I Love You, Man!

In the 1980s, Denis Piel photographed nearly every model who became a supermodel, a series campaigns for Donna Karan and a near-iconic photo of a distinctively pregnant Isabella Rossellini. 
Back then it seemed to me that for every naturalistic, sensuous image the Austrailia-raised, France-based photographer created, there was a heavily contrived nip-slip or cheeky posterior revelation weighing down his oeuvre. But now, all is forgiven in light of this image: an inimitably dapper Man Ray standing on a doorstep, an über-Mr. Rogers in a red cardi, who’d be welcome in my neighorbood any time. See more of Denis Piel’s work at everyday I show.

Another Diet Coke Warning

... or Why Branding Can Be Dangerous to Your Mental Health
The new limited edition packaging design for Diet Coke presents an unprecedented risk for consumers of the product, potentially transforming even the most laid-back addict into Patrick Burney, Julia Roberts’ terrifying OCD husband in the 1991 thriller Sleeping with the Enemy. Keep those cans in order—or else!

Goodbye, Summer!

It’s over, people! Labor Day made it official. The disappearance of scuffed white pumps (wishful thinking) provides additional proof. Need more evidence? The Hollywood Pool on Cole Avenue has been drained and it’s as dry as the proverbial bone. Never mind the 10-day forecast for mid-70s temperatures or the man relieving himself against the chainlink fence (out of frame, stage left). The kids and their water wings are gone. The loopy slide’s sole remaining power is to chafe. Long live Fall.

Deborah Turbeville: Tainted Beauty

“Turbeville is of a generation of fashion photographers, alongside Richard Avedon and Guy Bourdin, who focused on the subject in their photographs as opposed to the clothes they are wearing, and who followed their own distinct conceptual agenda, rather than that of the stylist.”–Jules Wright, Tainted Beauty, Nowness.com





Concurrent with the launch of Fashion Week and Fashion’s Night Out: Tainted Beauty, an exhibition of photography by Deborah Turbeville, will open at the Donna Karen flagship boutique in London on September 8. Turbeville is reknowned for collaborations with Karen, Karl Lagerfeld and Comme des Garcons; assignments for Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, and Italian, French, Russian, British, and American Vogue, (including the 1975 Bathhouse series); and a commission by Jackie Onassis to photograph the unseen Versailles.


In an age in which every artist is a brand, DNA terms defining Turbeville’s work might include: tainted otherworldly haunted visionary individualistic avant-garde extreme enigmatic sensuous sexual storied subdued softly focused composed elegant melancholy distinctive fine art boundary-blurring narrative broken tableaux lost characters.


Turbeville’s latest book, The Fashion Pictures, will be released in October. Until then:

Visit Fashion’s Tainted Beauty at Nowness.com.

Read about in her work Bazaar and the Haute 100 Update. 

Pre-order The Fashion Pictures on Amazon.

The Black and White World of Lillian Bassman

“I know that there’s color around, but it doesn’t give me the same kind of excitement that pure black and white does. I find it thrilling.”—Lillian Bassman, the Weekly Spade

Richard Avedon, Robert Frank... Lillian Bassman. In an era of stunning black-and-white photographers, Bassman was one of the best. She photographed her first couture collection in 1949, and the majority of her work appeared in Harper’s Bazaar from 1950 to 1955. Her work from this era is suffused with a passion for femininity, beauty, mystery and sensuality. The women in her world are grown-ups who are confident, cool and in charge of their private lives and public personas, idealized in a moment of perpetual elegance. 

Then the 1960s came along with waif-like models and childlike clothing, projecting an immaturity combined with a blatant sexuality that offended her. In the  1970s, she destroyed negatives that spanned decades of work decades and stashed others in a trash bag. 

In the early 1990s, she retrieved the remaining images and began to experimenting with bleaches and blurring techniques. She’s now 94 years old and continues to explore digital photography, abstract color and Photoshop. 


Kate Spade recently introduced a capsule collection, including a tote bag, a small gia bag and a scarf, featuring Bassman’s manipulation of her 1961 photo Touch of Dew.

The Lillian Bassman Capsule Collection from Kate Spade

Lillian Bassman Harmony: printed cowhide, 12.5" h x 14.8" w x 7.0" d, 9.75" drop
Lilliam Bassman Little Gia: lizard-embossed leather, 8.2" h x 5.9" w
Lillian Bassman Scarf: silk twill, 28" square
“Femininity, Salvaged,” by Ginia Bellafante, The New York Times, July 16, 2009
Lillian Bassman: Women, by Deborah Solomon
Lillian Bassman & Paul Himmel, by Ingo Taubhorn

The Nastiest Place in California, Part Three

More Vernon images. Same question: Does Vernon deserve to die?

The Nastiest Place in California, Part Two

One of Vernon’s bright spots is the flamboyant 1960s signage for La Villa Basque, which at one time was the city’s only restaurant. 

It was built in 1960 by now-disgraced former Vernon Mayor Leonis Marlburg, who's the grandson of rancher and one of Vernon’s founders, John B. Leonis. 
For a city so steeped in corruption that nepotism appears to be the least of its sins, La Villa Basque originated as an astonishingly democratic hybrid. Featuring a coffee shop, a lounge, a dining room and a banquet hall, it was uniquely qualified to serve a wide public, including hungry truckers, businessmen, bridal parties and, ultimately, film crews—an episode of Mad Men, “The Suitcase,” was filmed in the Rat Pack-era bar.   

The Los Angeles Conservancy has attempted to preserve its historic character. According to the Los Angeles Times, a decorating company took over La Villa Basque’s operations and refurbishing. Discordant elements, including a faded red carpet and large banners with images of food now mar the exterior. The new name, Vivere, seems a little high falutin’ given that the nearest food alternative is probably the ampm up the street. Of course, the name “La Villa Basque,” might also be over the top, but it has has the honor of referring to a family heritage, and it sounds nothing like a fragrance marketed to tweenage girls.

For now, the cool signage is intact. It’s worth a drive-by, just to see it. 


La Villa Basque, 2801 Leonis Boulevard, Vernon, CA 90058
Los Angeles Times, “Years Catch Up with the Restaurant that Time Forgot’
LA is My Beat: “La Villa Basque”
Los Angeles Conservancy, Preservation Alerts & Issues: La Villa Basque