACE by Fetty $25

A Darian Darling inspired necklace designed exclusively for The Darling Essentials by Semi Precious Weapons frontman Justin Tranter!

Buy The Darling Essentials HERE!

Photos by Tommy Cole for ALTER
Brooklyn, NY

Darian Darling's Make-Up

Darian Darling by Veronica iBarra

People always ask me "Darian, how do you always look flawless and amazing?" (I'm not being cocky...they actually do). I always reply that it takes a lot of time, effort and skill to look the way I do every day. I don't roll out of bed looking like a glamazon (sadly). Luckily, I have been wearing the same makeup look since I was 15 so I have it down to a science (It only takes me about 35 minutes).

 Darian Darling by Veronica iBarra

I was doing my makeup last night in my pretty pink bathrobe and thought it would be interesting to photograph myself after each step of my signature bombshell makeup look. I put them in a video so you can see my transformation from fresh faced (and kinda plain) to full beat (and high glaMOUR). Ah, the wonders of makeup.

Lil' Blonde Darling: Kat Bjelland

 Blonde Beauty Icon Kat Bjelland

No, you're not looking at photos of Courtney Love, although the disheveled blonde hair, pale powdered skin, red lips, baby barrettes and tattered baby doll dresses may have fooled you. This is Kat Bjelland, lead singer/guitarist for the all-girl alt.rock band Babes In Toyland, who coincidentally was Courtney Love's BFF turned "frenemy", and who many credit with the creation of the "Kinderwhore" look in the early 90's (the look Courtney Love eventually made famous).

Kat was born in Oregon and moved to Portland after graduating high school in 1982. There she formed several rock bands without much success. In 1984 Kat met Courtney Love, who was looking to form an all-girl rock band called Sugar Baby Doll, and persuaded her to join as lead guitarist. They moved to San Francisco, where Kat and Court bonded over a love of recreational pharmaceuticals and formed a new all-girl band Pagan Babies. The band was quite short-lived and only played two gigs (they spent much more time getting fucked up than...you know...rehearsing/writing/performing) before breaking up in 1985.

 Pagan Babies


In 1987, Kat moved to Minneapolis to form Babes In Toyland, and Courtney soon followed her to join as a replacement bassist. She was kicked out of the band twice (although they still remained close friends) before forming Hole in 1989. Babes In Toyland went on to be quite successful on the alt.rock scene and opened for Sonic Youth on their 1990 European tour. They eventually got signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1992 and were part of the Lollapalooza tour in 1993. Something fans of both bands  noticed during this time was that Kat and Courtney looked kind of, well, similar! A major feud started between Kat and Courtney, who BOTH claimed, without a shadow of doubt, that she was the originator and true mastermind of the look. A feud that would only escalate each time one of these dueling friends bands would become more successful.

It certainly isn't uncommon for girl friends to be inspired by each others fashion sense and borrow each others clothes. Although when one starts to get fame and notoriety in said clothes, it certainly changes the game. In the video for Babes In Toyland's 1992 single "Bruise Violet", photographer Cindy Sherman appears as Kat's evil blonde, babydoll dress wearing doppelgänger (a not so thinly veiled allusion to Courtney) whom she strangles at the end. The video was hoped to be a huge success on MTV and firmly cement Kat as the creator of the "Kinderwhore" look to the general public. Unfortunately, the video was only shown a few times on the late-night alt.rock show 120 Minutes. Courtney trumped that ace by marrying Nirvana frontman and King of Grunge Kurt Cobain, becoming a darling of the tabloids and exposing the Kinderwhore look to the mass-media with Hole's mainstream success in 1994. However, when Kurt committed suicide in 1994, the first person to be by Courtney's side was Kat.

Matching Mourning Looks

It remains to be seen who actually originated the look. Is it possible that Courtney Love is a devious "look-kleptomaniac", who appropriated her best friends style and became a superstar? Well, stranger things have happened. Or was it Kat Bjelland who "Single White Femaled" her BFF? Maaaaaaybe. Nobody will really know for sure....except for these two rivals (well, and all their friends). Whatever the case...it certainly was one of the iconic looks of the 1990s. Brava ladies!

 

 Please note the half empty bottle of Jack

 Rock N' Roll Goldilocks

Baby Jane

 Babes

 

Little black baret

Getting back at your best friend for stealing your look by killing her in a music video is quite genius, don't you think?

With Kurt and Courtney. Possibly the most 90s photo EVER!

 Miss Priss

Pretty in Pink

Chillin' with Courtney at Lollapalooza 1993

Lolita

Sweetness

The crinkled backdrop NEEDS to come back.