David Bowie’s androgynous early-’70s alien character, Ziggy Stardust, is not only one rock’s most memorable characters; he’s also one of its most distinctive fashion icons, sporting skintight jumpsuits, pounds of glitter makeup, and a bright-red hairdo that gives mullets a good name. Although he’s nearing his 40th birthday, Ziggy’s iconic style continues to influence musicians, fashion designers, artists, and fans, as pop-culture homages to the bisexual space invader abound. Models have been the subjects of Ziggy Stardust-themed fashion shoots, actors have portrayed (and parodied) the role onscreen, and celebrities of all kinds have taken it upon themselves to revive the lightning-bolt look for fun and profit. See some of the best and funniest Ziggy Stardust tributes after the jump. Read More »
The death of Corinne Day from a brain tumor last year at the age of only 48 was tragic in its own right, and all the more so because it robbed the British fashion industry of one of its most distinctive photographers. To commemorate the first anniversary of her passing, London’s Gimpel Fils gallery is putting on a retrospective of her work for British magazine The Face. Day’s work for the magazine in the ’90s was lo-fi and engaging, eschewing the trappings of high fashion studio shoots for natural lighting and outdoor locations. Her career was inextricably linked with that of fellow ’90s style icon Kate Moss — she first photographed Moss when the latter was 16, and did so many times again over the years, and images of Moss thus feature prominently in the show. We’ve shared a selection of images from the exhibition after the jump — there are lots more to see at Day’s official website.
You might be familiar with Anton Corbijn’s recent film work (Control, The American) or his music videos for bands like Nirvana, U2, and Depeche Mode, but it was photography — particularly portraiture — that first launched his career. In Inwards and Onwards, currently on view at Amsterdam’s Foam Gallery, the Dutch photographer returns to his roots, training an intense lens on a few of his favorite artists in an examination of the creative process.
“The images are basically from the past eight years,” Corbijn explained to The New York Times back in November. “After 2002, when I did my self-portraits, there was a whole period that I started in the early ’70s that I felt I had finished. I wasn’t sure what direction to go to, so I was just taking pictures. But after a few years, it dawned on me that I was just going back to basics — taking simple black-and-white photographs of people I wanted to meet.” From a candid portrait of Alexander McQueen hiding behind a turtleneck in his studio, to a photo of a naked Iggy Pop sprawled out in Central Park, to an older shot of his one-time housemate Kate Moss, see some of our favorite black and white images from the exhibition after the jump.
Daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney and sister of the celebrated Stella, photographer Mary McCartney is now being recognized as an equally creative talent.
Mixing family snapshots and still lifes with backstage shoots at fashion shows, rock concerts, and dance and theatre performances, McCartney displays a personal, poetic vision in both her editorial and exhibition work. From Natalie Portman and Tilda Swinton to Dennis Hopper and Tommy Lee Jones, McCartney captures the essence of famous and unknown subjects with elegant ease.
Here at Flavorpill, we love an elegant infographic. We are also kind of obsessed with ’90s alt-rock, to an altogether unhealthy extent. So, when it came out that Courtney Love has copped to sleeping with not only Gavin Rossdale but also Kate Moss, we went into nostalgia overdrive, reminiscing about who dated or hooked up with who 15 years ago. In the spirit of all things grunge, we opted for a chart we’re calling a “lo-fi infographic” (due to our lamentable lack of artistic ability). While Love is no slouch in the liaison department, we’d also like to draw your attention to Winona Ryder, who has slept with enough guitar gods to fill a mixtape. Click here for a larger version.
Today at Flavorpill, we hoped the current condo crisis in Williamsburg could be fixed by the Housing Asset Renewal Program. We were frightened by the news of Kate Moss and Simon Cowell joining forces in a business venture. We spoke in foreign idioms. We decided that if it’s always going to top every movie list, then it’s really time we rented Citizen Kane. We learned some of the backstory behind True Blood‘s scary Maryann character. We wondered if the new Harry Potter film can possibly live up to all of the box office (and critical) hype. We figured out why book bloggers love them some Pynchon. We feared Jack White. And finally, we got lost in these pictures from county fairs. You can almost smell the fried dough, no?
Over the weekend Flavorpill took a trip to the Met to check out the much-hyped The Model as Muse exhibit currently on view, which is being sponsored by Marc Jacobs in partnership with Conde Nast. The show is a tribute not just to iconic fashion photography, which has made the glossy magazines of today the titans they have become, but also the models who inspired these images. From the timeless elegance of Richard Avedon’s editorial work with Dorian Leigh, to the almost mythical “Trinity” of Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, the influence of the supermodel as a source of inspiration is doubtless. What IS open to speculation is the manner in which the Costume Institute chose to curate the show. Our full review, after the jump.
