The Best There Ever Was

Here is my latest article for Look Books, on the superb book Antonio - Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco. The book was edited by Mauricio and Roger Padilha, of MAO PR, for Rizzoli and is a must read. Read below or view the original by clicking here.

Antonio Lopez

Antonio Lopez’s name may sound foreign to you, or it may ring a bell or two, but you still won’t be able to place it. Maybe you won’t have heard of it at all. The brothers Mauricio and Roger Padilha hope to set the record straight with their book, Antonio - Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco (Rizzoli, 2012).

Antonio Lopez is one of, if not the most, famous and influential fashion illustrator to ever cross the earth. His world was inhabited by some of the world’s most brilliant and seductive creatures; from Halston, Karl Lagerfeld and Andy Warhol to Pat Cleveland, Jessica Lange and Jerry Hall. They were all struck by the innovative eye of Antonio Lopez. Alongside his lifelong creative partner, Juan Ramos, Antonio was able to give flight to his dreams and visions of beauty. Juan made it all possible, he put order to Antonio’s passion and gave it direction.

The importance and influence of this creative duo in the fashion and the art worlds, lives on and cannot be denied. For over three decades the work of Lopez and Ramos had transcended medias and hadn’t lived only on paper but in the collective conscience and daily life of fashionistas throughout the globe. Antonio and Juan put art and fashion side by side for the first time through the innovative and bold approach in their work, and soon enough there wouldn’t be a single living being who wasn’t touched by the end result of their creative efforts.

Antonio’s illustrations were featured on magazine covers, fashion editorials, advertising campaigns and even came to life on the runway, as clothes. Their visionary influence touched the likes of Anna Sui, Norma Kamali and Karl Lagerfeld. Those who crossed their paths would not leave their side and every day was treated as if it was an opening night at the most seductive club in town; life for these beautiful children of the world was a cabaret.

After creating the best selling art book of 2009, The Stephen Sprouse Book, the brothers Padilha took time to work in this remarkable book, that will transport you to a place in which everything that is beautiful, is possible. Here is what they have to say about their book.

How do you choose your subjects among so many interesting and enticing things to write about in fashion? 

Mauricio: Our motivation for the book, as with our previous tome on Stephen Sprouse, was to acknowledge and credit the work of an influential artist who seems to have been forgotten over the years. Antonio Lopez was one of the most famous and influential artists in the fashion world during the 60s, 70s, and 80s but it seemed that while his influence is still around, knowledge of him or his life was not prevalent.

Is this book also an homage to Juan Ramos, seeing as he was so present in Antonio’s life and work?

Roger: Absolutely. In the first chapter of the book, we very clearly state that "Antonio" was actually the work of two men working side by side. Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos met at F.I.T and worked together for 25 years. While Antonio was the genius illustrator, Juan was the one who directed the drawings and worked on the business end of things. Juan Ramos was integral to Antonio's success and they both made a decision early on to just publicize Antonio solely, but everything really was a collaboration between the two of them.

What do you hope to achieve with this book?

Mauricio: Growing up, we were both so inspired and awed by Antonio's work and we hope that future generations will get to experience the magic of his art. 

Roger: We also wanted to showcase Antonio as an artist and not just as a commercial illustrator. Aside from the illustrations, Antonio was a master photographer, a stylist, and also responsible for discovering many of the world's most famous faces such as Jerry Hall, Grace Jones, and Jessica Lange. He influenced many designers such  as Karl Lagerfeld and Norma Kamali and his influence is still being felt today.

Were there ever any difficulties when doing research for this book? I can imagine there was pretty vast material available...

Roger: Not too many. We were lucky to befriend Paul Caranicas who holds the rights to the Antonio Archives many years ago and he trusted us and knew that we were going to be respectful of the truth. Also, Juan Ramos outlived Antonio for 8 years and during this time he (among other things) organized the archives so we didn't have too much trouble identifying subjects or finding the most iconic images. The one difficulty was the vast amount of materials available to us. Everything Antonio did from a finished work to a doodle on a napkin was exquisite so it was difficult to edit down what we wanted to put in a book. We had 304 pages which we jam-packed with images but honestly we could do 10 books with the amazing work that is in the archives!

Does Antonio have any influence in your daily work?

Mauricio: Yes. Antonio lived his work. There was no real separation between his social life, personal life, and work life--it was all one and the same. And we to a certain extent behave the same; when you love what you do, you don't want it to end after you leave the office!

