80s designer Stephen Sprouse took his inspiration from Andy Warhol and the day-glo 1960s, infused with a New York City downtown punk aesthetic. As impressionable 20somethings in NYC, we eagerly ventured to his 3 story shop in Soho…
You know Pucci clothing, right? The brand that’s known worldwide for its signature prints, vivid color combinations and “made in Italy” luxury fashions. It was founded by the Marquis Emilio Pucci di Barsento, who created his first ensemble in 1947, which just so happened to be a sleek ski outfit. However, it wasn’t until 1951 that the designer started showing his Emilio Pucci collections to fashion buyers and press. In the next decade his following grew, primarily worn by socialites and international jet-setters, basically those who could afford to buy it. Marilyn Monroe was photographed wearing several Pucci looks in one of her final photo sessions, helping to catapult the clothing label into iconic status. But it really wasn’t until the mid 60s that psychedelic fashions hit the mainstream, thus bringing Emilio Pucci designs into many American homes. The label blew up! But by the early 70s, the Pucci look seemed outdated and was no longer in fashion. In recent years the Pucci clothing line has been revived with an updated modern day vision and is now owned by Louis Vuitton-Moet-Hennessy Group. But in our hearts, we’ll always love the look of vintage Emilio Pucci. Model Lily-Rose Cameron for New York Model Management. Photography Alexander Thompson. Stylist Xina Giatas. Makeup Flynn Pyykkonen. Hair Nicholas Shatarah. Photographed at Sandbox Studios Brooklyn. http://www.emiliopucci.com/
Ponyboy has long been a lover of vintage silk ties. And we’ve collected more than our fair share over the years, specifically the wide, colorful and eclectic 40s silk hand painted ties, as well as the sleek, thin styles from the 1950s and early 60s. We booked male model newcomer Zach Troost, with New York Models NY, to feature some of the vibrant, vintage treasures from the archives of Dated Vintage New York. Antonio Abrego, co-owner of Dated Vintage who styled our editorial, stated, “I love the look of kitschy, vintage ties, especially ties from the 1930s to the 1950s, because the designs are fun and can set your style apart!” Photography Alexander Thompson. Men’s groomer Michael Moreno.
In the early 1900’s, inventor BF Goodrich manufactured several lines of vulcanized athletic shoes from tire rubber. In 1933 he patented the Posture Foundation insole, changing the sneaker landscape and immediately growing in popularity. In the 1950’s and 60s, PF Flyers became one of the most popular shoe brands in America, dominating the athletic sphere and integrating into the military. Now owned by New Balance, PF Flyers continues to grow off of their past success and reclassify old designs with a modern twist. Touted as some of the best shoes for a secure ankle, PF Flyers incorporates contemporary design elements, colors and comfort technologies into a traditional style to revitalize an American classic.
New Balance is proud to be the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. Photography Alexander Thompson.
Max Von Isser is a model on-the-go! This busy young man is shooting campaigns, walking the high-end designer runways of Europe and New York, as well as zipping around the streets of Manhattan on his razor scooter to the next go-see. We were lucky enough to have Max model some vintage suit jackets for our most recent menswear editorial with an accompanying interview, inquiring about his successful career in the world of male modeling.
PONYBOY: Max, did you leave your home state of Arizona to become a model?
MAX VON ISSER: Yep! I love Arizona with all my heart, but there’s just no way I could have had the career that I’ve had so far without being in New York City, as well as the other major fashion cities.
PONYBOY: How did you actually get started in the world of modeling? Were you scouted?
MAX VON ISSER: An acquaintance of mine has a photographer friend back in Tucson. He told me a few times to shoot with this girl, Stephanie Lew. She’s awesome! Look her up. I gave in and figured, “What’s the worst thing that can happen? If anything, I’ll get a good story out of it.” Once she posted the pictures on Facebook, I got contacted by more and more photographers to take photos. Next thing I knew, I had my book in New York City, brought it into Fusion, and boom-all-of-a-sudden, I was doing amazing things!
