England had their Twiggy... America had their Edie.
Edie was an American actress, socialite, and heiress who starred in several of Andy Warhol's short films in the 1960s. Because of her loving and trusting personality she was ultimately used by Warhol and the other Factory goers and soon became addicted to drugs and went bankrupt.
Following her departure from Warhol's circle, Sedgwick began living at the Chelsea Hotel, where she became close to Bob Dylan. She is rumored to have been one of the inspirations behind Dylan's seminal 1966 opus Blonde on Blonde, and the raucous stomper "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat". It was also claimed that the phrase "your debutante" on the track "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" referred to her.
Throughout most of 1966, Sedgwick was involved in an intensely private yet tumultuous relationship not with Bob Dylan, but with Dylan's closest friend, Bob Neuwirth. During this period, she became increasingly dependent on barbiturates. Although she experimented with illegal substances including opiates, there is no evidence that Sedgwick ever became a heroin addict. In early 1967, Neuwirth, unable to cope with Sedgwick's drug abuse and erratic behavior, broke off their relationship.
At her all time low, Edie was placed in a Mental Institution by her Father (She had been there once before as a teenager, along with two of her brothers who later committed suicide). At the institution, Edie married another patient named Michael Post.
When Sedgwick married Post in July of 1971, she reportedly stopped drinking and abusing drugs. Her sobriety lasted until October, when pain medication was given to her to treat a physical illness. She remained under the care of Dr. Wells, who prescribed her barbiturates, but she would demand more pills or say she had lost them in order to get more. Sedgwick often combined the medications with alcohol.
Edie died on November 16, 1971. The coroner ruled Sedgwick's death as "undetermined/accident/suicide". The time of death was estimated to be 9:20 A.M. The death certificate claims the immediate cause was "probable acute barbiturate intoxication" due to ethanol intoxication. Sedgwick's alcohol level was registered at 0.17% and her barbiturate level was 0.48 mg%.
She was 28.
Apart from Edie's drug addiction, she can still be a positive inspiration to others. Not only was Warhol drawn to her beauty, but also her independent sense of style. She was creatively independent and followed her own path. Her signature eye make up consisted of double false eye-lashes and dark cat eye eyeliner which curved up into the crease of her enormous eyes. She had pale skin and pale lips, and open made a beauty mark on her cheek with an eyeliner pencil. Her natural hair color was brown, but when she joined Warhol's gang, she cut it to a boyish length and dyed it blonde. She is often remembered by the dark roots that grew out, which she never bothered to color.
Edie's style was also unique in terms of fashion and personality. Another signature item of Edie's were her large chandelier earrings. Tights, black leotards, shift dresses, large lacey sweaters, and giant sunglasses were her clothes of choice. However, when Edie wore her more feminine clothes, she always remained comfortable by sitting anyway she damn well pleased. Edie loved to shock her fellow upper-class socialites by being outragously open and never too proper. She took Jazz and Ballet as a child which helped her regal posture, but her favorite style of dance was entirely different. To me, it resembled pre- glow-sticking. She rotated her hips and arms slowly, eyes usually closed, absorbing the music.
It is this aspect of Edie that can still be respectfully admired. Her unique personality and sense of style can been seen many places still today.
