Design & Culture by Ed

Would you ever expect to see Veruschka in Acne Studios‘ lookbook? I knew you would say ‘nope’. But here we are – the supermodel stars in the brand’s resort 2018 collection. Her poses are spontanous, just like Acne’s styling. “The creative process was dynamic and easy; she was almost taking over,” Jonny Johansson explained. “And this is what we want, this is what’s real.” Very American denim-on-denim gears; over-sized polo shirts over skinny, red leather pants; a checked blazer and an Acne Studios signature hoodie. Veruschka von Lehndorff, completely make-up free, seems not to care much on those striking photos. This is precisely how style works at Acne: utility meets a kind of urban non-chalance, while a person’s attitude is undoubtedly more important than the actual clothes.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Twiggy photographed by Richard Avedon and styled by Polly Mellen, Vogue, July 1967.

After reading System’s incredible interview with 92-year old Polly Mellen (former fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar, American Vogue and Allure), I realised how boring fashion is today. Those were the days, when Polly took Veruschka to Japan for five weeks and made the most expensive editorial in Vogue’s history; when Leslie Winer and Jean Michel Basquiat made out at Irving Penn’s studio; when Mellen and Avedon worked with Nasstasja Kinski, who willingly posed with a snake on her naked body. The way Polly describes this experience to Jonathan Wingfield is equally emotive: now, I don’t know if you’ve ever held a snake… it is so erotic, you cannot imagine, it’s like holding your lover’s penis, it really is. Truly, I found reading this feauture inspiring and gripping like an adventure book – Mellen’s life is, as she describes, a ‘visual privilege’.