PONYBOY: What’s been your favorite job so far?
MAX VON ISSER: Patrik Ervell took me out to Santa Cruz, California to shoot his campaign a few seasons back. That was the first time I had a multi-day shoot in a really cool location, so that was really special for me.
PONYBOY: And what was your worse job? You don’t have to name anybody’s name. Ha! Ha!
MAX VON ISSER: I’m gonna leave any traceable details out of it. But basically things were really bad on this shoot, but I finished it anyway. Later, I told my agent about how unprofessional and crazy it was, and the photographer caught wind of it. Next thing I knew, the photographer was threatening to sue me for defamation of character. Shit sucked balls!
PONYBOY: What designer’s do you favor?
MAX VON ISSER: Robert Geller is definitely up there as one of my favorite designers. I’ve worked with him a ton and he’s always so nice to everybody (random assistants and backstage photographers included.) Not to mention, his clothes are dope and fit my aesthetic so well. I’m also super into Ovadia & Sons, Chapter, Patrik Ervell, and Siki Im. I always love wearing clothing by designers I’ve enjoyed working with, because I feel a stronger connection to it.
PONYBOY: What photographer do you aspire to work with?
MAX VON ISSER: If anything I hope I get a chance to work with Ryan McGinley again. I worked with him for the Adidas Pharrell Williams campaign, and he just had so much energy and was so good at turning all of us random models into somehow looking like we were old friends.
PONYBOY: The general public feels that modeling is an easy job, that you’re basically getting paid for your good looks. What are your thoughts on this?
MAX VON ISSER: Well, they’re not entirely wrong. Sometimes modeling is the sickest job out there. You end up working for a great client with great people for an amazing rate. And you just think, hell yeah, this is dope! But then there are other times when you have non-stop castings for weeks at a time, in cities you’re fairly unfamiliar with, and end up doing essentially nothing except for stressing out and wasting time and money. That ‘s often the reality of modeling, and when you’re going through that part, it’s really not fun.
PONYBOY: What are the perks of being a male model?
MAX VON ISSER: For some reason, you’re able to pull off a lot more goofy junk. I don’t know why it is, but just having the title of being a model kind of changes people’s perception of how funky or boring you might be. I ride a razor scooter around Manhattan, watch a ton of cartoons, tell people dumb jokes, and occasionally wear tabi shoes (think ninja shoes) out to bars. I am actually the definition of a goofball, but people have explicitly told me “Eh, you’re pretty. You can pull it off.” I don’t really understand how that works, but it does. Thanks for the genes, Mom and Dad. You did me a huge favor!
PONYBOY: Modeling is known for having a short life span. What’s the next chapter in your life?
MAX VON ISSER: I’ve got a degree in marketing from the University of Arizona, and I’m studying Japanese. I hope to eventually move to Japan. Essentially I’m hoping that through my connections, the knowledge of the Japanese language, and my degree, I can eventually get myself a good job out there.
The Cactus Blossoms are a musical duo consisting of siblings Jack Torrey and Page Burkum who sing their smooth country ballads in harmony. We saw these talented Minnesota based musicians perform at the 7th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival. And we, as well as the rest of the audience, were immediately mesmerized by their beautiful voices. Recalling the early days of country music back in the 1940′-50’s, their down-to-earth attitude is something that comes through in their wonderful music. Photography Alexander Thompson.
PONYBOY: Please tell our readers about your early family life in Minneapolis.
JACK: Minneapolis is a great little city! We moved here from a small town called Howard Lake back when Page was twice my age. It’s hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. We spent most of our time playing baseball in the park down the street with the neighbor kids and riding bikes by the train tracks. When it got cold it was all about building snow forts and sledding. We were outside all the time!
PONYBOY: You’re brothers, but have different last names?
PAGE: Go on. Tell ‘em, Jack.
JACK: I’ve been avoiding this for a long time, but I think it’s time to set the record straight. My given name is Torrence Aloysius Burkum, but everybody called me Jack because it was easier to yell across a field. And I preferred it. So, later I just chopped it up, switched it around and put it back together again in hopes that it would get me made fun of less. Now you know!