There was a fearless and daring quality to Antonio's work, who in your opinion has been doing the same thing over the past fifteen years?

Roger: There are so many talented people such as Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Rick Owens, the women behind Rodarte, Carine Roitfeld, Steven Klein; but they are all very specific and working within one field. There doesn't seem to be so many people who work in various medias doing the same thing. Maybe Madonna...

By breaking boundaries and pushing the envelope with his work, do you believe that Antonio was also a strong influencer in fashion and a trend setter?

Both: Absolutely! You tell us after seeing the book!

Biologic Clock

Who could ever imagine that the same model who was once featured on more than 40 covers of Cosmopolitan magazine would turn into a biologist? I certainly couldn't, but in this week's Model Musing I had the opportunity to chat with the stunning Fabiana Tambosi to find out what's so attractive about genes and cells.

Follow the link for the original post or simply read below.

Model Musing: Fabiana Tambosi

Born and raised in a small town in the countryside of Brazil, Fabiana Tambosi wanted to go to school to study biology. While going to etiquette classes when she was fourteen, Fabiana was spotted by the same scouter who discovered Gisele Bundchen and Alessandra Ambrosio, so the outcome could only be one.

With a modeling career that spans more than 12 years, she has become one of the most sought after beauty models in the industry, signing contracts with every major brand in the world: L’Oreal Paris, Elizabeth Arden, Clarins, Garnier, Revlon, Almay and Clairol, to name a few.

Her Brazilian beauty caught the eye of great photography masters like Mario Testino Raphael Mazucco and Ellen Von Unwerth who have shot her for prestigious jobs such as the Victoria’s Secret catalog and campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Guess by Marciano and Alfred Dunhill Fragrance. Tambosi has graced the covers of top selling magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire in several different countries, but probably one of her most remarkable achievements is having appeared on more Cosmopolitan magazine covers than any other model.

Today, Fabiana pursues her dream of becoming a biologist and proves through very hard work, that it is possible to hold the highest grades in her class and still maintain a successful and fruitful career as one of the world’s top models.

So modeling wasn’t really in your radar?

Not at all, I wanted to be a biologist, but my sisters kept telling me that it would be a great opportunity to travel the world and get to know other cultures and learn other languages as well as making money and becoming a more responsible and independent person, because I was very over protected at home.

How did your parents react when you told them about the opportunity to model?

They didn’t want me to do it at all, but my older sisters reminded them that if I were to go to school for biology I would have to leave home anyway. They gave me a year to try modeling and I started working from the moment I stepped into Sao Paulo.

What have you learned since you embraced your modeling career?

I’ve learned that I have to be in charge of my own life. You have to pick goals and work very hard towards achieving them without ever losing sight of what you want. I love the person I have become, I had financial freedom from a young age and became very responsible early on. Traveling the world has taught me a lot, but above all, it has taught me to be disciplined  because without discipline things don’t always work out. 

Is there a job you absolutely would not do?

I would not be photographed naked, I would feel weird about my family seeing it.

What advice would you give to aspiring models?

I would tell them they should know what they want, they need to be disciplined and have a lot of patience to achieve it.

What is your favorite image from your modeling career?

The cover of Vogue Greece, shot in Rio de Janeiro in 2001.

Why do you love it?

Because it was shot in Rio, with beautiful natural light and no retouching.

Who took it?

Thanassis Kaloyannis 

What were you thinking when the picture was taken? 

I was thinking I wanted to look gorgeous for the magazine to sell a lot! (laughs)

Fabiana is represented by Elite Model Management in the United States and Ten Model Management in Brazil.

Full Frontal

This week, Model Musing would be giving full frontal if the website wasn't G-rated. I took the liberty of posting the actual picture which Samuel de Cubber was talking about, here in my blog. He is really proud of it and I didn't want to keep any of you from seeing why.

Follow the link for the original interview on Look Books or read below.

Model Musing: Samuel de Cubber

Nudity in the modeling industry has always been a big topic for discussion, but for Samuel de Cubber, it is nothing but his proudest moment. His big career break came in the form of a campaign for an Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, in which he was asked to pose wearing nothing but fragrance. 

Samuel knows the ins and outs of the modeling career and believes it’s a blessed one; “If you are a very successful male model you work three to four times a week at the most, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy life!” says de Cubber.

