O Rio de Janiero: Bruce Weber: Luscious beyond compare

Fiorucci Imagery

It is right there beneath the surface. Whenever TI looks at the kids on the streets these days with all that color clashing, all that kitsch all that vibrancy we feel the tremors of a Fiorucci comeback. Founded in 1967 in Italy by Elio Fiorucci to bring the style of Swinging London to young Italians, the New York off-shoot of the shop (in Bloomingdale's) during the 1980's saw the likes of Marc Jacobs and a young Madonna and ID mag's Terry Jones, gallivanting through the premises. You could fully sense the influence that Fiorucci aesthetic had on the early imagery of these generation-defining mavericks. Early Madonna was a walking Fiorucci pastiche and the early Marc Jacobs exhibited a penchant for kitsch that he later refined into a kind of jaded irony as he grew older. Also cruise any of the first 15 issues of ID magazine online and you'll see color strategies and graphic design motifs straight out of Fiorucci.
How NY needs a store like that once more! The amount of failed "Colette's" clogging the retailscape of NY cries out for correction. The Fiorucci comeback attempt of the late 90's was the wrong time and the wrong place but TI is convinced that if the brand doesn't sense its moment, a hundred imitators are about to raid its archives and make bank on all those fun ideas. Keep your eyes on those SS09 runways and you'll see what we mean.

Still from Frederick Wiseman's Model: Note the very 80's make-up inspiration

Well, truth be told, I should say INTENDED Current Viewing. The man called "America's most important documentary filmaker", Frederick Wiseman, happened to have turned his lens on the modeling industry in the 80's and the film is now available on DVD. As soon as I get back to my apartment on Friday, I'm placing my order. I suspect it will be more about commercial modeling than ultra-high fashion, but I bet there will be editorial inspirations aplenty in all that archival footage! Think Inez and Vinoodh.

Still from Frederick Wiseman's Model: Doesn't this feel very Irina Lazraneau as shot by Inez and Vinoodh?