PONYBOY: When did you both get into music?
PAGE: We’ve always listened to all kinds of music. When we were in our teens, Jack had a bass and I played a little bit of drums, but just for fun. For a few years we both developed a strong interest in graphic design, so we spent a lot of time messing around with that. That was our first collaboration. Then somehow we were exposed to old folk and blues music, and we were put under it’s spell. That’s when we started trying to make music of our own.
JACK: I’ve been loving music since I can remember. Being the youngest, it was great to get to listen to whatever my older brothers or dad brought home from the record store. When I was eight or nine my parents got me a little bass guitar. And I started trying to play along to albums, so I could pretend I was in a band.
PONYBOY: How did The Cactus Blossoms form?
JACK: Our buddy Glen Hanson had a regular gig at a bar in Minneapolis a couple times a month, and we were backing him up on bass and drums. We had just begun working up a repertoire of songs we liked or had written. So after a while, Glen got us playing a short set to start out the night, and it just snowballed from there.
PONYBOY: Have you always been into country music?
JACK: When we were young, Billy Ray Cyrus was “country” and I didn’t understand that musicians I loved, like Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers or even Johnny Cash, were considered country. When I first heard Hank Williams, I remember thinking, “This isn’t country. How can he be one of the founding fathers of country music?” When I was growing up, I used to say I liked everything but country. Now I realize how confused I was about what “country music” means. I guess I’m still confused.
PONYBOY: The Cactus Blossoms have been compared to old school country groups like the Delmore Brothers and the Louvin Brothers. Who are your musical influences?
PAGE: I think it’s safe to say we wouldn’t be playing the kind of music we do without the Louvins. They wrote the book on two guys singing together.
JACK: Man, oh man! Lonnie Johnson, John Lennon, Leadbelly, Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Woody Guthrie, The Staple Singers, Sam Cooke, Elvis, The Louvin, The Everly Brothers, The Delmore Brothers, The Boswell Sisters, The Andrews Sisters, Jimmie Rodgers, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Lefty, George, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, older guys like Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry and Prince. The list goes on and on!
PONYBOY: Do you feel that there is a resurgence of this genre of music?
JACK: I don’t know if there’s been a big resurgence or if it’s just the natural cycle of styles saying goodbye, then coming back around. But I do think being able to watch videos of long gone musical performances on the internet has made older music much more accessible.
PONYBOY: Are there any modern sounding country musicians that you favor?
JACK: I don’t think so.
PAGE: Most of it’s pretty bad stuff. Be careful out there.
PONYBOY: You’ve toured with the great JD McPherson. Tell us about that experience.
PAGE: JD’s really taken us under his wing and we’re eternally grateful. The man can sing!
JACK: It’s been amazing. JD and his band are all incredible musicians and wonderful people. I can’t think of anybody I’d rather travel around the country and world with. Besides that, it’s great to get free music lessons every time I watch them play.
PONYBOY: You have two albums under your sleeve. Are you in the process of recording at the moment?
PAGE: We’re putting the finishing touches on our new album as we speak, and we’re really happy with it! We employed the extraordinary skills of Chicago musicians Alex Hall (performing double duty as engineer and drummer), Joel Paterson (guitar), and Beau Sample (bass). JD McPherson has also played a huge role as co-producer. We can’t thank these guys enough for their contributions.
PONYBOY: Do you have any plans for touring anytime soon?
PAGE: We’re laying low and sticking to the mid-west over the summer, but we hope to get on the road this fall.
JACK: Hopefully, we make it back to New York soon!
