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The Quintessential Bohemian: Laren Stover

 

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Laren Stover is the author of The Bohemian Manifesto: a Field Guide to Living on the Edge.  It is a literary treasure with the most beautiful illustrations by Izak Zenou.

Laren has the beauty, elegance, style and curiosity that perfectly captures a true Bohemian.

This Manifesto is so exquisite to own I cannot tell you how many times it has uplifted me in moments of melancholy and I always get swept away by the romanticism of Bohemianism every time I gaze at the pages. 

 

 

Laren Stover

She is the Editor-at-Large of Faerie Magazine  Stover has also published a darkly comedic novel called Pluto, Animal Lover: A Novel

Begin 2017 with a Bohemian Bang akin to the sound of champagne Muselets catapulting on the walls of a Nouveau Bohemian’s Upper East Side apartment in the Winter… Well you’re not going to stay in the freezing abode of your Beat or Zen Bohemian friend’s place… Nouveau’s are your friends in Winter they can afford heating and food! Zens and Beats are for the Summer when you’re On The Road… Dandy’s are your all seasons friends because they’re always so charming and chic! But wait what kind of Bohemian are you? There is a delightful Quiz at the end of this Quirky Field Guide to tell you which one you are…

If you’re someone who relishes in curious details from counterculture style, to bohemian must-reads (yes there’s a reading list) then this book is for you. The most charming pages of all are the Case Studies which tell you where these curious creatures live, work and their background. So charming, so dreamy! This book will make you delve into Bohemian Consciousness and maybe make you feel less alone about the freedom and rebellion we crave.

Oona the Actress: Case Study

“Oona is tall Swedish and, unbeknownst to her Bohemian friends, a princess. All her actor friends live in squalid Lower East Side, Brooklyn or Harlem apartments. Flickering lights in hallways, mattresses on the floor, candles in wine bottles, crooked stairs. She was jealous!”

If glamour, creature comforts and beauty still can’t quite escape you then have a peak at The Bombshell Manual of Style. The allure of dazzling beauties became another one of her anthropological quests as she felt they were an “exotic species” as discussed on The Early Show in her interview for the book. The interview was conducted by Lisa Birnbach, author of The Preppy Handbook.)  Another video teaser of the book to watch.

Laren On Bombshells: 

“A bombshell believes in her fantasies, she may be wearing a rhinestone bracelet but in her mind it’s Cartier… She doesn’t need to be perfect she still believes she’s a Goddess.”

Purchase The Bohemian Manifesto here.
The Blurb:

Bohemianism is a way of life, a state of mind, an atmosphere. It is not a trend, its a timeless movement. It is about living beyond convention. THE BOHEMIAN MANIFESTO explores and joyfully celebrates the creativity, the originality, and the splendor of a lifestyle and spirit shared by free-thinking, free-living artists, poets, writers, sculptors, musicians, and intellectuals. This is the first book to distill and categorize all the ingredients of Bohemian life. In a witty and engaging style, Laren Stover examines the contents of a Bohemians closet, bathroom, and bookshelf. She explains the allure of absinthe, why it isn’t wise to leave a Bohemian unattended in your home-you could return to find nude nymphs painted on your lamp shades-and how to identify what type of Bohemian you might be.

For the Bombshell in your life or those seeking a New Year Makeover get this book!
The Blurb:

In this glittering beauty and lifestyle guide packed with pearls of wisdom, Laren Stover has compiled everything a woman needs to know to live the Bombshell life: from how to dress and make an entrance to what to eat and where to shop. It tells readers what makes a Bombshell tick; road-tested outfits for 25 occasions; must-have Bombshell sleepwear, handbags, and fragrances; what’s in the Bombshell library; and what she looks for in a man. With scads of little-known facts about real-life bombshells like Liz, Mae, and Lana this fun and ever-so-practical little book is certain to bring out the inner Bombshell in every woman.

