Eyes of Fashion: Richard Avedon

For the past couple of weeks, I've been increasingly interested in photography, both in theory and practice. Following your feedback to this post, I've decided to start a new series, Eyes of Fashion, featuring profiles of the best of the best in fashion photography, who created many of the most memorable and iconic images in the whole industry. Whether you're a fashionista, a vinatge lover, a shutterbug or simply like to admire beautiful photos, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!


For the first installment, I've had to choose Richard Avedon's work. Avedon was born in 1923 in New York; his first photography job involved taking crewmen identification pictures for the American merchant fleet. in 1944, he began working for a department store, where he was discovered by Harper's Bazaar art director. He soon started working for this fashion magazine, and after setting up his own studio in 1946, also started taking pictures for Life and Vogue. His approach was very innovative at the time: he photographed his models in action, smiling, laughing, jumping. From then on, his career in fashion photography continually flourished, and Avedon also branched out to shoot major political events, music bands as well as ordinary working people. He was a master of portrait photography, seeking to capture his models' personality by evoking different emotions. He died of a brain hemorrhage in 2004 at the age of 81.

Famous examples of his work:

Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, 1955

Homage to Munkacsi. Carmen, coat by Cardin, Place François-Premier, Paris, August 1957

Marylin Monroe, actress, 1957

Audrey Hepburn, New York, January 1967

Twiggy, hair by Ara Gallant, Paris Studio, January 1968

Nastassja Kinski and the serpent, Los Angeles, California, June 1981

Kate Moss, January 1997

Which one is your personal favorite? I cannot decide between Homage to Munkacsi and Audrey Hepburn. Let me know if you have any suggestions for the series, my lovelies. Stay put for another installment next month!

Róisín

Róisín Murphy is one of the most influencial artists on the modern pop/electro/disco stage, and I've been meaning to write a post about her style forever. I discovered her music some 2 years ago and instantly fell in love with her beautiful voice and funky beats. After watching her video clips, I really started appreciating her unique and courageous taste for fashion. Róisín is her own stylist and even though some of her outfits might not be exactly your cup of tea, I find that her approach to fashion can actually remind us that trends should be fun and... a bit crazy.

Plus, she's really stunning (and I want that hairstyle...)!

Photo and interview source: unofficial Roisin Murphy's blog

' [...] When I'm performing I like a certain amount of structure in my clothes – and in my haircut too. Changing on stage has become a big part of my performance now. I don't know if I'm hiding behind it, but I do get the strength to face the world if I'm wearing hard, blunt edges. Like I said before, I think it comes from my grandma. She'd ' wear masculine clothes, it gave her strength. Also, I do a lot of my own styling so it can be a bit scary as I'm the one making my own mistakes. There's a whole slipstream of the media now that deals with who looks right and who looks wrong now. I've got no right to complain, but it is a bit negative. I do get it wrong sometimes, of course, but the most irritating thing about that is when people say, "What was Róisí*Murphy's stylist thinking?"'

Check out my favorite Róisín's video on YT!

Redhead series: 'The Divine Sarah'

My series doesn't exactly follow the chronological order, but well...

Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) was a French theatre and film actress and is often said to be the most famous actress of the 19th century. Her mother was Jewish and her father probably a Dutchman. Little is known about her early life, as she tended to exaggerate and distort, to the point of being called 'a notorious liar' by Alexandre Dumas (son).

She earned her living by being an actress and a courtesan, both professions considered scandalous at the time. She started her stage carieer in 1862 at Comedie Francaise, and became famous in the 1870s. She slept in a coffin in lieu of a bed, claiming that it helped her to understand the tragic roles she played. She was a performing arist as well as a model, a sculptor, a writer and a couch for several young women wanting to become actresses themselves. Her close friends included famous artists such as Gustave Dore, Victor Hugo and Louise Abbema. Alphonse Mucha based several of his prints on her image.

In 1905, she injured her knee on stage while performing in the play 'La Tosca' in Rio de Janeiro. The leg never healed properly and by 1915, when gangrene set in, her entire right leg had to be amputated. She continued performing even though she didn't like using a wooden limb. She is also said to refuse a $10,000 offer to display her amputated leg as a medical curiosity.

"You must have this charm to reach the pinnacle. It is made of everything and of nothing, the striving will, the look, the walk, the proportions of the body, the sound of the voice, the ease of the gestures. It is not at all necessary to be handsome or to be pretty; all that is needful is charm."

1940's most beautiful redhead: Rita Hayworth

I thought it would be a fun idea to write about some of my idols and start a redhead series. Since my hair has a reddish undertone (to the point of being called a squirrel - European squirrels are red with pointed ears), I find myself drawn to famous redhead women. Silly, I know, but I hope you'll enjoy :)

Rita Hayworth was born in 1918 as Margarita Carmen Cansino. As the daughter of Spanish flamenco dancer, she performed in her father's dancing crew, and this is where, at the age of 16, she was  spotted by film producers. She said: "I never really thought of myself as a sex goddess; I felt I was more a comedian who could dance."

She signed in 1937 with Columbia Pictures and became known as Rita Hayworth (her mother's maiden name). The peak of her career came in 1946 film Gilda, which cast her as an ultimate sex symbol of the time. During World War II, she was one of the most popular pinups among American servicemen. Rita was the producers' first choice for Casablanca, but they couldn't get her and were forced to settle for Ingrid Bergman. She also starred in many musicals and was said to be one of Hollywood's best dancers and, with the arrival of Technicolor, one of Hollywood's most beautiful redheads. 

She was married five times and was the first movie star to become a princess. Her hands were thought to be the most beautiful in Hollywood and she considered them to be her prettiest feature. She died of Alzheimer's disease. News of her illness and death brought an international awareness of the disease that resulted in a massive increase of funds for care and research. Her daughter, Princess Yasmin, became the president of Alzheimer's Disease International.

"All I wanted was just what everybody else wants, you know, to be loved."