Santa Muerte Trading Co. is a southern California based vintage clothing company with the most impeccable taste. We first saw co-founder Crystal Landeros some years back at a Viva Las Vegas weekender and have been mesmerized by her style evolution ever since. She demands attention with her beautiful Mexican movie star looks characterized by her voluptous shape, raven-haired bob, hypnotic green/blue eyes and constant, mysterious smirk. However, it certainly does not stop there. Her clothing ensembles are standout with various looks including brightly printed vintage blousons, 40’s palazzo pants, dramatic dresses, vintage t-shirts and jeans, colorful head scarves, bakelite jewelry, espadrilles and her signature Chimayo touches. And partner/fiance, Anthony Rosas, is not shy with his own personal style. He’s a sharply dressed gentleman, mixing high-waisted vintage gabardine trousers with 40’s horsehide leather jackets, and accessorizing with neck scarves and old school hats. Anthony is also a very talented photographer, who keenly documents all of Crystal’s fabulous looks amongst luscious and colorful, sunny California backdrops. And this is Santa Muerte Trading Co. All photographs courtesy of Anthony Rosas/Spanish Dagger Photography.
Follow their fabulous vintage looks and photography on Instagram at: santa_muerte_trading_co & mrs_california_sweetheart.
PONYBOY: Crystal and Anthony, please tell us about your backgrounds.
SANTA MUERTE: We are both first generation Mexican American, born and raised in Southern California.
PONYBOY: How and when did you start getting into vintage clothing?
SANTA MUERTE: We both began our love affair in our mid-teens, and, of course, have continued learning through the years.
PONYBOY: How did the two of you meet?
SANTA MUERTE: That’s an interesting question! We met on a social media invite several years ago. The invitation was for Crystal’s 18th birthday celebration. She came up to me and complimented my glasses. After that, I worked up the courage, requested my favorite bolero and asked her to dance. The rest is one for the books. Haha!
PONYBOY: Why did you name your company after Santa Muerte?
SANTA MUERTE: We both share a fascination with memento mori artifacts, folklore, and our culture/religion. Being both Catholic, we agreed on the name due to La Santa Muerte being associated with protection, healing and safe delivery.
PONYBOY: Where in California are you based?
SANTA MUERTE: We are based in Compton, Los Angeles county.
PONYBOY: You primarily seem inspired by the 1930’s-40’s decades. Is this correct? And, where do you both find this inspiration?
SANTA MUERTE: Yes! We are enamored with 1930’s and 1940’s Americana. There is something so sweet about that generation. The culture, architecture and fashion is a main component in our style inspiration. We love browsing through old catalogs and photograph’s in search of period street fashions with an edge. Cinema, individuals, and our city also play a very important part.
PONYBOY: Crystal, you have a certain elegant style, not unlike a Hollywood film star from back in the day, even while wearing a vintage t-shirt and jeans, and with the accessories that you throw into your looks when photographed. Have you always had this sort of chic, nonchalant sense of fashion?
SANTA MUERTE: I hear it quite often, but I’ve never thought of myself as elegant. Thank you. I’m humbled. Since I was a teenager I’ve always looked for inspiration through old photographs and films from the golden age of Mexican cinema. In my personal style, I try to reflect the style of all the beautiful women of that era but with my own flair, of course. I tend to work with the staples of women’s vintage, incorporating rare pieces as well. There is also so much beauty in simplicity. And I never liked the idea of falling into a traditional look.
PONYBOY: Anthony, your own personal style is very strong as well. Were you born with this innate approach to men’s dressing?
SANTA MUERTE: Thank you. As far as I can recall, I’ve had a certain attraction to shapes, lines, contours and color. My personal style continues to evolve as I find more vintage inspiration. I feel the key to my style is to keep things simple, tasteful with period items and express with a hint of flair.
PONYBOY: Over the years, has it become more difficult to find these incredible vintage gems that you both wear and sell?
SANTA MUERTE: Yes, we can truly say high-end desirable vintage has dissipated over the years. Our passion for such rareties is the motivation behind our late night online searches and early A.M. flea market hunts.
PONYBOY: Anthony, we love the incredible photos that you take of Crystal. Your photography is very powerful in terms of composition, angles, colorful backdrops, etc. Is this something that you studied, or did it come naturally from being a hobby?
SANTA MUERTE: Thank you, that means a lot! My photography began as a way to promote items and our personal style. I tend to go on instinct. For me, natural light is key. I look at my surroundings for inspiration. The detail of my subject will always define the beauty of my photography. As far as color, it’s king, of course. I’m very passionate about vibrancy and saturation.
PONYBOY: Is there a sense of community in the Los Angeles/California vintage world? We see photos of all of you dressed in incredible vintage wear at parties, functions, etc. Does it ever get competitive with other sellers/collectors?
SANTA MUERTE: There is a sense of unity here in California amongst vintage aficionados. We don’t see it as competition. We’re glad that vintage will be appreciated by friends and collectors alike. After all, we share the same passion.
PONYBOY: Do you sell exclusively online? Where can one find your product?
SANTA MUERTE: We vend at vintage pop-up events here in Southern California and occasionally flea markets, when we know there will be a certain clientele in town looking for specifically 1920’s through 1950’s vintage fashions. Most of our higher ticket items go online (Etsy, e-Bay, and private collectors) or to international vintage collectors. The demand is quite high overseas.
PONYBOY: What can we expect from the two of you, professionally speaking, in the near future? Styling, wardrobing/costume design, or a shop perhaps?
SANTA MUERTE: Santa Muerte is currently working on a 1940’s period reproduction clothing line for men and women, as well as a few collaboration projects. We both have experience being personal stylists, something we will be taking on a professional level very soon.
PONYBOY: And far as personally, we read that you are engaged. Do you have a date set? And do you yearn for a family?
SANTA MUERTE: Yes, we’re engaged. Planning the wedding has been quite time consuming, but we’re getting there. Anthony has a son from a previous relationship, and we both agree that’s all we need for now. But plans are always subjected to change.
Vintage Vandal is also known as Jasmin Rodriguez. We first met this East Coast bred beauty some years back, and have seen her develop into a marvelous young lady. Ponyboy was thrilled to photograph Jasmin for our feature at her mid-century home in Las Vegas, a perfect setting for our shoot. We finally had the chance to catch up with this girl-on-the-go and chat about her background and her new life on the West Coast. Jasmin, who rose to recognition on the internet with her incredible vintage style blog Vintage Vandalizm, is conquering her goals and breaking new territory. Photography Alexander Thompson. Additional photos courtesy of Vintage Vandalizm.
PONYBOY: You’re from New York City originally. Please tell our readers about your upbringing.
JASMIN: Yes, I was born and raised a New Yorker, although I now reside in Las Vegas. Growing up in New York was very interesting. My dad was a street racer from Brooklyn and my mom was a break-dancer from Queens. If you ask me, I was exposed to the best of both worlds. Both Brooklyn and Queens had such an impact on me as a kid. The older I get, the more I yearn for what it all used to be. For example, I miss seeing Brooklyn streets with Puerto Rican flags hanging off of Fire Escapes and kids playing in the water of open fire hydrants. I long for different salsa songs playing as you passed brownstone buildings and smelled the delicious aroma of Puerto Rican food. I very much miss the diversity of Queens, the different cultures I got to witness walking down Steinway Street, the view of the City skyline from my bedroom window, and passing the Five Pointz factory adorned with graffiti every time I took the 7 train. Though New York is a tough city to grow up in, I wouldn’t change a thing. The good, the bad, and the ugly amongst everything else I mentioned has had a huge influence on who I am today.
PONYBOY: At what point did you start getting into vintage fashion?
JASMIN: I started getting into vintage fashion when I was about fourteen years old. I didn’t have a job, but I loved fashion. So, any time I would get money from my mother, I’d stretch my dollar by going to thrift stores. I wasn’t concerned about being the “cool” kid in school with the latest fashion crazes. I wanted to do my own thing. I naturally gravitated towards clothing from the 1950’s and 80’s. And I still have many of those pieces today. It didn’t occur to me until years later that I had an impressive collection of vintage pieces by major designers. I never looked at labels. I looked at style, creativity, and potential. The 50’s, 60’s, and 80’s clothes always suited my taste and figure very well, so it was all I bought and still buy today. I even have stuff from the 20’s and 40’s.
