Steven Klein Studio

All kinds of crazy at this site:http://kleinstudio.us

Calvin Klein Man

Nils Butler is the Calvin Klein man. It makes perfect sense. Who else to make desirable a rather indifferent spring collection? Mr Butler could make anything look possible. Complete cuteness. Below are some backstage candids - enjoy!

Stag Crazy

Gorgeous Nil Butler horsing around in a set of very dubious pictures (Vogue Paris) by the always dubious Steven Klein. Of course I need to say that Mr Butler is more lupine, than equine - do I quibble? I do so like the lupine.Of course nothing is quite as dubious as this 'art' video Mr Klein made called Stag Film, which is truly dubious. You can see it at http://theimagist.com/node/5231 and judge for yourself whether Mr Klein's fascination with 'horse studding' is indeed art or merely prurient.
Stag Film is alsothe title of Mr Klein’s second photographic artist book, following his 2003 collaboration with Madonna. Stag Film is issued in an edition of 2,000 copies and a limited, signed edition of 100 copies.
The book reproduces and sequences 60 black-and-white images culled from a larger photographic series on horse studding produced by the photographer. The process of horse studding fascinates Mr Klein, and in Stag Film he trains his camera on the practice of horse breeding which involves collecting a stallion’s semen for implanting in mares. A stallion is led into the paddock and introduced to a “phantom” mare and using a combination of artificial inducements the stallion is drawn to mount and penetrate the dummy, into which its semen is projected.Mr Klein is supposedly seeking to expand traditional horse portraiture by "blending an appreciation of the stallion’s beauty with an awareness of the provocative physicality of the breeding act." Mr Klein designed every element of the book, creating a folio sized digest of printed images hidden within a fragile, hand assembled paper box. The box has a cut out window on its cover to reveal the head of the phantom mare.But as for me, give me a good old fashioned Chinese horse, like this Eastern Wei (534–550), ceramic sculpture, any day! Isn't it a truly beautiful thing?And this lovely T'ang Dynasty (618-906) ceramic... I want!

Steven Klein on Alejandro

This is too deliciously idiotic not to record. Steven Klein, director of the Lady Gaga video Alejandro has this to say (to MTV) about this particular piece of commercial pop :

"I felt a narrative drive you could make interesting, and we both aligned on the vision for the film. I was not thinking in terms of influences. I saw it more as a combination of cinema and theater. It is about a woman's desire to resurrect a dead love and who can not face the brutality of her present situation. The pain of living without your true love." Have you got over laughing your heads off? There's more. "The religious symbolism is not meant to denote anything negative, but represents the character's battle between the dark forces of this world and the spiritual salvation of the soul. Thus at the end of the film, she chooses to be a nun, and the reason her mouth and eyes disappear is because she is withdrawing her senses from the world of evil and going inward towards prayer and contemplation." And as for the scene in which Lady Gaga ingests rosary beads, Mr Klein says it was meant to represent "the desire to take in the holy."
His agent should forbid him to ramble to the public, thereby making a nonsensical piece of work even more ludicrous. It's as if the video was not banal enough. Are all photographers (of this ilk) like that? Where's Meisel when you need him?

Carine Bonanza

Are you panting yet? The 252-page Vogue Paris April 2010 looks so promising!
The cover is of Natasha Poly, shot by Vinoodh Matadin and Inez Van Lamsweerde. The Western theme and navy masthead promises... denim, I guess. Inside:

• "Les Soeurs Jac & Lily" - The Donaldson sisters by Steven Klein.
  
• "Tsarine Daria" - Daria Werbowy by David Sims.
  
• "Princesse Natalia" - Natalia Vodianova by Marcus Piggott and Mert Alas


• "Fleurs De l'Age" - Raquel Zimmermann by Mario Sorrenti


• "Comtesse Natasha." Natasha Poly,by Vinoodh Matadin and Inez Van Lamsweerde


• "Une Fille Un Style" is Catherine Baba
  
• Alexander McQueen tribute

Similarly (or do I mean 'consistently'?), the summer Vogue Hommes International features a 'Americana' theme. Kate's cover is by Mario Sorrenti, styled by Emmanuelle Alt. The editorials include:

• "L'Étoffe des Héros" by Beat Bolliger/David Sims


• "Basquiat" by Anastasia Barbieri/Cedric Buchet


• "Elvis" by Emmanuelle Alt/David Sims,


• "Nouriev" by Carine Roitfeld/Patrick Demarchelier

(I'm quite certain that this shoot is based on the ballet legend Nureyev, after he defected to New York, probably set in the 1970s - 1980s? It's been done before, of course, but I can't wait to see this nevertheless because it's totally Carine's period!)

Who's That Girl?

Fill 'er up!
This is allegedly Madonna in the Spring 2010 ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana's Sicilian-inspired Spring 2010 collection. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, longtime fans of the (real) Madonna said: “To have Madonna in our campaign is a dream come true. She loved the collection and she is passionate and impressively knowledgeable about Italian cinema."
Steven Klein (why not Meisel? This shoot is a copy of stuff Meisel did decades ago!)captured the alleged 'Madonna' in New York last month in the Italian cinama-influenced shootwashing dishes, eating spaghetti; The real Madonna would never eat spaghetti, as you all know.

Electric Youth!

I want to work at this magazine... It's soooo relevant right? Steven Klein should just do porn. He's not very good at fashion is he?

Vogue Italia

I heart this big time (thanks hohoho). Steven Klein is a poor fashionista's Steven Miesel. Klein endlessly imitates (poorly) Helmut Newton, while Miesel is truly prolific. Miesel is the Karl Lagerfeld of photography isn't he?

There's Something About Jesus

                                    Not bad after the photoshopping.

W

                                The chicken cutlets have landed! XOXO

Preview

The first issue of Vogue Paris (Feb) in the new year will feature 30 pages of Lara Stone. Here she is in the Steven Klein pictures, with Travis Hanson. All Sunday nights should be like this, of course.