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80 SHE'S DIANNE CASH THE BOMB B Y B I L LY F O N G Dianne Cash, 1980s I have the greatest gig: meeting the "She's the Bomb" girls. It's almost as if Truman Capote had been a speaker during Career Day at my high school and said, "You should all aspire to meet witty, sophisticated swans and write about them endlessly." I met this month's swan through her incredibly chic daughter, Ashley Tripplehorn Hunt. Dearest Ashley came running up to me at MTV Re:Define and inquired whether I would consider her mom to be a "Bomb girl." She then whipped out her phone and proceeded to show me AH-MAZING pictures from the 1970s and '80s. I promptly said, "Yes" and "When can we make it happen?" Dianne Cash and I met at her gorgeous mid-century home, which reminded me of where Julianne Moore's character resides in the brilliant Tom Ford film A Single Man. We spent the afternoon wandering the house, with Dianne sharing stories of the beautiful paintings, decorative art pieces, and mementos gathered over many years of traveling the globe on exotic adventures. She wore a gorgeous black suit and jokingly excused herself for looking like Miss Johnny Cash — "woman in black," she said. For the record, the suit was YSL. For many years, Dianne kept a home in Santa Fe, and the running joke around town was that she was fortunate not to have done permanent damage to her stature by wearing so much incredible turquoise jewelry. Her love of fashion actually originated in that city, when on a visit at the age of seven her parent's gave her $10 spending money and she bought a Native American ring. Dianne and I bonded over a love of classic films and the golden era of Hollywood. We both immediately agreed: Who wouldn't want their life to be like Rosalind Russell's Auntie Mame. When I got home that evening, I found the trailer for the movie on YouTube, which was described with words such as "wacky and warm, wild and wonderful ..." The movie is in "Technirama and Technicolor," which seems the appropriate way to describe Dianne's colorful life. Growing up, she dreamed of "dancing like Ginger Rogers, comporting herself like Doris Day and looking like Kim Novak." In many ways, she accomplished that as a noted singer and entertainer, having performed for two U.S. presidents. She told one priceless story of trekking through the Egyptian dessert (very Auntie Mame), with her son David, when a tribesman approached him and deadpanned: "I will give you two camels for your mother." Well, I'll offer four camels for hours upon hours with Dianne. Approximate date of photo. Remember to not be too specific or — perish the thought! — give away age. Mid-'80s. The occasion. Performing "Flashdance" at the Junior League Ball. I must know: What are you wearing. My costume was a purple leotard and red sequined top! First extravagant fashion purchase. A Halston beaded pantsuit that I had to put on a credit card and paid off over four months. Why is this a Bomb.com picture of you. I am doing what I love to do — singing and entertaining people.