Category — fashion

Alright kids, if you’re in NYC (or LA Sept 11), watch for me in The September Issue, the documentary of Anna Wintour’s making of Vogue’s 2007 September issue, the largest one ever - 4lbs!  I don’t have a speaking role, but you do see me on set in Paris with David Sims and Grace Coddington!

Dude, only Vogue’s Anna Wintour can get the daily hair styling and $200,000 clothing budget.  Oh, and how many times can Morley Safer of 60 Minutes say “bitch” to her?

Watch CBS Videos Online

Riveting journalism.

Through the Eyes of Richard Avedon

click here

Here are three shows opening tonight and tomorrow.

Visualizing Climate Change: The Work of GHG Photos, a show affiliated with the New York Photo Festival, opens tonight.  GHG is shorthand for greenhouse gases and this show intends to document the cause, effects and attempts at controlling climate change.  Check it out - I’m planning on going.

If you work in Times Square, you can also view the show at the Port Authority (42nd and 8th).  Wish I had know that since I walked by there last night coming from my friend Claudia’s MFA thesis exhibition.

Visualizing Climate Change: The Work of GHG Photos
The Henry Gregg Gallery
111 Front Street Suite 226
Dumbo, Brooklyn
http://henrygregggallery.com/

May 14 - June 21
Opening May 14 6-9p

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Secondly, and this one I’m really excited about, is the ICP show of my FAVE - Avedon.  Avedon Fashion opens to the public tomorrow.  And bonus - Fridays are “pay as you wish”.

Avedon Fashion: 1944 - 2000
ICP Museum
1133 Avenue of the Americas @43rd Street
NYC
www.icp.org
info on the show - here

May 15 - September 6

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Lastly, my friend and neighbor, Jim Moore’s show Up and Clown opens tomorrow night as well.  Jim and I used to work together at TREC when I first started working in photography around 6 years ago.  This show includes photographs taken at The New York Downtown Clown Revue as well as photographs from the past 30 years.  I’m a bit freaked out by clowns in general (thanks Poltergeist), but will push that fear down and go after Avedon tomorrow.

Oh yeah, Jim also worked with Phillipe Petit on the famous high-wire walk between the Twin Towers on August 7, 1974.  His images appear in the award-winning documentary Man on Wire.

Up and Clown
SB Digital Gallery
125 E4th St
Btwn 1st and 2nd Aves
NYC
www.sbdigitalgallery.com

May 15 - June 3
Opening reception May 15 6-9p

After Party @Phebe’s
(cash bar though!)
361 Bowery @4th St
May 15 9-11p

09037_UrbanChic_04-007, originally uploaded by rockstarbaun.

I shot my first fashion test this past Saturday. We were under pretty crazy time constraints - 1 week to plan, 4 looks, probably 3hr shooting time (oh yea, we were outside) til sundown. What were we thinking? I tried to get a studio @Drive-In, but they were booked. Monday could’ve worked, but the stylist couldn’t do that day. It was an urban concept, so shooting outside was best. But it’s March and last week was a crazy snow storm. Luckily, by the time Saturday came around, it was 70! Warm yes, but not too sunny. Oh well, better than cold. Anyways, here are the images.

New York Times profile of Fabien Baron, uber creative director, head of Baron & Baron, editorial director of the revamped Interview and a titan in fashion.

Fabien Baron: The Art Director as Star

By Cathy Horyn

Photo: Eric Johnson for The New York Times

Oooh!  I’m totally excited because I grew up a little goth girl (well, not full-on Goth) - twickers striped tights, Bauhaus, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie, Christian Death, L’Oreal Blackberry lipstick, stupid amounts of silver jewelry, vintage black clothing.  I wasn’t obsessed with death though.  Goth is everywhere now - a museum show, black lipstick, Balenciaga’s cyber goth, Rodarte, HBO’s True Blood.

First, The Musem at FIT’s current show is Gothic: Dark Glamour curated by Dr. Valerie Steele and examines the role of gothic style in fashion.  Showcasing more than 75 ensembles set in iconic goth settings, the exhibit features looks from Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui and John Galliano of Dior.  And it’s FREE!

Gothic: Dark Glamour
September 5, 2008 through February 21, 2009
The Museum at FIT
Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
New York City 10001-5992

From the Fall/Winter 2008 shows (earlier this year) YSL had slick, black bobs and black lips and Nicolas Ghesquière created a cyber goth-ish with a bit of Spanish drama collection.

Black lips in Yves Saint Laurent’s fall show.   Photo: Getty Images

Balenciaga F/W 2008-09
from Balenciaga site

Working on the Balenciaga campaigns for the last few seasons I think the current campaign is probably my fave.  We shot it at the LA Balenciaga store prior to its opening.  If you’re in LA, I highly suggest stopping by as it’s super futuristic - blue lights that go on and off, custom silver walls, hard geometric shaped dressing rooms and furniture.

