photo via the sartorialist, may 2007.
when i'm too too distracted or brain-numbed to read (or write), i troll design blogs and fashion sites for inspiration--not so much for fashion inspiration (while i do love looking at how the gals on street chic and the sartorialist combine colors, choose accessories, layer upon layer, that kind of unstudied chic or high style is not something i am apt [read: able] to mimic) but for pure, romantic, creative jolts.
the actual photos are glorious for light and color. i love that some are charmingly posed, others discreetly snapped...
it's lovely escapism.
i can imagine the kiss of an autumn breeze in paris...
the sartorialist via style.com september 30, 2008
or happily growing old in milan...
via the sartorialist, style.com, september 25, 2008.
i can witness "a moment"...
via the sartorialist at style.com, september 27, 2008.
i look at the backgrounds, the locations, and am reminded of my trip to france earlier this year and some of the things i loved: luxurious afternoons and evenings in outdoor cafes... blue-grey sky enriched by triumphant afternoon sun...mopeds and cool architecture... trees...windy strolls about the eiffel tower...crepes...
and sometimes from these blogs, i can uncover something new.
last week, i noticed the teaser for a post called "depression era beauties" that featured a famous george hurrell glamour shot of of jean harlow, and when i clicked through the accompanying slideshow, i fell in love with these photos of my favorite actresses:
myrna loy
carole lombard
i looked at the credits to note the names of the photographers, and found that more than a few were from the collection of john kobal. and i wondered, who is he?
it turns out he was a writer, film historian and the premier collector of hollywood film photography. if you read the bio on his foundation's website, you'll see he's basically a film superfan, who smartly amassed movie memorabilia, surely believing that others would share his obsession, and their preservation would be of eventual value to film historians and photographers.
there is a "made in hollywood" exhibition, featuring 90 vintage prints by some of the most important film photographers from the 1930s-60s that will open in may 2009, at the knoxville museum of art in knoxville, TN.
for a bit more context, check out this la times piece, first published in august 2008, when the exhibit opened in santa barbara.
exhibition "travel details" here.
and for a peek at photos from the accompanying book, "the glamour of the gods," visit newsweek's gallery.
