sign
e
D
d
n
a
t
r
A an
in
Evolving World
Living
Fashion
The
Photography
of
Katrin Thomas
Danseur Etoile
The
Opera Ballet
of
Paris
Philippe
Starck
Design Phenom
features
design watch
Unexpected Surprises
art update
Local Art
fashion
Fall Shoes
Michael Zimmerman
food
Culinary Infusions
Sarah Albers
Danseur Etoile
Design Phenom
Internationally acclaimed designer, Phillipe Starck
shares his ideas on design
Claire Difazio
Living Fashion
Katrin Thomas discusses her work, and the growing
significance of fashion photography
Evan Walker
45
they are not. Like the way all these directors use simple but profound language in
an abstract, humorous, romantic way. In
my photography, I try to explore in a similar way. Thomas photography re-enacts
slices of everyday life and trends, to create
a poetics of glamour, misery, ambivalence,
attitude, ennui, etc.
47
that Thomas took in elucidating and, in effect, demystifying the everyday life of privileged Beverly Hills girls.
Fantasy and desire have a clear purpose in fashion: people
want to look through and not at, fashion photographs.
They want to be entertained, amused, comforted and,
hopefully, live vicariously through glossy photographs
of beautifully posed, manicured models. But in celebrating these iconic, spoiled girls, Thomas also betrays the
limitations of luxury that under-privileged girlsunawarelong for.
50
discovered one day in a Manhattan crosstown bus. Iman, the enduring Somalian
beauty, was discovered as a fashion model
while attending college in the United
States. Likewise, Katrin Thomas was
discovereda thorny termas a photographer by Thomas N. Stemmle, President and Publisher of Edition Stemmle,
in Photo News, a German photography
magazine, when one of her photographs
adorned the cover. His curiosity aroused,
Stemmle determined to meet Thomas and
see more of her work; impressed by what
she showed him, he offered to publish
her photographsa decision based on the
strength of her work rather than on her
apparent lack of celebrity. But of course,
Thomas had been working for at least the
past ten years; and like all discovered
heroines and heroes, her discovery owed as
much to the eye of the discoverer as to her
untapped talent.
Where Thomas delves squarely into fashion
photography, the obviousness with which
she does so suggest deliberate parody. She
portrays girls in black wigs, seated back to
back against a burgundy wall; they are sep54
56
57
58
59
OperaBallet
Paris
The
of
60
written by
Clive Barnes
61
hen nearly forty years ago I switched (overnight and a subsequent lifetime) from being
a native Londoner to become an immigrant New
Yorker, I knew that one of the things I would miss
most about London would be Paris, and what is nowadays their tunnel-blessed proximity. What I didnt
know was that one of the things I would miss most
about Paris was the Paris Opera Ballet. And this is
not simply because I am a Francophile, although I
am; its more a reflection of the important place the
Paris Opera Ballet occupies in world classic dance.
65
67
70
71
72
73
Design Phenom
Claire Difazio
Starck recalls spending his childhood underneath his fathers drawing boards; hours spent sawing, cutting, gluing, sanding, dismantling
bikes, motor cycles and other objects. Endless hours, a whole lifetime
spent taking apart and putting back together whatever comes to hand,
remaking the world around him.
Several years and several prototypes later, the Italians have made him
responsible for their furniture, President Mitterand asked him to change
life at the Elyses Palace, the Caf Costes has become Le Caf, he has
turned the Royalton and Paramount in New York into the new classics
of the hotel world and scattered Japan with architectural tours de force
that have made him the leading exponent of expressionist architecture.
His respect for the environment and for humankind has also been recognized in France, where he was commissioned to design the Ecole
Nationale Suprieure des Arts Dcoratifs in Paris, the control tower at
76
77
78
79
QA
what is the best moment of the day?
everything is good.
bollywood radio.
cannot say.
what books do you have on your bedside table?
80
no.
81
and you have designed hotels, clubs and restaurants...again, a different approach?
among the most recent work is collection guns lamps for flos.
the guns collection is nothing but a sign of the times. we get the symbols
we deserve.
P.S.: light, functional, affordable and elegant, with over 100 million copies officially produced to date, the kalachnikov is one of the industrial
design success-stories of our age. mr kalachnikov has never received any
royalties for this design. he often complains about it. thus, I intend to pay
him a commission for the sales of the model that replicates his invention.
poor guy. the remainder will be donated to medicins sans frontieres,...
nothing.
can you describe an evolution in your work from your first projects
where do you work on your projects?
more honest.
I have been trying for 20 years now. how I make life better for my tribe.
you once said that it is your dream to make the world a better
place...is it beauty you are looking for?
no, not for beauty. we have to replace beauty, which is a cultural concept,
with goodness, which is a humanist concept.
the beauty of intelligence?
freedom.
you design shoes, eyeglasses,...is your approach to fashion design
which of your works has given you the most satis-
faction?
the next.
82
83
84
85