Photographer
RIP, Bert Stern. I wrote the noted photographer up years ago here. He sadly passed away recently. Here are just a few of the iconic images he leaves behind.
Be sure to check out the lovely Jazz on a Summer’s Day too.
Style Icons: Male »Bert Stern
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Style Icons: Male »Rene Gruau
Fashion Illustrator
Opera gloves, couture gowns, fancy summer beaches – Rene Gruau made glamour more glamorous with his simple, elegant, witty and industry changing illustrations.
Beyond being the pinnacle of couture illustration, Gruau is well known for his sumptuous Dolce Vita poster.
His designs, while accurately portraying the high styles of their time feel modern and getting lost in them is exhilarating and inspiring.
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Posted on June 20, 2013
Style Icons: Male »Ray Harryhausen
Special Effects Legend
While I’ve written up Ray Harryhausen in the past, with his recent passing, the special effects pioneer and genius is worth revisiting.
He leaves behind a legacy of imaginative and highly influential work (just take a look at any of his greats – I recommend Jason and the Argonauts).
I vividly remember watching his magic with my dad. He will be missed but his influence lives on in pretty much any film with special effects.
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Posted on May 8, 2013
Books,Web Sites »All The Buildings in New York
An attempt to draw all the buildings in New York by James Gulliver Hancock
All The Buildings in New York could really threaten make one sentimental about just having left the big city…
I love the drawing styles, the colors, and most especially recognizing a place from the decade we spent there.
It’s recently been made into a coffee table book (good for them!) but I personally haven’t seen it yet.
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Posted on May 1, 2013
Style Icons: Male »Jeanloup Sieff
Photographer
The portraits by Jeanloup Sieff are iconic – in stunning black and white they are both intimate and sublime.
His editorial work is evocative and sensual. Yet, his name is not as well known as it deserves to be even as he images are instantly recognizable.
A recent publication (Sieff Fashion) and Colette gallery tie in will hopefully change that.
Sieff passed away in 2000, but his legacy is inspiring, timeless and beautiful.
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Posted on January 2, 2013
Hunks »Steve Olson
Hunky Skateboarder
Skateboard culture has always been one of perpetual adolescence. A boys club of daredevilry, snotty behavior and high-fiving asinine antics. No one embodies this quite as well or for so long as Steve Olson.
Now a worn out greying “artist” who dates famous women, he looks like a sleaze ball you’d expect to see in an LA gallery snug between Olivier Zahm and some tits. But then, he’s also still dashingly handsome… and in the prime of his youth? I would have wept to twelve year old fantasies of romance with him – had I known of his existence.
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Posted on August 19, 2012
Style Icons: Male »Maurice Sendak
RIP
Sad, sad news. Like so many, I grew up on Maurice Sendak. His illustrations weren’t just cute, they spoke to our fears and wildest imagination.
While Where the Wild Things Are is timeless and undoubtedly his most lasting and beloved book, I was personally most effected by the creepy Outside Over There, a haunting story of goblins kidnapping a little sister.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, I highly recommend you seek it out. It fueled whispering fantasies between my sister and I about what might lurk in the woods behind our house.
I guess that’s what I loved about Sendak’s work the most, like The Grimm brothers before him, his work wasn’t scared of children’s imagined sensitivities and frailties, it let us feel elated, frightened, hurt, thrilled, excited..
He was a true original and I will share his magical work with my kids who will no doubt share it with theirs.
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Posted on May 10, 2012
Style Icons: Male »Aquirax Uno
Awesome Artist
There’s little information to be found about psychedelic artist Aquirax Uno but his vibrant, wild works speak for themselves.
I mean, wow!
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Posted on May 3, 2012
Web Sites »Miroco Machiko
Japanese Illustrator
The work of Japanese artist Miroco Machiko has to be some of the most charming I’ve seen.
I found the whimsical childlike illustrations through a friend on Pinterest and can’t stop admiring at them.
I find them very inspiring and want to just let go with paints, markers and crayons one afternoon not over thinking the end result.
Just lovely.
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Posted on May 1, 2012
Style Icons: Male »Ralph McQuarrie
Conceptual Designer
Ralph McQuarrie was largely responsible for the awesome phenomena of the Star Wars world.
A gifted artist and visionary designer, his conceptual drawings gave life to the beloved universe.
A few of my favorite designs by him were the sand raiders, snow walkers, and Darth Vader.
He was also part of the design for Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Back to the Future, and Total Recall.
