Horst: 20th Century Photographer

For some weird reason, I have not received the past two issues of Domino in my mailbox…So, I was browsing their site and saw a mention of Horst photography, which sent me off on a search for more information on this iconic photographer.

Horst, born in Germany, began his career in 1931 in Paris and first became known for his fashion photographs in Vogue, which featured unique lighting and sculptural influences. In the 1960s, Horst began to create lifestyle portraits and interior photos in the United States for Vogue and House and Garden, many of which can be seen in the book Horst: Interiors by Barbara Plumb (currently available on amazon.com for $82.57). Also, the Staley Wise Gallery has a collection of Horst’s work for sale (price available upon request). These images below are just a few of my favorites from the site www.horstphorst.com. Enjoy!

Mainbocher Corset, 1939

1952

Babe Paley, 1964

First Lady Mrs. Nixon

Yves Saint Laurent, 1986

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Where I Stand

Cinevegas.com photo

We couldn’t resist visiting the CineVegas Film Festival again yesterday and watching the film Where I Stand. The movie told the story of Hank Greenspun and was so much more than what I was expecting. I knew the Greenspun name as a publisher here in Las Vegas, but Hank’s influence was felt in so much more.

From Brooklyn, NY, Hank moved to Las Vegas after serving in WWII and became a publicist, working with Bugsey Siegel. Over the next couple of decades, Hank was involved in so much, including smuggling weapons to Palestine as part of the Haganah (the details of that are just amazing), starting his own newspaper with his famous “Where I Stand” column (one upping his competitor whose was titled “Where I Sit”), publicly opposing Senator Joe McCarthy, being the founder of Nevada’s first television station, offering free services to subscribers who were audited by the IRS, and negotiating the buying of several casinos for Howard Hughes, which helped clean up Las Vegas from the mob.

There’s more, but since I’m not an expert, read this excerpt of the New York Time’s 1989 obituary:

“Mr. Greenspun’s dealings with Mr. Hughes gave him a small place in the history of the Watergate affair. J. Anthony Lukas, author of ”Nightmare: The Underside of the Nixon Years,” wrote that President Richard M. Nixon’s operatives planned a second burglary in addition to the famous one at the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel. The target was Mr. Greenspun’s safe at The Las Vegas Sun, which was believed to contain memos about dealings between Mr. Hughes and Bebe Rebozo, the former President’s close friend.” An audio tape is played in the movie of Nixon speaking of Greenspun and saying something like “Cris, everyone knows who Hank Greenspun is”.

Greenspun helped end the racial discrimination in Las Vegas (which I didn’t even know had existed). He was also very involved in trying to establish Middle East peace, but that was all a little bit above my head…You could tell he had friends in high places. Hank was very vocal on protecting citizens during the nuclear testing and the Yucca Mountain situation (again, another situation that I know little about). All while raising a family!

The director, Scott Goldstein, hopes to have national big screen distribution. This review of the movie doesn’t do it justice, but I think Hank is such an inspiration to us all (especially young people) that his story deserves to be shared.

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Chelsea on the Rocks

Today, as part of the CineVegas Film Festival, my boyfriend and I watched the documentary titled Chelsea on the Rocks from filmmaker Abel Ferrara. We both loved it before we even saw it because it is based on the famous Hotel Chelsea in New York City. Also, the movie was shown at Cannes, so I figured it was worthy of watching. In my opinion, there could have been some improvements (such as labeling who the speakers were, cutting out some recreated scenes), but the information from the interviews in the film cannot be found elsewhere, so that makes it a winner in my eyes.

Some background on the Hotel Chelsea from its own website: “The hotel has always been a center of artistic and bohemian activity and it houses artwork created by many of the artists who have visited. The hotel was the first building to be listed by New York City as a cultural preservation site and historic building of note. The twelve-story red-brick building that now houses the Hotel Chelsea was built in 1883 as a private apartment cooperative that opened in 1884; it was the tallest building in New York until 1899. At the time Chelsea, and particularly the street on which the hotel was located, was the center of New York’s Theater District. However, within a few years the combination of economic worries and the relocation of the theaters bankrupted the Chelsea cooperative. In 1905, the building was purchased and opened as a hotel.

