Roberto Bigano has been photographing the stylish lives of mannequins since 1978. His Plastic Girls may be trapped behind glass, but their lifelike personalities and unique beauty knows no bounds. “I find they tell a lot about the culture of a country and the evolution of fashion and style,” Bigano shares on his website. The artist is also fascinated with the intricate details designers and stylists include with their window displays. “I think every photographer has a lot to learn from them.” Bigano’s portraits were all captured on the fly and through storefront windows, which creates an interesting voyeuristic perspective and narrative with the silent feminine figures. Get to know Bigano’s Plastic Girls in our gallery past the break.
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, L.L. Bean has recreated the original cover of their 1933 catalog, which we think is a pretty cool idea that they’ve managed to realize wonderfully. To pull off the look, the creative team pulled from a mix of contemporary, archival, and “core” pieces, and we have to say that the resultant photograph by Randal Ford approximates the feel of the original artwork pretty well. More iconic covers are set to be released as photographs throughout the year, so stay tuned. Click through to see the full images, plus a behind-the-scenes video where you’ll get a sneak peek of the cover coming up next!
During World War II, the A-2 leather flight jacket was standard issue for pilots, bombadiers, and others, who often decorated them with squadron patches, rank marks, or elaborate artwork celebrating their plane, their girl, or whatever they liked. Now, the jackets are rare to find, but the style is a classic, and so we were excited to see these great vintage photos of original flight jackets, still on the backs of their aircrewmen, over at the Retronaut. We love the way that, even in the regimented world of the Air Force, each man’s personality shines through from their chosen design — though we have to admit, there are a few omnipresent themes. Click through to see a few of our favorites, and then if you haven’t had enough, head over here to check out even more.
Project Runway: All Stars premieres tonight, and despite the lack of Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, and the judges we love to hate, we’ll be watching. But while we’re excited to revisit some of our favorite characters from the show’s first eight seasons — Austin Scarlett, Anthony Williams, Mondo Guerra — we have to admit that we’d entirely forgotten about a few the “all-star” cast members. So, to jog our memory and yours, we’ve put together a cheat sheet of the best looks each contestant created during their stint on Project Runway. Let us know who you’re rooting for in the comments.
Artist Susan Stockwell weaves British history throughout her collection of extravagant paper-made gowns. Her life-size dresses, like her other installations, comment on global commerce and geography through makeshift fabric constructed out of a variety of currencies and antiquated maps that span the globe — showcasing the British Isles and the Scottish Highlands in particular. The silhouettes the English sculpturist recreates nod towards the Victorian era, with expertly worked ruffles, enormous puff sleeves, and the illusion of overflowing petticoats that were influenced by ensembles female British explorers donned during the 1870s. Marvel at a few of Scotwell’s creations below, and check out more of her work at her website.
Those looking for some retro fashion inspiration could do worse than perusing the stripper_polaroids Flickr account. No, we’re not cheekily suggesting that you clothe yourselves in G-strings and feather boas. The archive, which we discovered via Dangerous Minds, belongs to someone who apparently bought a box of 400 Polaroid stripper audition photos from the ’60s and ’70s for just $10 — and while there are some underwear and bikini shots, we were taken with the ones that show ladies dressed in the height of period fashion. There are mod print sheath dresses from the ’60s, sparkly disco frocks from the ’70s, and many truly enviable pairs of high-waisted, wide-legged pants. Travel back to a more innocent time — especially, it seems, for exotic dancers — with the gallery of our favorite shots, after the jump.
Let’s be honest: Halloween is usually a time of year that women’s fashion becomes the focus of everyone’s attention. Sadly there are sexy, slutty costumes versions of just about everything, while men’s costumes are relegated to something reminiscent of the stereotypical, blood-soaked madman. And fashionable costumes? Forget it. Store-bought versions of men’s costumes are nearly non-existent, and not everyone has the talent to go DIY. This got us thinking about the scary style mavens of the horror cinema universe. Who are the best dressed men, and who has the most unique fashion sense? Hit the jump to find out, and let us know who gets your vote below.
Comic book characters tend to embody the most petrifying of fashion nightmares, from wearing underwear as outerwear to donning full-body, technicolor spandex suits in broad daylight. Since life within the panels of a comic book tends to be only slightly less sartorially inspiring than being stuck in an ’80s workout video, we think residents of Gotham and Radiant City deserve an extra-hard pat on the back when they bust out runway-worthy looks. Browse our look book of the graphic world’s trendiest style icons after the jump.
Have you ever wondered what the women from The X-Men would look like if they decide to star in their own runway modeling event? Well, neither did we. Fortunately, artist Kevin Wada and Max Wittert did and they showed us just what we were missing out on with our lack of fashionable female X-Men thoughts.
Perusing social networking fashion blogs like Facehunter and The Sartorialist, artist Fernanda Guedes draws inspiration from the people they feature. In her series People and Their Invented Histories, the Brazil-based illustrator conjures up a colorful biography for the faces behind the photos with vibrant illustrations and handwritten profiles detailing the family backgrounds, jobs, thoughts, and feelings she imagines these strangers might have. The eye-opening collection consists of over 40 sketchbook drawings paired with captivating stories and serves as a fascinating example of online identities and communities influencing art. Look through some of our favorites from the series after the jump.
