CHANEL + PARIS

It’s hard not to think about Paris when thinking about CHANEL. It’s an entangled marriage that has withstood the hands of time that withers away most relationships. For this shoot I wanted to bring to life the Paris I feel and see when I think of CHANEL. Her perfectly monochromatic glow, silvery reflections of long casted shadows carrying the sound of clicking heels mysteriously descending from rue en rue, the dusty ashtrays at the night’s end as the last dance of smoke from a cigarette disappears into darkness.  This is my Paris. Black and white and smudged with history.

As I write this I am looking out at the rooftops of Paris from my suite at the Le Bristol Hotel pondering this wonderful moment in time. Time is a recurring constant in my life. As a photographer I count in tenths of a second and, as an artist, I try to pause it.

CHANEL released a new timepiece this season inspired by Coco Chanel’s nature to draw inspiration from the masculine wardrobe which has come to be an emblematic style of CHANEL. Coco was famed for her many boyfriends which, not surprisingly, inspired many of her creations and shaped the course of her life. It is then fitting the watch is named Boy.Friend – balancing both the iconic CHANEL watch shape but with a more masculine over-sized face, manual mechanical movement and ardillon buckle.

So we put the three together, my smokey silver city of lights, her mysterious fashion muse CHANEL and in the shadows the spirit of the woman who continues to inspire us all, Madame Coco.

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Marchesa

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The Marchesa show is always one of opulent fantasy and this season was no exception. Hosted at the glamorous St. Regis New York, models cascaded down the runway under swaths of sparking chandeliers, mirrored walls and classic molding. Tucked away in this grandeur of an intimate ballroom we floated into designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig’s inspiration of Opium Dreams translated into gowns of billowing smoke, 3-D floral embroideries, fiery explosions of poppy red, a dance of seduction in barely there crystal embroidery and an ocean of waltzing fringe reminiscent of far away parties from jazz era opulence.

Now this is a dream I could dream forever…

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Oscar de la Renta

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With the passing of Oscar de la Renta last October we have all been wondering what Peter Copping would do in the his new role as creative director and the seemingly impossible task of carrying on the ladylike empire Mr. de la Renta built.

When I arrived at the venue over looking New York’s Bryant Park the first thing I noticed was the switch from a floral, white, lovely decor to something more sleek, modern and dark. As the show began I could see a lot of Oscar in the suit tailoring and chic styling. I like the way Mr. Copping used fur, I loved the way he tied silk scarfs around the girl’s necks and some of the gowns looks as if they walked off the set of an Audrey Hepburn movie, that classic glamour I’ve always looked for from ODLR. I noticed more solid black which I personally liked, wonderfully feminine shoes and of course perfect ball gowns.

Of course, no one will ever fill Oscar de la Renta’s shoes, but he can reinterpret them… on the runway… with little black bows on the side.

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