為什么老太太是比較好的時(shí)尚模特

為什么老太太是最好的時(shí)尚模特

Sumptuous fashion photography is Tim Walker’s calling card. His newest project, “The Granny Alphabet” (Thames & Hudson, out tomorrow), a two-volume collection of pictures of grandmothers, might seem like an eccentric turn, but in fact it’s a sort of prequel to his celebrated work for international style glossies. Some of his first models were his 80-year-old neighbors. “They had time to give me when I was starting out at 18,” says the British photographer. A few of the photographs date back to those humble beginnings, while others are newer, featuring an assortment of friends of friends’ grandparents and models drawn from street casting. With its array of octogenarian subjects clad in nubby cardigans, sensible shoes, croc handbags and whimsical hats — not to mention a still life of fake teeth and the pattern from a plastic polka-dotted rain bonnet used as the book’s endpaper — “The Granny Alphabet” takes a droll view on aging.Walker’s fanciful portraits fill the first volume, accompanied by acerbically tongue-in-cheek verse by the British composer and screenwriter Kit Hesketh-Harvey. A charming compendium of paintings by the illustrator Lawrence Mynott makes up the second. The book, which pairs photos and paintings with the letters of the alphabet, is Walker’s first effort for children, though it is sure to delight readers of all ages. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Friends of the Elderly.

華麗的時(shí)裝攝影是蒂姆·沃克(Tim Walker)的特色。他的最新作品《老奶奶字母表》(The Granny Alphabet，Thames & Hudson出版社明日出版)是以老奶奶為主題的攝影集，分上下兩冊(cè)。這本集子似乎是他的一個(gè)古怪的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)，但實(shí)際上是他那些著名國(guó)際時(shí)裝影集的前傳。他最早的一些模特是80多歲的鄰居們。“我18歲開(kāi)始學(xué)攝影時(shí)，他們有時(shí)間讓我拍照，”這位英國(guó)攝影師說(shuō)。其中幾張照片是當(dāng)年起步時(shí)拍攝的，其他的是新拍的，拍攝對(duì)象形形色色，包括朋友的祖父母?jìng)兊呐笥褌?，以及在街上找到的模特。這些八九十歲的老人穿著麻花羊毛衫和舒服的平底鞋，提著鱷魚(yú)皮手包，戴著古怪的帽子。更別提卷尾書(shū)頁(yè)上還印著假牙和塑料波爾卡圓點(diǎn)雨帽的圖案。《老奶奶字母表》用幽默的態(tài)度看待衰老。第一冊(cè)中充滿了沃克怪誕的肖像照，配上英國(guó)作曲家、編劇基特·赫斯基思-哈維(Kit Hesketh-Harvey)寫(xiě)的尖酸的幽默短文。第二冊(cè)中有插畫(huà)家勞倫斯·邁諾特(Lawrence Mynott)畫(huà)的畫(huà)。這本書(shū)把照片和圖畫(huà)與字母表中的字母搭配起來(lái)，是沃克給小孩子制作的第一本書(shū)，不過(guò)各個(gè)年齡段的讀者肯定都喜歡。這本書(shū)的收益將贈(zèng)予非盈利組織“老年人之友”(Friends of the Elderly)。

Can the book advance the conversation about how women are represented as they get older? “There is beauty and elegance in age that isn’t celebrated enough,” Walker explains. “This is a reaction against photographing ‘girls of a certain age.’” In the course of the project, he adds, he learned a bit from his subjects. “Everything is accelerated in modern culture,” he says. “I enjoy being with people who’ve gone beyond deadlines. As a 42-year-old man, I’ve taken a leaf out of their book: appreciate things, slow down, enjoy simplicity.” $40; thamesandhudsonusa.com.

這本書(shū)能促進(jìn)關(guān)于女人在變老之后如何著裝的討論嗎?“老年人的美麗和優(yōu)雅還沒(méi)有被充分贊揚(yáng)，”沃克說(shuō)，“這是對(duì)只拍攝‘特定年齡的女孩’的抵制。” 他補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，在拍攝的過(guò)程中，他從拍攝對(duì)象那里學(xué)到了一點(diǎn)東西。“在現(xiàn)代文化中，所有的事情都在加速，”他說(shuō)，“我喜歡和不用趕時(shí)間的人在一起。我今年42 歲，我從她們身上明白要懂得欣賞，放慢節(jié)奏，享受簡(jiǎn)單。”《老奶奶字母表》售價(jià)40美元，thamesandhudsonusa.com。