By Personal Choice

“The portraits he (Robert Mapplethorpe) shot by personal choice are a different take from the commercial portraits he did for cash. Let’s say Robert was good at perfecting people in the way that a good courtier perfects his patron, all the while keeping his cynicism cleverly coded even within the art piece.”

Edward Lucie-Smith

Patti Smith

William S. Burroughs

Keith Haring

Andy Warhol

Willem de Kooning

Robert Rauschenberg

Carolina Herrera

Jun 25

The Romanian Blouse

Queen Marie of Romania

The main piece of the Romanian national dress is the blouse, the term being only attributed to the blouse worn by women. It is actually a Romanian traditional blouse worn on festive days, which is made of white cloth, cotton, flax or raw silk tissue, adorned with beads and embroideries on the sleeves and the neckline. The technique of adorning this blouse was handed down from mother to daughter, a fact that preserved the tradition and taste from one generation to another. The patterns are stylized, geometrical or inspired from nature.

In the course of time, the finesse of the materials that were used, the chromatic harmony, but also the cut of the pieces of the Romanian national dress, which were woven, cut and embroidered by hand, were appreciated by Romania’s Queens Elisabeta and Marie, but also by the women aristocrats of the time, who were proud to wear the Romanian national dress at various times.

The first Blouse Roumaine prototype is considered to be created starting the 6th century B.C in Cucuteni culture. The ancient piece was called “ie”. The name derived from Latin “tunicae linae” which means thin tunic.

The sewing process of a blouse roumaine. The tradition of manufacturing the blouse is still kept among very rare artisans who are living on forgotten lands of ancient romanian villages.

Revolutionary Romania (portrait of Maria Rosetti), Constantin Daniel Rosenthal, 1848

On the other hand, the Romanian blouse caught the artists’ eye and was immortalized by French painter Henri Matisse in several paintings, one of them, La Blouse roumaine (1940), being exhibited at the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris. A Romanian painter, Constantin Daniel Rosenthal, immortalized Maria Rosetti (the sister of artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti as well as William Michael Rossetti and Christina Georgina Rossetti) in Revolutionary Romania as wearing this kind of blouse and a head kerchief. The Romanian blouse also appears in the paintings made by Camil Ressu, Ion Theodorescu-Sion, Francisc Sirato, Nicolae Tonitza, Dumitru Ghiata, etc.

Yves Saint Laurent, 1981 Collection

Yves Saint Laurent, Spring/Summer 1997-1998

Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Oscar De la Renta

Matthew Williamson

Adele wearing a Tom Ford blouse (spring summer 2011 collection)

Carolina Herrera Resort 2013 Collection

The Romanian blouse was equally the source of inspiration for the creation of some fashion designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, who in 1981 had an entire collection titled ‘La Blouse roumaine,’ followed by Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo or Tom Ford, who interpreted again the traditional blouse he found in the region of Sibiu (central Romania), with black embroidery specific to that area, which appeared in the American issue of Vogue magazine in March 2012, worn by singer Adele. Then there were Oscar de la Renta, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Anna Sui or Philippe Guilet. Some of the Romanian fashion designers that took their inspiration from the Romanian national dress are Adrian Oianu, Dorin Negrau, Corina Vladescu and Ingrid Vlasov.

Jun 23

Matisse-Inspired Fashion

Long evening dresses inspired by Henri Matisse-inspired evening gowns by Yves Saint Laurent, Autumn/Winter 1980-1981 collection. Black velvet and moire faille, multicolored satin applique leaves

Yves Saint Laurent Couture Spring/Summer 1992 (Une Renaissance, based on Henri Matisse’s colors in Morocco)

Lady Gaga wearing a vintage Yves Saint Laurent blouse (Autumn/Winter 1980-1981 collection)

Vintage 1980’s Valentino Sheer Silk Georgette Jacket with Hood

Vivienne Westwood Nostalgia of Mud (Buffalo Girls) collection printed cotton jersey toga dress, Autumn/Winter, 1982-1983. World’s End labelled, the pink gown cut shorter at the front and with long train-like panel printed in dark brown with Matisse inspired motifs

Vera Wang Spring/Summer 2006 (inspired by the way Henri Matisse’s models dressed)

Etro Spring/Summer 2006

Carolina Herrera Spring-Summer 2010 Bridal collection. Wedding dress inspired by Matisse’s paper cut outs

Roland Mouret Spring/Summer 2012 (inspired in part by the women close to Henri Matisse)

