American Football As Seen By Photographer Elvis di Fazio

A little Terry Richardson, a little Marc Van Dalen and a little vintage Helmut Newton, Elvis di Fazio's photography style is sexy and raw. Combining a little smut with a lot of beauty, he describes his own work as Kitsch Erotic.

Artist Will Cotton Styles Elle Fanning Deliciously For New York Magazine

In this collaboration between New York Magazine and artist Will Cotton (which originally ran in the 2013 February issue), actress Elle Fanning is made to look sweeter than she already does.


above left: Will Cotton's sketch of Elle fanning in headpiece, above right: Elle photographed by Will in the headpiece

In addition to being the photographer and stylist, Will Cotton designed many of the sets, accessories and clothes inspired by spring fashions by other designers. In his inimitable style, Cotton bathes actress Elle in whipped cream dresses, candy crowns and petit fours, just like he does in much of his other artwork and photography.


above: Whipped-cream dress sketch, oil on paper, Will Cotton, based on Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière, available at 138 Wooster St.; 212-206-0872.

For this project, Cotton, who describes himself as a “three-desserts-a-day kind of person,” used spring looks that had caught the eye of New York’s fashion director Amy Larocca, as well as a few that tickled his own fancy. He then reworked them using real materials whenever possible — cake, frosting, meringue, and homemade rock candy.


above: Elle Fanning in Gown by Marchesa, available to order by calling 212-463-8135.


above: Corset and earrings, Will Cotton, based on Dolce & Gabbana. Bodysuit, Dolce & Gabbana, available at 825 Madison Ave.; 212-249-4100.


above: Headpiece by Will Cotton.


above: Headpiece, Will Cotton, based on Alexander McQueen, available at 417 W. 14th St.; 212-645-1797. Gown, Marchesa.


above: Eyes, Will Cotton, based on Dior, available at Dior.com.


above: Bag, Reed Krakoff, available at 831 Madison Ave.; 212-988-0560.


above: Dress, Erdem and Will Cotton, available at Net-a-porter.com.


above: Shoes, Valentino Garavani, available at 746 Madison Ave.; 212-772-6969. Robe, Agent Provocateur.


above: Dessert skirt, ink on paper, Will Cotton.


close-up:

above: Petits-fours-covered skirt, Thom Browne and Will Cotton, available at 100 Hudson St.; 212-663-1197. Shoes, Louis Vuitton.


above: Dress, Dior, available at 21 E. 57th St.; 212-931-2950.


above: Necklaces, Will Cotton, based on Chanel, original available at 15 E. 57th St.; 800-550-0005. Crown by Will Cotton. Swimsuit by Chanel.


above: Romper, Louis Vuitton, available at 611 Fifth Ave.; 212-940-4635. Ink on paper, Will Cotton.


above: Dress, Will Cotton, based on Derek Lam, original available at 10 Crosby St.; 212-929-1338. Lipstick, Candy Wrapper by Three Custom Color.


above: Dress, Marc Jacobs, available at 163 Mercer St.; 212-343-1490.


close-up:

above: Bag by Will Cotton, based on Fendi, original available at 677 Fifth Ave.; 212-759-4646. Dress by Valentino.


close-up:

above: Dress, Reem Acra, available at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave.; 212-753-4000.


above: Vivienne Westwood–inspired Will Cotton headpiece, original available at viviennewestwood.com.

A video featuring a Behind-the Scenes look at the photoshoot:


Read more about this project here

See more of Will Cotton's work here


all images courtesy of New York Magazine

A shout-out to my friend and artist Danny Heller for bringing this great work to my attention.

The 50 Most Stylish New Yorkers Photographed By Phil Oh For StyleCaster

Renowned street style photographer Phil Oh of Street Peeper was enlisted to shoot this year's installment (the third) of StyleCaster's "The 50 Most Stylish New Yorkers."

Cartoon Chic. Popular 90s Characters Dressed To Kill For Fashion Week by Swagger and Michele Moricci.

Swagger New York teamed up with illustrator and designer Michele Moricci to create a fantasy fashion world consisting of pop culture cartoon characters clad in some of today's hippest fashions to honor the beginning of Mercedes Benz 2013 New York's Fashion Week.

Steven Klein's Futuristic Fashion Editorial For Vogue - 6 Stunning Spreads

A longtime fan of Steven Klein's photography, I'm always impressed by his unusual look of fashion editorials and ads without sacrificing the products he is featuring.

