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Mousing Around

In 1987, Herb Ritts photographed Madonna in bed and undressed, save for the pair of minnie mouse ears affixed atop her head. Amused, she directs her gaze upwards, focusing further attention on the seemingly out-of-place Disney memorabilia.  For Elle Magazine’s May 2013 issue, Rita Ora covers the ”Women in Music Issue” issue, similarly

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Photo-Booth

When compared to his widely recognized contemporaries, Richard Rutledge remains relatively obscure today. Little is known about the slightly enigmatic photographer, however, a fondness for the color red is evident in his countless images that featured cherry-colored lacquered nails and dresses of crimson. True to form, a 1954 Rutledge image

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In the Red

Francisco de Goya’s peculiar portrait of Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga depicts childhood innocence while also suggesting youth’s inevitably fleeting nature. Resplendent in a crimson suit and satin sash, Manuel stands at odds with his surroundings as three eager cats eye a magpie–the leashed pet of the young boy. Despite the

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Head in the Clouds

Belgian artist René Magritte toyed with perspective and reality, creating surreal works through real, ordinary settings and mundane objects. A common theme in Magritte’s work included the unsuspecting use and placement of clouds with an indistinguishable divide between grounded reality and fantastical skies. A Holger Trülzsch photograph of Veruschka from 1972

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Snail Mail

Soon after Yves Saint Laurent’s death in 2008, his eponymous label would launch a collection of leather goods to commemorate the late designer. The postage-like script featuring the address of the couturier belonged to Mr. Saint Laurent himself, taken from a letter he had written. The trompe-l’oeil design may not have

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Coming up Roses

Abundant with images of the era’s leading ladies in both Hollywood and high society, Cecil Beaton’s oeuvre contains several of Hepburn’s most famous images. A year after the couple’s paths crossed in the musical My Fair Lady–Beaton would serve as both Costume Designer and photographer, aiding in the creation of the

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Ruff Idea

As the uni-sex ruff became an increasingly pervasive component of Renaissance dress, women made an alteration to the demure neckpiece creating the open ruff as an alternative that showcased the woman’s bust. For Thom Browne’s SS 2014 collection, the designer would reappropriate several elements of historic costume including the women’s open ruff.   Queen Elizabeth

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Moved to Tiers

A precursor to the contemporary crop of limited edition, collectable publications, La Gazette du Bon Ton, or the Journal of Good Taste, boasted hand-colored fashion plates and exclusive designer features at the steep annual subscription fee of 100 francs per year for the monthly publication. Along with the designs of couture houses Redfern, Doucet

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Eye to Eye

Under the direction of Editor-in-chief Ailsa Garland, Vogue UK disseminated the aesthetic of the new century with a magazine that captured the landscape of Swinging London. The magazine’s September 1, 1961 issue pictured prominently made-up eyes, fresh colors and a youthful, mod sensibility. Years later, the Vogue UK 1961 cover was recreated on a poster for Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 film Mujeres al borde

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An Old Flame

Georges de La Tour revisited the subject of the Penitent Magdalene at least four times throughout his career, all with subtle variations and slight compositional nuances. In La Madeleine à la veilleuse, housed at The Louvre, de La Tour depicted a barefoot Magdalene aglow in the light of the flame in which she stares, seemingly meditating. Vanitas themes typified by the

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