12 posts tagged "Ellen von Unwerth"
Ellen Von Unwerth Goes Au Cinéma
The Cannes Film Festival doesn’t start until next Wednesday, but Ellen von Unwerth opened the season unofficially last night with the inauguration of her Cinéma exhibition at Le Bon Marché in Paris. On display were pictures of almost every red-carpet fixture of the last 15 years, from Catherine Deneuve to Nicole Kidman, Eva Green to Marion Cotillard—and the most recent entry, a shot of Juliette Binoche (a member of this year’s jury) kitted out as a flight attendant, which was taken only last week. Whirlwind preparations came together in under two months, said von Unwerth, who wore her “one and only” Alexander McQueen dress and a leather jacket for the occasion. Actress Ludivine Sagnier and photographer Dominique Issermann swung by to toast the hostess, who has a second project to celebrate this week: her book of photographs of the German football team, called Die Spieler (The Players), is being published today by Bertelsmann. How’d the stars of the field measure up to the usual suspects in front of the lens? “It was a lot of fun; they knew exactly how to behave,” von Unwerth laughed. “They were better than models.”
Le Cinéma d’Ellen von Unwerth runs until June 19 at Le Bon Marché, Paris, www.lebonmarche.com.
Who Knew? Paz De La Huerta Isn’t Afraid Of A Little Nudity
“Being young, you don’t have this self-awareness,” Paz de la Huerta said last night. “It’s like when you see children running around naked. It’s completely freeing.” In that case, she may be the freest girl around. De la Huerta has been photographed naked before, but never more so than in her latest project: She’s teamed up with lensman James Macari (above, with de la Huerta) and creative director Rachael Bergstein for No. 3, an exhibition of Macari’s photos of the actress in various country locales (windy fields, sun-baked porches, forlorn beaches), almost always in the altogether. Salman Rushdie, Ellen von Unwerth, and Erin Heatherton were three of the spectators who dropped by the opening at Milk Studios last night to take in every freckle, goose bump, and beauty mark. The collaboration might have had some actresses screaming for a body double, but Paz embraced her role. “Working with James and Rachael felt safe for me. The way in which they both directed me was not unlike playing a role in a film,” she explained. The shots manage a tricky balance between innocence and eroticism, but some lurkers seemed to feel the pull of one pole more than the other. One leering gentleman—no, not Rushdie—approached Paz to ask, “Are you one of the models in this exhibit?” He pointed to a seductive nude shot. “I’m a photographer, you know.”
Von Unwerth, Unearthed
Ellen von Unwerth doesn’t pick and choose. She loves all women. “There are many who are my favorites, from Claudia Schiffer to Eva Herzigova to Elizabeth Hurley to Lindsay Lohan,” said von Unwerth last night at Sloane Square’s Michael Hoppen Gallery during a private viewing of Fraulein, a collection of her rarely seen or published photographs. Von Unwerth continued, “They are all fun and they give a lot.”
That was evident in the sexy, girly photographs of von Unwerth’s array of beautiful subjects, all in various stages of undress with lots of lingerie, toys, and even the odd vegetable thrown in. There was Claudia with big hair in her underwear—an image eventually used for a Guess campaign; Kate Moss making horn-rimmed glasses sexy; and Monica Bellucci in nipple tassels. In “What recession?” news, several prints of Heidi, Kitzbuhel, the photographer’s racy take on the Alpine Miss in red stockings and garters, as well as Nadja Auermann in a mask, have all but sold out. (More images after the jump.) Continue Reading “Von Unwerth, Unearthed” »
Casadei Turns 50, Bares Its Soles And More
Unless you’re a foot fetishist, it’s not often that you’re looking at spreads of nude models and can’t seem to peel your eyes away from their feet. But that is the case in the Ellen von Unwerth images featured in Casadei’s coffee-table tome to commemorate the Italian footwear label’s 50th anniversary, filled with beauties in some truly outrageous footwear and very little else. On hand at last night’s celebratory fête on the rooftop at 60 Thompson was creative director Cesare Casadei, son of founders Quinto and Flora. As for the seductive imagery, he explained, “I wanted to highlight the strength of women through their sensuality.” Strapping them into jewel-encrusted wedges and knee-high gladiator boots with elaborate cutouts is certainly one way to do it. As statement-making as it is, that fanciful footwear could also pair quite well with clothes. The 11-piece couture collection, priced from $12,000 to $30,000, will be available by special order at Casadei boutiques in Milan, Paris, Florence, Moscow, Dubai, and more.
Free Speech: Hadley Freeman On Michael Jackson And Peaches ‘N Cream
Hadley Freeman is ready to welcome their return, are you?
To say that the eighties are back is almost as much of a cliché these days as palling up with Beth Ditto—and in no way is that meant as a negative comment on either Ditto or the aforementioned decade. But last week in Paris, the expressions of love for both reached a nigh-on hysterical level. In regards to Ditto, seeing as the fashion world is incapable of ogling enough of her, she stripped off to near-nothing at the Fendi party and stage-dived bang on top of Ellen von Unwerth. There was something symbolic in that moment. As for the eighties, forget about just going for bright colors and the occasional Madonna homage. This decade has been so well and thoroughly pillaged in the past few years (due in no small part to the number of designers with decidedly sepia-tinted memories of the era), that, as with Ditto, the decade is stripping itself down to a somewhat extreme extent. For next season, some of the more unlikely fashions of the eighties are being held up as trends to follow.
First, Michael Jackson. Just in time for his upcoming tour, Jackson is definitely having what is called a “moment.” Not even when “Bad” was at its baddest was dressing like Jackson really what I would call “fashionable.” Continue Reading “Free Speech: Hadley Freeman On Michael Jackson And Peaches ‘N Cream” »