Style Icon: Ali MacGraw

Like her fellow Style Icon Lauren Bacall, Ali MacGraw was discovered by Diana Vreeland, starting her career as an assistant to the legendary editor at Harper's Bazaar, before moving on to modeling and eventually acting.  Ali has a unique, dark beauty, and an American style that's influenced by everything from her Connecticut upbringing, to her time in the New York City fashion world, to her life as a Hollywood star, and now her retirement in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Famously married to producer Robert Evans and then actor Steve McQueen, Ali's personal life and strength have always been as compelling as her films.

 

 

We Recommend: The Helmut Newton Exhibit at the Annenberg

Helmut Newton: White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes recently opened at the Annenberg Space for Photography in LA's Century City.  The exhibit covers the great photographer's work in the three books he released of the title names, and is an excellent intro to his photography, or a stunning refresher for those of us who already love his work.  In addition to photographs, the show features a short film that describes Newton's career, featuring many amazing photographers, models, and friends inspired by the man who, to quote Robert Evans, 'brought eroticism into fashion.'

The exhibit runs through September 8th.

The Big Nudes gallery wall

The gallery

Karl Lagerfeld, by Newton

Helmut Newton

Charlotte Rampling in Arles, from Newton's book White Women

We Recommend: The Kid Stays in the Picture

 

Robert Evans is a Hollywood icon with a legendary career.  He started out in film as an actor, before moving on to the role of producer, studio head, and back to producer, and he brought such game changing films as The Odd Couple, Rosemary's Baby, Harold & Maude, The Godfather, Chinatown, and Love Story to the big screen.  In 1994 he decided to published his memoirs, detailing not only his extraordinary work, but his personal life, which included seven marriages (he was most notably married to Ali MacGraw, who left him for Steve McQueen while away in Texas filming The Getaway), as a book called The Kid Stays in the Picture.  Eight years later, the documentary based on the memoir, also of the same name, was released.  While the book is well worth reading, the film offers a more intimate glimpse into Evans' home (which includes one of the most beautiful pools we have ever seen), personality, and trademark delivery.  He is a fascinating subject - no one has ever lived a life quite like his - so we absolutely recommend the documentary.  If you need more convincing, or if you are already a fan, Wes Anderson's interview of Evans is also fantastic: