Purple Magazine
— S/S 2010 issue 13
Lindsay Lohan
photography by TERRY RICHARDSON
art direction by OLIVIER ZAHM
style by CHRISTOPHER NIQUET
Why is it so difficult to accept what’s happening in fashion? This season everyone’s talking about Lindsay Lohan’s new position as creative consultant at Ungaro. Not only did the collection receive bad reviews, it created a scandal on both sides of the Atlantic. The fashion world felt that a line had been crossed: an American celebrity was allowed into the inner circle of fashion designers on Avenue Montaigne. This over-reaction was a sign that the prestige of Paris and the status of The Fashion Designer were in danger. Lindsay Lohan suddenly became the scapegoat for everything the fashion industry dislikes about the celebrity world, a tabloid world this same fashion industry has long used as a gratuitous marketing tool, with no serious consideration for the style or talent of the celebrities the designers invite to their shows — and to whom they send free clothes for events.
As a magazine that specifically sets out to defend creativity, perhaps Purple should be howling with the wolves. We obviously take a different position — we asked Lindsay to model for the Best of the Season
We chose Lindsay to model for us in spite of this hypocritical controversy because we appreciate her for who she is — not just for her glamour, but because she’s so sexy, she lives for nightlife, and she knows how to dress for the world that watches her. She’s fearless, opinionated, and is maybe the sex icon of her generation. She’s a talented actress with a skill honed from her 20 years spent in front of the camera, starting at age three.
We — Terry Richardson and I — also love Lindsay because she incarnates the reality of glamour — as much a realm of darkness as of light. She lives in two worlds, on and off the stage, all day, every day. On stage she’s a trained veteran. Offstage she has to cope with an exaggerated solitude, out of the artificial light, fending off success-seekers, the paparazzi, the enticements of men (including her father), the rejections by women. And she has to deal with the problems of intoxication that stem from all of this — those which ripen offstage in reaction to the intoxication of being onstage.
It’s no wonder that she empathizes with Marilyn Monroe, also a controversial actress of her time, a preeminent sexual icon with drug problems. With glamour comes both darkness and light. Think of Marilyn in The Misfits or Isabella Rossellini singing “Blue Velvet” in the David Lynch classic
of the same name: a woman escaping madness, obsession, and her own private chaos to transfigure perfection and beauty in herself.
-
Coral reef print dress with titanic embroidery detail Alexander McQueen
-
Chalk-washed fluid twill scarf top and black leather shorts Celine
-
Black floral embroidered gown Zac Posen
-
White double crepe cotton long-sleeved tunic Yves Saint Laurent
-
White leather sleeveless vest and silk crepe and cotton top Rick Owens
-
Black wool cobweb and cheesecloth draped dress with swarovski crystals Rodarte
-
-
-
Black marabou feather bolero Zac Posen
-
Black jersey stretch shift dress Gucci
-
Gray 3D silk and leather bustier dress Karl Lagerfeld
-
Light beige draped tulle dress Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci
-
Aqua drawstring silk skirt, vest, blouse and silver thorn crown necklace Ann Demeule-Meester
-
Black cashmere and pearl crew neck top Marc Jacobs
-
Tailored cotton Rhea top Vivienne Westwood
-
White washed paper dress Maison Martin Margiela
-
White wool dress with petal appliqué Jil Sander
-
Black cloquet cropped jacket and cady silk and nude tulle top with crystal embroidery Miu Miu
-
Cream cotton tweed dress Chanel
-
Black and purple embroidered trapeze dress Proenza Schouler
-
White silk charmeuse dress with black satin appliqué Emanuel Ungaro and black marabou feather bolero Zac Posen
-
Black jersey stretch shift dress Gucci
-
White cotton dress and one-sleeved sequined vest Comme des Garçons
-
-
White cotton mesh Belle Pouting bra and bikini bottom Stella McCartney
-
White silk jersey draped gown Hussein Chalayan
-
Lindsay with her sister Ali, her mother Dina, and Terry Richardson
-