PONYBOY: Your vintage looks seem to change on a daily basis. Sometimes you are dressed 40’s, and sometimes you might be dressed with an 80’s vibe. Is this correct?
JASMIN: Yes, I don’t like to limit myself. My style depends on my mood or inspiration for that day. Fashion is more fun when you aren’t limited to trends or eras! I like to mix it all up and have fun with it.
PONYBOY: You’ve become well know because of your Vintage Vandalizm blog. How did that all come about?
JASMIN: It all came about because I love writing. My first blogs were on AOL, Xanga, and Blogspot, before I got serious with Word Press. My first blogs were about romance, kind of like “Sex and the City” except that I was terrible at writing about that stuff! Then I got more into fashion, especially when I started thrifting. I wanted to show people that you didn’t have to spend a lot of money to look fashionable, and that inspired me to start blogging about style on a budget. I had no idea it would become as big as it did.
PONYBOY: After living in New York for your entire lifetime, you picked up and moved to Las Vegas. Tell us about that experience.
JASMIN: Yes, I had to do it to prove to myself that I could. They say if you can survive in New York, you can survive anywhere. And they were not lying. Sometimes we, as New Yorkers, believe that it is the be-all and end-all; and although it is a great city, it is definitely not. There are still so many opportunities awaiting us all in so many other places. I didn’t realize that until I moved here. I still have the same opportunities, if not more. It has been such a smooth transition and I can’t believe how happy I am to be here. I have my best friend, Santiago, and my wonderful Vegas friends to thank for that. I love my job as a buyer for Pinup Girl Clothing because the people I work with are incredible. I do have things I still need to adjust to, such as missing my family and friends, but luckily I have been able to travel back home to New York four times this year. I’m also still adapting to the different cultures here, but I am learning so much and my experiences, thus far, have been amazing.
PONYBOY: You have a very close relationship with your mother, who we have had the pleasure of meeting before. From our observation, you seem almost like sisters.
JASMIN: We are very close and I have a sister that I am very close to as well. I don’t know what I would do without both of them. My mother is a warrior. I have never met someone who works harder than her to put food on the table and smiles on everyone’s faces. The woman carries the weight of the world on her shoulders with such grace, never asking for help. I’m not sure who I would be today without her guidance and encouragement. As for my sister, though she is younger than me, she is so ahead of her time. I could talk to her about anything and she responds to me with compassion and understanding. Compassion is so important. I am glad my mother passed that on to us.
PONYBOY: Do you miss living on the East Coast?
JASMIN: Yes, of course! Do I miss the high rents and crappy jobs? N0! But I do miss summer nights in Brooklyn, the winter snow in Central Park, the gorgeous shops in Soho, cutting edge art galleries in Chelsea, and those delicious Crepes at the Creperie in the Lower East Side. I also miss the culture, not just Puerto Rican culture, but New York culture, because that is something very much within itself. Sometimes I think New Yorkers are a different breed of people, however, not in an elitist way. More so, we are just cut from a different cloth than the rest.
PONYBOY: You work full-time for Pinup Girl Clothing as their womenswear buyer, which sounds like an incredible opportunity. Do you still have the time to contribute to your blog on a regular basis?
JASMIN: The great thing about Pinup Girl Clothing is that they allow their talented staff the freedom to work on their own projects. I definitely have more time to contribute to my blog, but since most of the work I do involves being on the computer, I sometimes need a break from staring at my laptop screen. I try to do at least a post or two every week, but I spend more of my free time living life than working on my blog! When I lived in New York, I never had time to really live my life. I was always working two or three jobs to stay afloat, and using my days off to dedicate to my website. I very much needed a break, so I’ve taken it easy on myself this year. I basically blog when I can.
PONYBOY: What opportunities has living in Las Vegas brought you, besides your job with Pinup Girl?