Owing to its long list of famous guests and residents, the hotel has an ornate history, both as a birth place of creative modern art and home of bad behavior.”

The documentary focused on telling stories of past and current residents, who are now facing eviction from new management and the hotel being turned into a boutique hotel (which is pretty much what has happened since the filming last fall). I had heard a lot about this debate of the hotel not being a haven for creative people anymore, and I enjoyed the movie because it gave me enough information to form my own opinion about what I think is best. Most surprising was how nice the hotel looked. The Victorian Gothic architecture creates a unique atmosphere, which I cannot wait to visit-which I am glad I have waited because now knowing so much of the pop culture history that has taken place there, I can appreciate it more.

Photos from hotelchelsea.com

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Sarah Jessica Parker

I read the best article in New York Magazine featuring Sarah Jessica Parker. She discussed so many things, but I was most interested in what she had to say about her West Village neighborhood. That is where we moved from right before we moved to Las Vegas, and everyday I miss it. It is as picturesque as it seems, but it was so annoying when you just wanted to go for a walk and you would see bus loads of Sex & the City fans stuffing their faces with cupcakes. I was so glad to read SJP’s thoughts about it and even that her husband jokingly blames her for the neighborhood’s change.

The article does a great job of showing a side of SJP that I had never thought about. I was not obsessed with her before like so many others, but now I do have a new respect for her. Read the complete article on www.nymag.com.

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Barbara Walter’s Audition

I can’t wait to read Barbara Walter’s new memoir, Audition. She was on Oprah yesterday and I thought she looked so classy. I have no idea how old she is, but, to me, she looks timeless in her touches of makeup and white suit. To read a summary of the show, visit Oprah.com. To order the book, visit Amazon.com. Should be a good read…

Photos oprah.com

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Gracefully

Another great find from the Today Show! I’ve seen Valerie Ramsey, a 68-year-old Ford model, featured before on television, but now, she has written a book titled Gracefully. Valerie offers advice for any age in the book, which is relevant for both men and women. Just look at her-she is so beautiful and graceful! Sounds like a good Mother’s Day gift to me. To purchase, visit amazon.com.

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H&M + Marimekko = Awesome!

Marimekko has long (since 1951) been recognized for their amazing prints.  I’ve blogged about their fabrics before, but this is just so exciting.  H&M has collaborated with Marimekko to produce a spring collection that features some of Marimekko’s most famous fabric prints from the 60s.  The best part is the prices.  Several of the dresses from H&M are around $50, which is great because Marimekko dresses (see below) are usually around $200.  I plan on getting some of the pieces and keeping them forever because of their classic look.  The queen of classic taste, Jacquelin Kennedy, is responsible for America’s love with the prints (I learn everyday just how much of an icon she is).  Follow this link to see an interesting video of the collaboration.  Then, get thee to H&M and rejoice!

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Fashion Illustrations Auction

As if the book Fashion Illustrations by Fashion Designers with its beautiful sketches by many of today’s top designers wasn’t cool enough, you can now bid on original sketches from the book to benefit Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. Visit this style.com link to view the sketches, buy the book from Amazon, or bid on the illustrations. I think these are a great investment (remember the article from an issue of Domino last year?) and the current bids are less than actual clothing! I love all the sketches, but these are the ones I am coveting.

Badgley Mischka via style.com

Phillip Lim via style.com

Christian Lacroix via style.com

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Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe

 

When I heard earlier in the week that photographer Bert Stern had recreated “The Last Sitting” with Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe, I almost couldn’t believe it.  The original images were so beautiful (see below and this previous post) and now this project seems to me to be one of the best, most artful things that Lindsay Lohan has been a part of.  To read the article and view a slideshow of images, visit this link to the New York Magazine website.

All photographs by Bert Stern

 

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A Socialite’s Home

I cannot explain how excited I was to see Tinsley Mortimer, my favorite socialite thanks to socialiterank.com, in the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar. I highly recommend buying the issue so that you can read the article about her and get the details of her decor and the article. Enjoy these photographs of her NYC apartment!

All photos by Douglas Friedman for Harper’s Bazaar

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