12 posts tagged "Ellen von Unwerth"
Anja Rubik: Let’s Talk About Sex
It may not come as a surprise to those who have seen her work gravity-defying wonders in an Anthony Vaccarello gown slit just about to her sternum, but Anja Rubik isn’t shy about sex or sexuality. And now, with her relaunch of 25 Magazine, she’s creating a forum to talk about it.
Rubik has been involved with the magazine since 2009, when she and then-boyfriend (now-husband) Sasha Knezevic signed on to work on the Viennese title, but she’s since taken full editorial control and rebranded the glossy in the image of Viva, the Bob Guccione-published erotica mag targeted at women, which ran from 1973 through the end of the decade. But mere smut it isn’t; the new issue, shot entirely by women, features photos by Inez van Lamsweerde, Annie Leibovitz, Ellen von Unwerth, and Paola Kudacki, whose “Heroes of 25″ series is pictured above.
Calling in from her native Poland—between shooting in London and jetting off to Cannes, where on Wednesday she’ll launch the magazine with a party at Pierre Cardin’s manse Palais Bulles—Rubik spoke with Style.com about sex versus sensuality, men versus women, and the lessons she’s learned as a newly minted editor. Key among them: Don’t fear the nipple.
Tell me about the vision for 25.
I had the idea because I really loved the magazine Viva from the seventies, which was a Penthouse publication for women. I loved the vision of it, and that was what formed the inspiration for me. 25 is basically directed toward very strong-minded, ambitious women, who are very comfortable with themselves and their sexuality. I was thinking a lot recently and looking how sex is approached nowadays, and nudity, and bodies. Erotica kind of disappeared. The way we approach sex is either really prude or very vulgar.
What will be in the new issue?
Every picture that’s in the magazine is shot by a woman. We have incredible photographers, like Inez [van Lamsweerde], Emma Summerton, and Katja Rahlwes. Annie Leibovitz donated pictures. Ellen von Unwerth. Basically, the magazine consists of beautiful images. It’s less of a magazine, more of an album. And in general, 25 is more than the magazine. We were trying to create an identity, to do a lot of projects connected to it. We’re doing one with Net-a-Porter that will launch quite soon. We did a video with Barnaby Roper and Kanye West that will launch at Colette. It’s a whole lifestyle, a whole vision.
Were there editors you looked to for inspiration or advice? Or other magazines?
I had a lot of references from past magazines, and Viva was the very big inspiration. [But also] Playboy from the seventies, Penthouse from the seventies. And of course editors, yes, Carine [Roitfeld] was a big inspiration as well. Fabien Baron is incredible; I think he has an incredible vision, so clean and minimalistic, that influenced the magazine as well. But I didn’t want it to be too clean on the other hand, because the inspiration was the seventies, and the magazines in the seventies are very far from that. It was a bit of a struggle. And I don’t want it to be taken too seriously. There’s a lot in it that has a sense of humor, a wink.
Do you think men and women approach sex differently?
I think it’s definitely different. In general, I think women approach it in a more sensual way, and a more personal way than a man. A man looks at it and thinks is it sexy or not. A woman will look at every little detail and more of the feeling of the image rather than is the girl sexy. For a woman to take a sexy picture, it takes way more than for a man.
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Orange You Glad
“It’s the greatest Canadian export since Justin Bieber,” Mayor Bloomberg said of the Joe Fresh brand at its Fifth Avenue flagship launch party last night. Certainly, the chic-on-a-shoestring clothing line (think Uniqlo, with Zara’s eye on trends), with orange as its trademark color, will add some zest to NYC. Guests like Jessica Stam (pictured, right) and Tommy Ton carried felt totes in signature Joe Fresh tangelo and ate teensy macarons made of same. The juiciest slice of orange, though, belonged to the line’s designer, Joe Mimran (pictured, center): a jaunty scarf made just for himself. “It’s very limited edition,” he joked. So were (but seriously) the store-specific Joe Fresh Video Series installations directed by Ellen von Unwerth, Deborah Turbeville (below), and Sue de Beer. “I’m an art collector, and New York is the place to be for art,” said Mimran. “In coming here, we want to support the scene.”