JASMIN: Well, I now live in a stunning 1960’s home built by Palmer & Krisel, which was something I could only dream of when I lived in New York. It will soon be published in two Las Vegas magazines. I recently taught a retro style class at a great shop called Amberjoy’s Vintage Closet, and will soon be teaching another at the Stitch Factory. I’ve also been extremely fortunate to work with many incredibly talented West Coast photographers whose work I have admired for years. I have only been here for about ten months now, but I’m incredibly excited to see what else Las Vegas has in store for me!
PONBOY: Are there any projects that you have coming up in the near future?
JASMIN: I’m currently working on a huge project, but I have to keep it top secret until it is 100% confirmed. So stay tuned!
PONBOY: One last question, are you dating any gentleman at the moment?
JASMIN: No, I am not dating anyone at the moment. I ‘m trying to focus less on romance and more on my goals, so I stay out of trouble. However, I am always open to the idea of being swept off my feet by a handsome gentleman who will embrace who I am. Love is a beautiful thing, and I could never say no to that, no matter how busy I am with work!
For our latest menswear editorial, we booked newcomer Mike Winchester from the Fusion Agency New York. Mike’s classic looks fit incredibly well with the 1950’s rockabilly style vintage clothing selected by stylist Xina Giatas, who matched the colorful carnival setting with vivid and bold pieces. For a trouser, she went with classic Levi’s 501 button up jeans. This traditional piece embodies the 1950’s time period perfectly. And groomer Walton Nunez not only lent his terrific men’s styling skills, but his keen eye for scouting locations and creative art direction.
We are fanatics of Tom Ingram’s Viva Las Vegas rockabilly event and all of the terrific style that it brings every year. One thing we’ve noticed on social media in the last few years is the abundance of critics that claim that it’s all about the clothing and not the music. Well, we agree that it can be a bit of a fashion show at this annual bash, but we are infatuated with the top-notch attire that many attendees don. We applaud music fans for expressing themselves through the art of dressing.
That being said, we noted many vintage classics for both men and women. For the women, we are passionate about the following: floor length gowns, full skirt dresses, leopard, gold lame, oversized hand bags, elaborate updos, spring-o-lators, lucite purses, bakelite jewelry, floral patterns, bold sunglasses, head wraps and false eyelashes. For the gentleman, we applaud: fleck suits, gabardine shirts, tuxedo jackets, teddy boy drape coats, rayon hawaiian shirts, spectators, colorful argyle socks, 1940’s ties, knit pullovers, western wear and closely cropped pompadours. Viva la Rock-a-billy style! By Maria Ayala. Photography Alexander Thompson.
Ben Stift, a 6’3″ Hungarian male model, who is only 18 and making his way all over the world. Ben’s agencies include Fusion Models NY and Bananas in Paris. Walking for the big houses including Dior, Jil Sander, Moschino, and Dries Van Noten, Ponboy first photographed Ben backstage at the Duckie Brown show AW 2014. We felt he was perfect for our men’s vintage pullover editorial, with his long lanky looks and youthful appearance. And, of course, we had to have our favorite hair guru, Michael Duenas from the Cloutier Remix agency, groom Ben for this story using Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS Aqua Slide. Michael stated “I was able to give Ben Stift the perfect high shine, pliable look with this amazing product”.
For our latest women’s editorial, Ponyboy stylist Jules Wood dressed French 18 year old beauty Charlotte Blouet, from the R Agency in New York, in vintage Yves Saint Laurent.
YVES SAINT LAURENT. Born in 1936. Head designer at Christian Dior at 21. First French couturier to have a pret-a-porter line. Known for his iconic pieces such as the Mondrian color-blocked dress, safari jacket, and women’s tuxedo suit. His premiere Rive Gauche boutique opened in 1966 and actress Catherine Deneuve was his first customer. His muses included Loulou de la Falaise, Iman and Laetitia Casta. Saint Laurent became the first fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition while still alive. He died June 1st, 2008. His legacy and design house live on.