The Mulleavy sisters behind Rodarte looked to Japanese horror films for inspiring their F/W 2008-09 collections.  There’s lots of knitwear with a web-like, torn quality and flowing dresses.

Photo: Marcio Madeira at Style.com

David Sims shot Stella Tenant for a story in last month’s (September) W.  This shoot wasn’t as crazy as I thought it would be and I do like it the final images.

Network, W Magazine (September 08)
Photo: David Sims

And there’s goth on TV.  I just got into HBO’s True Blood.  At first I thought it would be really cheesy, but I did love Alan Ball’s Six Feet Under.  Vampires in Louisiana?  And can this top or at least be as interesting as Anne Rice’s vampire series?  OMG.    Stephen Moyer is amazing as the vampire Bill struggling with vampire tendencies while falling in love with a human (Anna Paquin).

Hmmm, I wonder if black vintage and black lip gloss will still look alright with my lingering summer tan…

My friend Melanie closed up her shop, Ai Ai Gasa, a month ago to travel with her pop-up shop. The shop is actually going to be a converted SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) bus - yep, that’s right. It will feature recycled umbrella clothing, her art and cute jewelry. To stay updated, check her blog and the Ai Ai Gasa site.

Wow, it’s been a pretty jam packed, no sleep week. Sun we flew to LA to shoot for another fashion mag. Our flight was delayed a couple hours, so by the time we finally arrived at the Westin Hotel, it was 10p and we had to be at set for 5a. Ugh. Anyways, we shot at the Zorthian Ranch again, a hub of bohemian culture in the Altadena foothills of Southern California and now filled with junk, animals and crazy junkyard art. It was blazing hot but at least I was able to grab some photos of the ranch. There’s still a new-agey vibe there though. A friend of mine took a polaroid (!) of another friend filled with flare. He showed it to a woman whose son lives on the ranch. She pointed out that he had taken a photo of the spirits there. He explained to her about flare, to which she replied, “You can believe whatever you want”.

Our flight home was delayed as well due to two unexpected storms in NYC, so we landed in Detroit and spent a lovely two hours on the tarmac. Finally made it home around 1a, then back up again a few hours later to be in mid-town at 7:30a yesterday morning. This time it was fun. It was my sister’s birthday, so she and her sons spent the day in New York. We began with seeing “Live with Regis and Kelly”, her idea not mine. It turned out pretty fun! Mike Meyers was the guest.

We were seated in the front row, my sister got to go-go dance as part of the show’s Spring Fling a Gro-Go contest, then they gave her a birthday shout-out on live TV, and she met Regis. We ate lunch at Blue Ribbon Sushi. Later that day at FAO Schwartz, she spotted and had her picture taken with Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer - Princess Diana’s brother. He had no security or entourage and wanted us to be discreet. What a birthday!

Pascal Dangin is the most famous, under the radar person in fashion. He heads Box, the premier retouching company. Top tier magazines such as Vanity Fair, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Allure, French Vogue, Italian Vogue, V, and the Times Magazine along with hip, overpriced fashion mags like Self-Service, Pop and Another all work with Box. Many photographers, including Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, Mario Sorrenti, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, and of course, David Sims, whom I work with, pretty much only go to Pascal. I also freelance for Box. So when the New Yorker’s profile of Pascal came out a couple weeks ago, it was exciting to read.

Pascal is totally down to earth, always wears blue and New Balances and has crazy hair (he used to be a hair stylist). He is the man! He understands digital photography/imaging more than anyone I know. When I first interviewed with him three years ago, oh was I nervous. Here I was with the Wizard and seriously, I probably came off as slightly an idiot because I started yapping about randomness. Ah, but I got it together and I’m still working with Box.

Even Box’ studio is subtle. Walking into reception you are confronted with nothing two big rooms - reception and cut out behind it another and all white. This is the printing floor. To the left is a shiny, mirrored elevator that whisks you to the retouching and digital capture floors. Everything is hidden and slick. Even the bathrooms, are streamlined and modern. The only color you’ll see is from the massive collection of books, magazines and prints being reviewed. The studio itself is white with grey floors. The first time I went here, I thought of Gattaca.

I’m amazed at the talent of Pascal and his retouchers at how they coax detail and subtlety out to digital images. What I see on set versus the proofs and eventually in the magazine or on a billboard, I feel honored to freelance for Box.

Here’s the New Yorker article from a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!

Pixel Perfect, Pascal Dangin’s virtual reality. New Yorker Magazine by Lauren Collins