Today's Monday Muse is the one and only Anna Wintour herself! A lot of people who fear fashion, or don't understand it live in fear of Anna who is often nicknamed the Ice Queen. Anna is someone I really respect and admire firstly for her success within the Fashion Industry and the enormous influence she holds. Also her achievements at Vogue such as being the first magazine to feature celebrities on the cover and her launch of the CFDA fund which helps young designers get a kick-start are both admirable.


Here's some of my favourite quotes from Anna: "It's always about timing. If it's too soon, nobody understands. If it's too late, everyone's forgotten."


And-

-For more Anna influence I recommend you watch 'The September Issue' a documentary behind the scene of Vogue's grandest issue of the year, read 'Front Row: Anna Wintour' Jerry Oppenheimer's unauthorised autobiography or watch 'The Devil Wears Prada' who's title character is believed to be based on Anna Wintour.

"The cats are in the flower beds,
A red hawk rides the sky.
I guess I should be happy, Just to be alive.
But, We have poisoned everything,
And oblivious to it all,
The cell-phone zombies babble,
Through the shopping malls."


Those words come from today's Monday muse who is a painter, a poet and an extremely gifted musician. Joni Mitchell is one of those people who's name you'll often see in interviews where artists are asked to state who inspires them. That was where I remembered her name from, but it wasn't until I heard 'A Case of You' that I began to really take an interest.








Joni is truly one of those artists who doesn't have a line of carbon copies that have followed after her, which is part of what makes her music and creativity so special. Also as a result of childhood polio, Joni couldn't form traditional guitar chords with her hands so a lot of the chords in her songs have been made up. This is most likely why there are few successful imitators of her music!

The observant reader will note that it is no longer Monday where I am, or possibly anywhere in the world. Christmas, being the blessing in disguise that it is has gotten in the way along with spontaneous decisions which have seen me going out and about at very short notice! Never fear, I am back now.


My very first magnificent Monday Muse is none other than the infamous Lady Melbourne. I'd heard of Lady Melbourne a while ago, after she was featured in this video here on 'Girl with a Satchel's blog, although it wasn't until I picked up my very first copy of Peppermint Magazine, with her on the cover and featured in the magazine that I began to take a keen interest in her blog.