Back in Black

Black Friday is the phrase used to describe the shopping day after Thanksgiving when retailers go from "in the red" to "in the black" which refers to making a profit.  For me, it's the day that makes me glad I don't live near a mall.  This post is my chic homage to Black Friday with a little white and grey thrown in for good measure.  If you do go shopping, I hope you don't get trampled by anyone buying a flat screen tv. 

Bon Weekend. 

Photo by David Bailey

Ellsworth Kelly

Michael Bastian

Alain Delon

Hermes

Photos via The Gifts of Life and tumblr

Thanks Who What Wear!

I am sure some of you are totally sick of me posting about my book but your first book is only published once so I hope you will allow me some leeway. Especially because I was beyond excited to learn that Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr of Who What Wear not only loved Creativity at Work but wanted to highlight it on their amazing site.  They have ten exclusive images that didn't make it into their book online here.  I'm extremely grateful for all the kind words and compliments about the book too.  It was a true labor of love meant to inspire and I've been happy to learn that it is indeed inspiring many of you. 

It also occurred to me that those of you who ordered the book on Amazon saved $20 off the cover price.  Perhaps you could donate that money to the Red Cross to help those still struggling to recover from Sandy.  The hardest hit areas where people lost their homes and lives are Staten Island and Queens who are still in our thoughts and prayers right now. Thank you. 

By George

I've seen the photo of The Divers above dozens of times yet didn't realize the photographer was George Hoyningen-Huene until recently.  He was born in Russia in 1900 and during the Russian Revolution fled to London and later Paris.  He worked as a photographer and eventually became chief of photography at French Vogue.  In 1931, he met Horst who was the subject of many of his photos and who would also later become a photographer for Vogue.  In 1935 he moved to New York where he worked for Harper's Bazaar and on books before moving to Hollywood in the 1940's.  

It's his beach photographs of bathing suits from the late 1920's and early 1930's that are my favorites.  They are still used for inspiration for magazine shoots to this day.  I especially love the fact that bathing costumes from that era are larger than some of the clothes that people wear on the street today. Those were the days. 

Bathers in Lelong suits, 1929.

Horst, 1930

1930

Vogue, July 1, 1928

Horst Torso, 1931

Bathing suits by Jean Patou, 1930.

Johnny Weissmuller, 1930

Vogue, July 6, 1929

Schiaparelli bathing suit, 1929.

Vogue, July 1931

Beachwear by Schiaparelli, 1930.

Swimwear by Jean Patou, 1928.

Johnny Weissmuller

French Riviera, 1932

Beachwear by Chanel, 1933