The top male model, who has traveled the world shooting with some of the most beautiful girls in paradisiac locations now takes from all the experience and networking he gathered through the years  and is applying it to another end of the industry.  Today Samuel works as a model scout for one of France’s leading modeling agencies, New Madison. Looking ahead, Samuel contemplates the possibility of working in the health and fitness industry: “I want to open up gyms, promoting boxing and Taekwondo as the best way to lead a healthy and happy life.” - And if he continues to take advantage of his body like he did in his modeling career, we don’t see any reason why his gyms wouldn’t be packed.

Once you were discovered, did you have support from your family?

I didn't need anyone’ s approval or support, growing up in Marseille you take every opportunity  you get to improve your life.

Was modeling a dream for you or did it just happened by chance?

I had no idea  guys could be models, I got lucky. 

What have you learned from your career that you consider truly valuable?

I learned that I am my own business, therefore I became the greatest sales person ever! (laughs) In that respect I am the product and this not only can be applied to modeling but also to my every day life. I have also  learned a great deal about myself, I  learned to recognize my good and bad sides, and that ability, I owe to the modeling business.

What advice would you give to aspiring models?

Don’t believe everything people say, learn to listen and make your own opinion, be patient and organized  and also, save money when you are lucky enough to make some!

Do you love fashion?

Not really, I wear T-shirts and jeans all the time, nothing else. 

What was your biggest challenge as a model? 

Not much of a challenge there, I always get very upset when I hear models complaining about their job; no one is forcing them to do this and if they had any other job in their life before modeling they would realize how easy they got it compared to anyone else.  

Why do you love that fragrance campaign?

Because I’m naked on it, and there’s nothing better than being naked (laughs)! No, seriously, it profoundly changed my life, I don't know of many pictures that were able to change someone’s life so much, I had no idea what I was stepping into when I took that job. 

Who took it? Were you excited to work with that photographer?

Solve Sundsbo took it, but I had no idea who he was.

Who else was in the crew?

From what I recall it was Tom Ford , Solve and his assistants, Sam McKnight and Thomas Lenthal on the set. 

What direction did the photographer give you?

Solve is really cool, we spoke a lot the day before the shoot and he showed me pictures of Greek statues and similar references, so once we were on the shoot we just went with the flow and tried a few different things, until Tom, Solve and Thomas where happy with it. 

What was it for?

The fragrance M7 by Yves Saint Laurent.

A Love Affair in Tiffany Blue

I have once again interviewed the artist Danny Roberts. This time we talked about his collaboration with the iconic jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. Have a look at the original after the jump or below.

Tiffany & Co.'s Love Affair with Art

When Tiffany & Co. decided to settle in a new location in the heart of SoHo, they also came with a set of fresh ideas, in a concept that attracts attention to their upcoming store without advertising it, in low key and elegant manner, like the brand itself. Tiffany commissioned  four artists to paint their massive store front on 97 Greene street: Danielle Dimston, Ellis Gallagher, Danny Roberts and Natasha Law; each creating something in their own vision and style. The first three artists showed between July 16th and August 17th; and Natasha Law, is showing between August 18th and 27th. On Fashion’s Night Out the artists  will mix with the usual hurly-burly of fashion when videos and photos of all of the artistic productions will be displayed at the store.

The only requirement for the artists was that they showed their interpretation of what love is and that the iconic color “Tiffany Blue” should be incorporated in their work. Love is not a theme that is foreign to the company, which is probably the brand that is more associated with romance than any other in its field.  As for the color requirement; well, ask any woman how they’d feel if they got a box in Tiffany Blue as a gift and there will be your answer. For the moment though, see what Danny Roberts has to say about his collaboration.

How did you come up with the concept for this mural?

Since the theme of Love is an essential part of the Tiffany and Co. brand, they wanted the theme to be my interpretation of love. My first thought was of a guy and a girl in love, and the girl wearing a dress in Tiffany Blue. From there, the picture began to center around things I love. Since I love painting, couture and high fashion collections, I thought to incorporate that into the composition. The guys clothes were inspired by 1837 which was the year Tiffany's was founded. Also, I love castles and old architecture, so I decided to set the picture in a palace.  

Were you nervous about producing something in such a large scale?

Yes, definitely, but it's something that I am a little used to. Whenever I try something different, there is a nervous excitement that comes with it, but it's a feeling I actually love.

Are any of the characters in your painting inspired by people in your life?

