An alluring beauty exempt from fashions rules

Elizabeth Taylors captivating physical beauty overcame whatever fashion excesses she may have been guilty of

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She was short. She didnt have the greatest legs in the world for a sex symbol,which she wasnt anyway. She was overloaded with hair and bosom,a dreadnought of glamour rather than an elegant swan,and for that reason she did not fit as naturally on best-dressed lists as Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly did. But Elizabeth Taylors style told a great deal more.

It said she was a woman of instincts and violent passions; that she wore her vices,as well as her virtues,for all to see; that her allure was a result not of impossible fame or even beauty,but of an inhuman femininity; a hominess,a love of children and animals that was recognisably real. She was the only goddess I know who had a sense of humour and a gigantic heart, said Joel Rosenthal,one of the top jewellers in the world and friend of Taylors for nearly 20 years. He said she possessed some remarkable jewellery,not least the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond and other pieces given to her by Richard Burton,but thats not the way he thought of her.

She was irresistible mayhem, he said. And was without vanity. He could still hear the singing tone of her voice as she signed off a telephone conversation: I love you, he said,in 18 syllables. He paused,laughing to himself. I’m saying frighteningly banal things,but thats what a goddess does to you. Not surprisingly,people over the years tended to focus on her physical attributes. Burton was besotted by her even as he cruelly joked about her tendency to put on weight In a letter,included in the book Furious Love,by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger,Burton told her she had acquired an added and special and dangerous loveliness. You tended not to notice her attire. Instead you noticed the heavily pencilled brows,the lipsticked mouth,the riot of hair crowned with fresh flowers,jewels or head scarf when she was relaxing.

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That she often wore some outrageous get-ups in the 60s,indicated that she knew her celebrity had a special claim on people. Just as she didnt refrain from using four-letter words in conversations with friends,or hiding her love affairs,she didnt feel the need to look perfect. She was herself,she was Elizabeth Taylor. To be sure,in later years,during marriages to Senator John W. Warner and Larry Fortensky,her weight and her penchant for fussy tweed suits or generous caftans or busty satin dresses with pinched sleeves,made her the butt of jokes. Still,you couldnt stop looking at this amazing woman.

In a way,though,the Elizabeth of the mid-60s through the early 70s is the one who is burned into memory. Here is the vulnerable,all-too-human goddess in slacks and sandals in Mexico,putting on her makeup; or in zesty,hot pants and white boots in London,or wearing diamonds as she plays a game of dominos on a set in Italy. This kind of style had nothing to do with luxury or imprisoning taste,but had a great deal to do with living.CATHY HORYN

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