Connect with Writer, Editor & Melancholy Connoiseur Laren Stover

LarenStover.com
Instagram: @Faerie_Style
Twitter: @Reine_Des_Fees

Read her article for The Paris Review: Pimped for a part

Laren for The New York Times:

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Lord of Bohemia: Melvyn Bragg

Melvyn Bragg presenting his forthcoming programme 'Culture and Class': 'Imitation of the old has been replaced by delight in the new' - British culture may be our new great industry

Photo: BBC

This month’s selection is a very dear figure who really touches my heart. Lord Bragg is a beloved British UK broadcaster,  Novelist and reigning Arts doyen.

He’s had a staggering career and many struggles which is why I’m so fond of him, if anybody takes a moment to uncover his past you can’t helped but be moved by him. From humble roots he began as a trainee for the BBC and went on has very candidly discussed his struggles with depression and was a former President of Mental Health Charity MIND.

If you ever get a chance I would highly recommend you watch the talk between Lord Bragg and Joanna Lumley. I bought this series on DVD as individual full episodes cannot be found online. Get yours here. I watched this a couple years ago when things were pretty horrific for me and it always gave me hope that someone who was struggling the way I was not only found relief in the arts but made a career out of it. Rarely would I say someone as a person is admirable but Lord Bragg truly is. When I decided to write about Melvyn on my site I started to cry like Kim Kardashian ugly tears crying that’s how big of an impact he has on me….

Bragg’s article on The Telegraph: British Culture may be our great new industry

“Snobbery still exists, but it is comical or pathetic and no longer has a cutting edge.”

“How would you really describe yourself? I suggest it might be through the type of music you like, the sport you follow, the radio station you listen to, the authors you read, the ballet or the opera or theatre you go to, the soaps or the galleries – or a mix of all. The old snakeskin of class falls away when we look at what we really do, or are given half the chance to be as we really want to be.”


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The Unstoppable Bohemian: Audrey the Artist

Bohemians will do anything to pursue their art and Audrey the Artist glorifies this. Having a disability does not stop her expressing her vision through twisted wired lines and spots of vibrant inks. You just gotta keep on keeping on when you have talent in life. Though I do wander if at times she is in physical pain when she makes her art….

Her hands remind me of a ballerina; long and elegant though harboring pain we cannot begin to imagine.  Like our own hands but extraordinary yet fragile and ultimately beautiful.

Audrey’s aesthetic is feminine, edgy and chic. The faceless beauties she draws tell a story with their hair, some designs are also available as tote bags!  

I adore illustrators because they make the world prettier! Think about it, they really do. From adverts, instruction manuals, prints on products… Illustration is EVERYWHERE to inform, educate, entertain and inspire and make the world look better as well as share a special style to see the world with plus a reinterpretation of how things can look.

An interview by Golden Boy Press with the Artist found here.

Here’s a snippet of the interview.

What’s a typical day for you?
Eating, drawing, going out, sleeping. Repeat. I love going out to see concerts, and you may take me as a psycho, but sometimes I just feel like tattooing every lyric on my body, haha. It happened when I saw Haim last year, I just got like “each song is full of life” and I wanted that feeling tattooed on my body.

How does your environment empower you to pursue what you love?
I wouldn’t say my environment empowers me. In my family, I don’t have any artists, so very early I realized I had to draw my own path, which is something you have to accept ; I mean sometimes, it would be so nice to have someone close to relate to. Most of all, I try to travel as much as possible, and meet people from different countries, with different cultures. Differences are empowering.

What are your top 5 main influences?
Stina Persson, Jordi Labanda as illustrators. I’ve been lucky as hell to meet Jordi, he’s such a brilliant man. One of my current influences is Sia (from her video clips to her album covers). I mean, jeez, so much talent. I am also highly influenced by my favorite book, Les Fleurs du Mal from Baudelaire. There’s this poem, “La Chevelure” and it fits the way I draw hair so well. And this year, my favorite movie was Whiplash, and it quite influenced my behavior. I went very “go for it” instead of “what if”, and it changes everything you know.

“That’s why her hair is so big it’s full of secrets!” – Damien (from Mean Girls)