He passed away at age 82.
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Posted on March 4, 2012
Style Icons: Female »Lillian Bassman
Photographer
Lillian Bassman passed away recently and I’ve been meaning to commemorate her influential and inspiring career. A giant among men in the fashion photography world, she lent mystery, dreaminess, and drama with her high contrast, geometric and experimental images.
Her photos are moody and intimate, seeming to capture impromptu moments with the models faces often obscured.
While Bassman may not be a name as widely recognized as Avedon or Himmel (both of whom she helped with their careers as an editor at Bazaar) her iconic images are instantly recognizable.
She was 93.
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Posted on February 25, 2012
Style Icons: Male »Mike Kelley
Art Legend
I was deeply sad to hear that artist Mike Kelley took his own life today. A legendary creator, his multimedia performances, installations, films, and paintings have been a huge influence on my generation.
Many people probably know him best for his work featured on Sonic Youth’s Dirty album. Within his varied career, he re-imagined discarded stuffed animals, images from high school year books, plastic knink knacks, and crystal sculptures inspired by Superman. He started out in music as a member of the underground band Destroy All Monsters.
He was 57.
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Posted on February 1, 2012
Style Icons: Male »Rene Lalique
Art Nouveau Designer
While it’s taken a hit with its association with college dorm rooms, I still adore the Art Nouveau movement, particularly when it comes to jewelry.
Rene Lalique was one of France’s most acclaimed masters and his gorgeous work speaks for itself.
I’d do just about anything to own his huge serpent brooch – which unfortunately means robbing a museum, which I’m not totally up for.
He was also a gifted glass maker and later became associated with Art Deco.
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Posted on December 15, 2011
Style Icons: Female »Maija Isola
Textile Artist
Marimekko still inspires with their bold but simple designs. But who was behind those bright big poppies? A talented unique textile artist named Maija Isola.
The Finnish textile artist actually rebelled against a Marrimeko ban on florals to create her most lasting pieces and sacrificed quite a bit for her art. In order to travel for artistic inspiration, her daughter was mostly raised by her grandmother.
Her iconic designs can still be bought and might well be the most universally recognizable textiles ever made.
She passed away in 2001.
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Posted on November 10, 2011
Style Icons: Male »Gary Larson
Far Side Creator
Fellow getting older-ers, think of all the common daily occurrences from our not too distant pasts that have simply ceased to be:
We wrote physical hand written, intricately folded notes in class and none of us had cell phones.
We’d go to the video store, stare at the wall of horror movies and hope the slasher we wanted for our sleep over wasn’t checked out. (Otherwise it was to the new releases and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape because Dazed and Confused was out).
We not only listened to the radio, we recorded our favorite songs.. on cassette!
Phone calls on corded phones could last hours even if we had seen our friends moments ago.
Paper magazines were coveted weekly glimpses at fashion that simply couldn’t be found anywhere else..
And, if you can believe it, all people in America looked forward to getting the newspaper(!) even if it was just to read the latest Far Side.
I don’t know maybe it was a nostalgic wave of how things used to be that had me bizarrely waking up this morning with my first thoughts of Gary Larson.
I mean what happened to him? He was the one funny man everyone could agree on (before Seinfeld) but no one knew his face. And then he just retired. Not Jay-Z Tom Ford “retired” but for real.
I hope he’s living fat and happy off that one-a-day calendar money because he really made a lot of people’s days better.
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Posted on November 2, 2011
Style Icons: Male »Franciszek Starowieyski
Polish Artist
I don’t know what it is about Polish poster designers, but their work is fantastic (see Moma exhibit and this site).
Franciszek Starowieyski stands out among them as a unique talent. His work is both creepy and beautiful.
I happened across the image to the left and knew I had to find out more about him.
While there’s not much to be found about him personally, the image galleries abound and will make you swoon with delight.
A perfect way to spend some time to get in the Halloween spirit!
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Posted on October 27, 2011
Hunks »Stu Sutcliffe
The Fifth Beatle
He’s known as the fifth Beatle and in lamer circles as the guy Stephen Dorff played but have you taken a good look and seen what a total doll Stu Sutcliffe was?
He was way more styling than his friends and looks decades ahead of his time.
Seriously, he could have taken over The Smiths and even Morrissey would be swooning.
While he gave up the life of Beatle fame for love and art, we never got a chance to see what would become of him. He collapsed and died at age 22 of a brain aneurysm.