And make a scene, too. Fifth Avenue is a long way from aisle five at the supermarket, where Joe Fresh—owned by Canadian grocery chain Loblaws—was born. Then again, Loblaws is owned by the Weston family, which also owns luxury department stores Selfridges and Holt Renfrew. Talk about a high-low mix. “Of course I wear Joe Fresh,” said Loblaw executive chairman Galen Weston, Jr., who was sporting a $70 cashmere sweater under a considerably more expensive suit. “We’re proud of the brand, and to see it open on Fifth Ave is a dream.” A tangerine dream, indeed.
Claudia Schiffer’s Still Got It, Marie Antoinette’s Shoes Sell For 43,225 Euros, And More…
Claudia Schiffer shot her first Guess ad campaign when she was 19, and now, at 41, she has stepped behind the camera once more for the label. Schiffer stars in the Guess 30th anniversary campaign, lensed by Ellen von Unwerth. [Telegraph]
Joseph has announced it will do a runway show for the first time ever at London fashion week in September. The British brand has yet to reveal the details of the show, but tells British Vogue it has something “very special” in the works. [Vogue U.K.]
Leave it to Beyoncéto step out with an über-fancy baby harness for her daughter Blue Ivy. The pop star was spotted in New York yesterday toting her 3-month-old daughter in a gray fur stole. [Huff Po]
Perhaps even Marie Antoinette would be surprised to learn how much a pair of her slippers (pictured) sold for at a recent auction. At a sale in Toulon, France, the white silk and embellished slippers (dated circa 1790) brought in 43,225 euros, or $57,336 at the current exchange rate. They had originally been expected to bring an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 euros, WWD reports. [WWD]
In Berlin, A Balance Between Boldness And Practicality
Ellen von Unwerth has been a constant presence in Berlin for the city’s fashion week, which wrapped up yesterday. “Because I am German, I like my women to be bold and strong, with a sense of joie de vivre,” the photographer explained. She got what she likes at Don’t Shoot the Messengers’ (pictured) debut presentation on the week’s official calendar. Von Unwerth appreciatively snapped the locals—including model/painter Ulrike Theusner and von Unwerth’s pinup muse Eden Berlin—as they modeled sensuous leather and sueded silk pieces by the label’s Berlin-based designers, Jen Gilpin and Kyle Callanan.
DSTM mostly work in black, but for joie de vivre, it’s hard to think of a better color than one that was found on many of the week’s catwalks: acid yellow. That radiant hue was shown in miniskirted suits at Rena Lange, striped silk culottes at Michalsky, and a striking sheer evening gown at Schumacher. (It made you wonder whether German designers had been inspired by Leyla Piedayesh’s psychedelic prints in the shade for her Fall 2011 Lala Berlin collection.) Whatever the case, it made for an appealing jolt to a week most often dominated by practical, commercial collections, such as Hugo Boss, Strenesse Blue, Rena Lange, and Allude. A few exceptions stood out to the basic-is-better rule: the conceptual line Mongrels in Common, for example, or Vladimir Karaleev’s sculptural creations.
Whatever Lula Wants
You know you’re doing something right when Clémence Poésy, Erdem Moralioglu, Ellen von Unwerth, Liberty Ross, and Caroline Sieber all attend your fifth birthday party. So, yes, let the record show: Lula, the London-based mag helmed by stylist Leith Clark (pictured, left, with Moralioglu), is doing something right.
The crowd, and many others, joined Clark for a multi-course dinner at Harvey Nichols last night, where Coco Sumner (below), Sting’s indie-rocking daughter, provided the evening’s entertainment. As for the venue, it’s no coincidence. Clark has just curated a pop-up shop at the store, with one-off pieces created by her designer friends—Erdem, Rodarte, Moschino, Rykiel, and Miu Miu among them. Add in books and music by pals Daisy de Villeneuve, Liz Goldwyn, and Melissa Auf der Mar, and you’ve got a serious destination (not to mention a good reason to overcome any ill will toward an umpteenth pop-up shop). And each purchase comes with a little custom gift from Chanel, devised in conjunction with Clark. Custom Chanel? Sounds near-impossible, but whatever Lula wants, Lula gets.
“I am getting a bit choked up looking at all the people who have been with me and stuck with me for the past five years,” Clark said at dinner. “You guys add a new meaning to loyalty.” Well, what are friends for?