Yes, not all of them, but a few. The guys, for the most part, were referenced off of me, just because it was the most convenient. Some of the girls were inspired by Lily Cole, Ali Michael, and Sophie and Gemma Ward. I chose them because they are girls I am used to drawing, and I really enjoy drawing them.

Anything curious happened while you were working on it?

Not really, except that the brand had asked me to sign my name in the mural in the back of the store, where the two other artists had already signed too and the whole wall was tagged by graffiti artists, so I had to climb all the way to the top to sign. I think they saw Ellis’s signature (which resembles a tag) and felt inspired. (laughs)

You can also follow Danny Roberts and Igor & Andre on Twitter.

Light Blue

The Model Musing column this week features Daniela Lopes and her memorable ad for Dolce & Gabbana's fragrance Light Blue, shot by none other than Mario Testino.

Have a read after the jump or below.

Model Musing: Daniela Lopes

Daniela Lopes had never imagined she could be a model. In fact, Daniela wasn’t even aware of what models did or who they were so, naturally, when she was approached on the street by the mother of a model and invited to join a modeling agency she set out to do some research on the subject. As a fourteen year old she was taken by a teenage magazine and immediately swept away by the images in those pages. That was it, a love affair of more than fifteen years with fashion had begun.

With campaigns such as Roberto Cavalli, Alberta Ferretti, D&G and L’Oreal under her belt as well as covers for the top selling magazines like Vogue, W and Elle, Daniela continues to work steadily in an industry that can be ruthless about age. With an appetite for the new, Daniela has also explored possibilities in the fields of interior design and acting, while she works on making time to fully dedicate herself to her true dream: journalism.

Here we explore some of Daniela’s modeling memories and have a look at her favorite image from a long and successful career.

Did you have support from you family?

All the way, my mother especially, she was always there, even when I was miles away, oceans apart, she was there, and the entire family celebrated every new job, a new magazine editorial or an ad.

What about this profession makes you the happiest?

The opportunities I have had so far,  I learned new languages, traveled all over the world, met different people; great people! It has been great to understand and live with different cultures and keep an open mind. It’s a huge opportunity for a girl from Brazil. I also learned a lot about taking care of myself physically and mentally; being away from home for so long can be really hard on us. The financial  side of this profession is also great as it allows me to help my family. But at the end of the day what makes me the happiest is a job well done. 

And the most disappointed?

That even though we travel to the most amazing places in the world, we are always on our own. I wish I could have a loved one with me to share the beauty and experience of those places.

What were your most remarkable experiences as a model?

I can’t pin point a specific job or anything like that, but what the modeling career has provided me. I have to say living in New York and enjoying the practical, fast paced lifestyle that I adore has been fantastic. I have also lived in Paris several years ago, and that was just remarkable, I will always have those years in my heart, forever.

What have you learned from your career that you consider truly valuable?

A sense of fashion? (laughing) Just kidding, but yes that too! But truly, I’ve learned to be humble, always.

What advice would you give to aspiring models?

Do your homework when searching for a modeling agency. Plus, really look into the business you’re getting into in order to find out what it really is like, as it is not for everyone. Can you picture yourself wearing a heavy winter coat on the most hot and humid day of the summer for a shoot? Or being away from your family for months? Being a model is not only what you see in the magazines, there is a lot of hard work behind it, and if you do want to be a model, be yourself, believe in yourself, and always remember where you came from. The world is waiting for you.

What's your biggest challenge as a model? 

To make time for myself.

So tell me, why do you love this picture?

Because even though it was for a fragrance campaign, it doesn’t look like a fragrance ad. Also, there is just me, my face nude and clean, nothing else to embellish.

Who was the photographer?

Mario Testino was the photographer, and even though I had previously worked with him for V magazine, I was as excited and nervous as the first time.

How long did this shoot last?

The shoot was done in less then  three  hours!

What direction did the photographer give you?

“Think of your boyfriend, think that you are seducing him...”  Or something like that... (laughs)

What was it for?

A new fragrance from Dolce & Gabbana that was coming out, called “Light Blue”

What were you wearing?

My jeans and a bra from D&G. I also had a lot of Vaseline on my face and upper body and my hair kept getting caught on it all the time.

What was the theme of the shoot?

I don’t think there was a theme, I can’t remember, but even if there was one I wouldn’t have known, my English was so limited back then and Mario’s Portuguese too...

Daniela Lopes is represented by Elite Model Management.