In his latest work for the 2013 September issue of Vogue, The Final Frontier, he incorporates the modern and somewhat steampunk / post-apocalyptic steel house of late architect/artist Robert Bruno as the backdrop for his vision of the future. Klein's work is so beautifully composed, there are images within the images, which is why I've included several enlarged and cropped details for you as well as the original photos.

Clothes and coats with modern lines in predominantly solid colors pop from his magenta-blue saturated images and even Google Glass makes an appearance as the eyewear of choice.

Below are the six beautiful fashion spreads (and close-ups), complete with Vogue's description and prices of the featured fashions.

Sight Lines:

detail:

above: Outfitted in Google Glass, model Raquel Zimmermann embodies a sleek chic stripped of both embellishment and gimmick. Oscar de la Renta teal cashgora coat, $4,490; Oscar de la Renta boutiques. Gucci black leather turtleneck, $2,300; select Gucci boutiques. Michael Kors patent leather gloves and belt.

Heavy Metal

details:


above: Spare planes of fabric are carved into organic shapes—an intersection of hypermodern and earthy, underscored by the setting: an experimental house of 110 tons of rusted steel, built by the late architect Robert Bruno near Lubbock, Texas. Bottega Veneta saffron wool-cashmere coat, $2,750; Bottega Veneta boutiques. Etro belt. On Toni Garrn (above): Dior wool coat; Dior boutiques. On Niklas Garrn (far right): Dior Homme suit throughout.

Forbidding Planet

details:


above: Cloaked against the autumn chill in monochrome coats or suits, the trio wanders Ransom Canyon like future humans returned to an abandoned Earth. On Raquel: Stella McCartney amethyst felted-bouclé coat, $3,855; Stella McCartney, NYC. Michael Kors leather gloves. On Toni: Calvin Klein Collection white coat, $2,795; Calvin Klein Collection, NYC. Reed Krakoff boots. Google Glass throughout.

Tripping The Light Fantastic

details:


above: Built for women who seem to be really, really going places: practical, everyday chic—no fidgety patterns or trims to muck up travel, intergalactic or otherwise. On Raquel: Narciso Rodriguez tangerine shift, $1,895; neimanmarcus.com. Céline necklace. Michael Kors heels. On Toni: Balenciaga wool-mohair sweater with plaster effect ($1,545), crepe pants ($1,235), and boots; clothing at Balenciaga, NYC. On Niklas: de Grisogono watch.

Command and Control

details:


above: Purified lines and simplified structures are a perfect fashion strategy for taking over the office (or the planet). Right: Gucci purple wool-and-silk deep V-neck coat ($3,200) and leather turtleneck ($2,300); select Gucci boutiques. Lara Bohinc ring. Below: Chanel black-and-white jersey dress; select Chanel boutiques.

Bang! Pow!

details:


above: When colors and cuts pack as much impact as this, the Space Age, it would seem, is not as austere as we may have feared. Tom Ford black and orange jersey dresses with comic-book beaded motifs; Tom Ford, Beverly Hills. Casadei ankle boots. Right: Giuseppe Zanotti Design platinum necklace.

Credits:
Photographer: Steven Klein
Publication: Vogue US
Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman
hair by Garren for Garren New York Salon
makeup by Val Garland
Produced by Tracy Whiting for North Six.
eyewear, Google Glass

Lado Alexi's Hauntingly Beautiful Amazones.

Russian-born and German-based fashion and beauty photographer Lado Alexi has many stunning images to his credit. His impressive clients include Vogue, Estee Lauder, Swarovski, YSL, Tush Beauty, Triumph Lingerie, HYPE and Icon Magazine to name a few. But his series of portraits titled Amazones II blends beauty with incredible makeup and styling for such hauntingly gothic portraits, I wanted to share them with you here.



Used on the cover and in a Fall 2011 editorial called Witchcraft in HYPE Magazine, the model is Yulia Petrova, with stunning make-up by Loni Baur, hair by Karim Amerchih and fabulously styled by Nadia Rath who frequently works with Alexi. Only 6 of the 7 images (all shown here) from the series were used in the publication.








In a brief interview with Art+Commerce, Lado answers a few key questions about his photography and inspiration:

What interested you about becoming a photographer?
– Strong interest in film and fashion. The fascination of capturing mechanically time and the visual power one single image can develop. As a son of actress and a doctor in Moscow photography was a good way to reflect the world around.

Where do you find inspiration to make your photographs?
– Mostly in cinema - but also art, music and daily observation. Sometimes also a certain mood, or thing that happen in the world.

What do you most like to photograph?
– Faces and people.

Who are your favorite photographers?
– Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Patrick Demarchelier, NIck Knight and many more.

See more of Lado Alexi's beautiful photography here.