WASP Overload!

It took me awhile to fully appreciate the genius of Slim Aarons. I was formerly of the opinion that his photographs were too conventional and his über-WASPy subjects were a bit of a turn-off. But I have since seen the light and my love for Slim Aarons has quickly spiraled into a full-blown obsession. It actually sucks to be obsessed with Slim Aarons, because most of his books are out of print and god are they expensive. A copy of A Wonderful Time can cost upwards of $1000. Thankfully, Abrams Books has recently published a new collection of his photos, titled Poolside with Slim Aarons. It’s essentially a gazillion photos of super-rich people hanging out by their giant pools. I have posted a sampling of the poolside photos below, along with some other highlights from his career. Note the freakish amount of cat figurines in the Truman Capote photo.

The Louis Vuitton Commercial is Dumb

Fashion on Film: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

I loved Lynn Yaeger’s article in the September issue of Vogue about the influence of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s films on semi-recent collections by Marc Jacobs, Chloe, etc. I’m surprised that his films aren’t referenced more often in the fashion press, a la Blow-Up, Belle du Jour, Grey Gardens, etc. His stable of actresses (Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, etc) were insanely glamorous, much like the Hollywood actresses of the thirties and forties. Their makeup was flawless, suits impeccably tailored, hats positioned ever so precisely atop their heads. This kind of glamour doesn’t exist anymore, which is sad, but also totally convenient for lazy people like myself who can barely bring themselves to iron a shirt. However, watching The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant really makes me want to change my ways. It’s about a fashion designer who is a total monster (Like every rumor that you’ve ever heard about Donna Karan x 10) who spends her days lounging around in couture gowns while psychologically torturing her assistant. Everything she wears is gorgeous (really, really gorgeous!) and her wig collection is pretty fly too. I tried to dig up a good youtube clip but all I found were a bunch of videos of this guy who dresses in drag and recreates Petra's famous breakdown scene in a variety of languages. Seriously, WTF?