Basso & Brooke Autumn/Winter 2012-2013

Kenzo by Antonio Marras

Printed leather trainers, also by Kenzo

Fendi Spy Bag

Jean-Claude Jitrois

Issey Miyake

Ostwald Helgason s/s 2013

Liu Qingyang

Versace, Spring Summer 2012 Resort collection. Vacation dresses in a tropical print inspired by Matisse’s Bouquet

Tata Naka Autumn/Winter 2014-2015 Pre Collection

May 24

The Elegant Portraiture of Timothy Greenfield Sanders

“For many photographers, fashion is the ultimate. But I’m not a fashion photographer. I’m a portrait artist who shoots fashion”

Timothy Greenfield Sanders

Yves Saint Laurent

Pauline Trigère

Sonia Rykiel

Rei Kawakubo

Todd Oldham

Jean Muir

Elsa Peretti

Paloma Picasso

Carolina Herrera

Carmen Dell’Orefice

Oscar De la Renta

Jil Sander

Vera Wang

Donna Karan

Naomi Campbell

Christy Turlington

Andre Leon Talley

Liz Tilberis

Anna Wintour

Simon Doonan

Iké Udé

Hamish Bowles

Betsey Johnson

Miguel Adrover

Patrick Robinson

Zac Posen

Michael Kors

Narciso Rodríguez

Calvin Klein

Tommy Hilfiger

Isaac Mizrahi

Mar 1

Channeling Frida

Elle Magazine, November 2001

Fashion editor: Isabel Dupré

Photographs: Ruven Afanador

Makeup: Charlotte Willer

Hair: Peter Savic

May 12

Some Stylish Mothers

Portrait of Carolina Herrera’s daughters and granchildren by Annie Leibovitz.

Carolina Herrera surrounded by her daughters. From Left to right: Patricia, Carolina Jr., Ana Luisa and Mercedes

Colombian fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi and Sofía

Donna Karan and Gaby Karan de Felice

Elsa Schiaparelli and her daughter Countess Maria Luisa Yvonne Radha de Wendt de Kerlor (Gogo) in St. Moritz, 1934. Gogo Schiaparelli, married shipping executive Robert L. Berenson. Their children were model Marisa Berenson and photographer Berry Berenson.

Sonia and Nathalie Rykiel in a photo editorial by Jason Schmidt featured in Harper’s Bazaar. The photograph is inspired by the movie Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodóvar, 1988)

Joseph Corré, son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, is the founder of lingerie brand Agent Provocateur

Diane von Fürstenberg and Prince Alexander von Fürstenberg

May 12

Style’s Nurse

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.”
Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest

Mme. Isabelle Cardamone, Christian Dior’s mother

Yves Saint Laurent and Mme. Lucienne Mathieu

Tommy Hilfiger and Mrs. Virginia

The lady in the portrait is Doña María Cristina Passios, Carolina Herera’s (née María Carolina Pacanins Niño) mother

Mrs. Herrera at five years old with her mother in San Sebastian, Spain in 1944.

Bianca and Jade Jagger

Linda Eastman and Stella McCartney

Georgina Chapman (from Marchesa) with her mother, Caroline Wonfor

Alexander McQueen and Joyce

Julien MacDonald (Alexander McQueen’s successor at Givenchy) with his parents. Macdonald was taught knitting by his mother and soon became interested in design.

Matthew Williamson and his mum

Peter Som with his mother, Helen Fong, and sister in San Francisco in 1977

Duro Olowu’s mother, Inez Olowu, and father, Kayode Olowu, in 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria

Susan Orzack and Zac Posen

Vera Wang and Florence Wu

Jason Wu and Mei-Yung

Ying Ying and Alexander Wang

The Brand is named after Lázaro Hernández and Jack McCollough’s mothers’ maiden names

Apr 2

Fashion Takes Its Bite of the Big Apple

Peter Som, United Bamboo, Imitation of Christ, Jeffrey Chow, Behnaz Sarafpour and Sebastian Pons

Actress and Imitation of Christ creative consultant Chloë Sevigny, with Elephant lead singer Diego Garcia, Hope Atherton and male model

Michael Kors, Carmen Kass and Mexican actor Diego Luna

Mark Badgley, James Mishka, Vera Wang, a group of rappers and models

Narciso Rodriguez, Oscar de la Renta, his daughther Eliza Reed Bolen, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Eugenia Silva and other models

Proenza Schouler designers Lázaro Hernández (left) and Jack Mc Collough. In this picture they attempt to corral a llama, inspired by Inge Morath’s 1957 photograph in which the animal rides a cab through New York City.