Portraiture in Action: The Making of an 1980s Portrait
BTS of our recent trip to 1980
Slim Aarons is the iconic American photographer who captured imagery of the Joneses aka the socialites, wealthy, sometimes royal or distantly aristocratic in the mid to late 20th century. If you’ve been watching Feud: Capote vs. the Swans Slim, Babe Paley, and C.Z Guest are among the names Aarons famously photographed throughout his body of work. While all of Slim Aarons’ still imagery stirs a nostalgia in me, my favorite photo of his is A Quiet Afternoon, c. 1980 featuring Brigitte Lapp Fonda in Marbella, Spain.
Slim Aarons always nails perspective, fusing the classical portrait with a wide lens capture of background which give his photos atmosphere. I’m emphasizing this word as without the busy background or landscape in the foreground providing background on his human subjects we can’t quite grasp the person in the portrait’s personality or emotion. For me, this image nails the lady’s emotion. I feel a relaxed confidence alongside an invitation. An invitation, to speak, sit or who knows, but this photo feels open, honest and cheeky. I also find myself moved in her wearing a towel in her hair while her makeup is perfectly applied and dress pressed and ready to wear.
We here at 21st & 18th needed to recreate the energy in this Slim Aarons photo. And so we did on a recent time travel trip to 1980 featuring my dear friend, a designer and entrepreneur turned model, Alex (@_alexx_paige_), in 1980s vintage fashion and accessories in the home of Southern California based interior designer, Shelley Miller (@designsbyshelley).
What did Alex wear?
I wanted Alex to sport a dress, similar to Brigitte in Slim’s photo but not too similar that we were copying her look. I opted for a vintage Bill Blass for Saks Fifth Avenue floral print dress from the 1980s. This dress’ pattern combines neons and pastels - very 80s - but when paired with ropes and ropes of creamy beige peals those neon tones are silenced making the dress appear sweet and apéritif-like, almost refreshing. See below for a look at this Bill Blass dress and some of the vintage jewelry we had on set for this photo shoot. All jewelry is courtesy of my mother’s, Trudie Lynch, personal wardrobe.
Beauty BTS
For hair and makeup 21st & 18th partnered with Betsabé Apte Roman (@b.a.r._beauty), a San Diego based luxury makeup and hair artist who specializes in natural makeup, learn more about working with Betsabé here. Betsabé was on makeup, and we worked together to create a glowy and feminine look for Alex that emphasized her brows and lips. When it came time for our ‘Ode to Slim Aarons’ shot we applied a strong blue-red lip to Alex’s pout.
For hair, Betsabé’s colleague, Melinda Cortez (@haircraftbymelinda), gave Alex’s honey colored hair volume, curls and more volume. This frame, the last we shot in the day, features Alex’s hair twisted up in a towel but scroll to the bottom of this article to see the magic Melinda created. Learn more about working with Melinda here.
Getting the Shot
21st & 18th partners with multi-talented photographer, Julio-Adrian (@julioadrian.d) on our time travel shoots, and ahead of shoot day I send him a run of show and very detailed mood board and then we work together to execute on the 21st & 18th vision for said project. Learn more about Julio’s work here.
Alex is a very tall and lean woman (6’0”!), she’s truly beautiful, like a young Gwyneth. Her luxuriously long limbs were perfect for reposing on a day bed in front of a gallery wall at Shelley’s home. We added in an antique Italian marble rotary phone to set the tone for the 1980s. In editing we were also able to specify the image temperature furthering the vintage feel.
If you know Shelley Miller, you know her home is a sequence of masterfully designed rooms. The primary suite’s bathroom, with a turquoise annexed claw foot tub, is no exception. In this shot we wanted to capture Alex in a telescopic frame. Her being barefoot and smiling looking out at the patio off the bathroom is just the chef’s kiss.
For more time travel inspiration plus articles and interviews on art, history and fashion subscribe to 21st & 18th below and follow us on Instagram. This Ode to Slim Aarons frame is just the tip of the 1980s iceberg…
