Carolina Herrera by Robert Mapplethorpe. 1976.
“With Tender Care: Portrait of an Enchanting Home” Victoria Magazine. 1987
People often ask me where I get my “good taste” from, who taught me to decorate the way I do. While I think these attributes are something you have to be born with, I’d be ignorant not to deny that growing up around my mother, Holly Middleton Hopper had something to do with it.
My mom has worn many hats throughout her life, the wild finishing school party girl to hardworking interior designer, but throughout each transformation she’s always maintained her impeccable sense of style.
Above are photos from a spread in the inaugural issue of Victoria Magazine, from 1987. They feature my mom’s Connecticut house that she designed inside and out from scratch on her own. I’ve always been struck by the “American” simplicity of it, while still being completely expressive of one’s own style and taste. One of my mom’s greatest talents as a designer is her ability to make an effortless room with the most unique and original pieces. Every item she incorporates is a statement on its own, for some reason uniting harmoniously when in a space of her design.
(Source: thelsd)
Stella Tennant. US Vogue, November 2010. Photographed by David Sims.
Decadence is Bliss
Caroline Trentini, wearing Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Spring 2008. Vogue, April 2008. Shot by the late Irving Penn. Sittings editor: Phyllis Posnick.
In one of Penn’s last shoots before his death the following spring, he captured the model of the moment Caroline Trentini in an exuberant gown from Lacroix’s spring Couture show. Both the gown and the styling recall the extravagant taste of Marie Antoinette, perhaps in reference to Sophia Coppola’s film from October, 2006.
Despite the bold use of color displayed in the gown, the photo exhibits a soft focus and almost muted aura to it, a Penn signature, which explains the shoot’s title, “Spirited Away”. Trentini is portrayed as an angelic spirit creature, another loose reference to Lacroix’s collection, “An Angel Passing By”.
Particularly poignant about this shoot today is that it encapsulates in one photograph the legacy of two fashion industry giants: Penn and Lacroix. One of the most iconic photographers of all time, Penn remained as influential until his death as he was when he would shoot supermodel (and future wife) Lisa Fonssagrives resplendent in Balenicaga Couture throughout the 50s.
While Lacroix is still alive today, only sixty as of May, his legendary eponymous Couture house was shuttered in 2009 amidst facing large financial debts. Lacroix has since retired almost exclusively from fashion, his legacy living on through images like the one above.
Millicent H Rogers. Dying her own textiles in the house of Mabel Dodge Luhan. Taos, NM 1948.
