This photograph from 1942 of the Duke of Windsor jumped out at me as a masterpiece of portrait photography. What struck me about it are its timelessness and the colours - see how the tones of the shirt, pocket square and tie are echoed in the books behind. There is much to influence a search for style.
It could have been taken yesterday. Perhaps we are used to seeing photos from this era in black and white, so we forget that ties, shirts and suits were coloured. Next there are the skills of the photographer; Edward's complex personality jumps out at you from this image. The style and dress sense of the sitter are striking. A white blazer (actually part of a suit; he was in the Bahamas), red check tie, mid-blue pocket square and chambray shirt are now on my shopping list - I have tried to recreate the look below, with thanks to the convenient
Mr Porter.
Unfortunately white double-breasted jackets are not easy to find.
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| Loro Piana unstructured cotton blazer |
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| Loro Piana washed cotton chambray shirt |
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| Gucci wool blend tie |
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| Drake's silk pocket square - Mr Porter |
4 comments:
Hi there Grey Fox..The photo color story of Edward is based on four colors: blue, off-white, red and brown. If you look carefully the touches of red are in the tie, shelfed books and pen. Without the medium blue tones of his shirt and the red of his tie he would be washed out. The off white adds light to the picture and acts like a calm place for the eye to rest. Also notice how the brown of his hair is at the bottom of the photo as the desk top and on the books in the book case. The brown jacketed books almost frame him. This photo is really about working color around the picture plane, just like a well "color" designed outfit. You work/repeat color(s) from head to toe to have a cohesive look.
A wonderful image, the man had impeccable taste. I remember his wardrobe being sold at Sotheby's, they printed a box set of three catalogues for the sale.
But lets not forget, apart from the occasional game of golf, looking good was his main pastime, that and being a nazi.
Thanks, as ever, Fred. GF.
Agreed, thanks. GF.
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