为什么老太太是比较好的时尚模特

为什么老太太是最好的时尚模特

Sumptuous fashion photography is Tim Walker’s calling card. His newest project, “The Granny Alphabet” (Thames & Hudson, out tomorrow), a two-volume collection of pictures of grandmothers, might seem like an eccentric turn, but in fact it’s a sort of prequel to his celebrated work for international style glossies. Some of his first models were his 80-year-old neighbors. “They had time to give me when I was starting out at 18,” says the British photographer. A few of the photographs date back to those humble beginnings, while others are newer, featuring an assortment of friends of friends’ grandparents and models drawn from street casting. With its array of octogenarian subjects clad in nubby cardigans, sensible shoes, croc handbags and whimsical hats — not to mention a still life of fake teeth and the pattern from a plastic polka-dotted rain bonnet used as the book’s endpaper — “The Granny Alphabet” takes a droll view on aging.Walker’s fanciful portraits fill the first volume, accompanied by acerbically tongue-in-cheek verse by the British composer and screenwriter Kit Hesketh-Harvey. A charming compendium of paintings by the illustrator Lawrence Mynott makes up the second. The book, which pairs photos and paintings with the letters of the alphabet, is Walker’s first effort for children, though it is sure to delight readers of all ages. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Friends of the Elderly.

华丽的时装摄影是蒂姆·沃克(Tim Walker)的特色。他的最新作品《老奶奶字母表》(The Granny Alphabet，Thames & Hudson出版社明日出版)是以老奶奶为主题的摄影集，分上下两册。这本集子似乎是他的一个古怪的转折点，但实际上是他那些著名国际时装影集的前传。他最早的一些模特是80多岁的邻居们。“我18岁开始学摄影时，他们有时间让我拍照，”这位英国摄影师说。其中几张照片是当年起步时拍摄的，其他的是新拍的，拍摄对象形形色色，包括朋友的祖父母们的朋友们，以及在街上找到的模特。这些八九十岁的老人穿着麻花羊毛衫和舒服的平底鞋，提着鳄鱼皮手包，戴着古怪的帽子。更别提卷尾书页上还印着假牙和塑料波尔卡圆点雨帽的图案。《老奶奶字母表》用幽默的态度看待衰老。第一册中充满了沃克怪诞的肖像照，配上英国作曲家、编剧基特·赫斯基思-哈维(Kit Hesketh-Harvey)写的尖酸的幽默短文。第二册中有插画家劳伦斯·迈诺特(Lawrence Mynott)画的画。这本书把照片和图画与字母表中的字母搭配起来，是沃克给小孩子制作的第一本书，不过各个年龄段的读者肯定都喜欢。这本书的收益将赠予非盈利组织“老年人之友”(Friends of the Elderly)。

Can the book advance the conversation about how women are represented as they get older? “There is beauty and elegance in age that isn’t celebrated enough,” Walker explains. “This is a reaction against photographing ‘girls of a certain age.’” In the course of the project, he adds, he learned a bit from his subjects. “Everything is accelerated in modern culture,” he says. “I enjoy being with people who’ve gone beyond deadlines. As a 42-year-old man, I’ve taken a leaf out of their book: appreciate things, slow down, enjoy simplicity.” $40; thamesandhudsonusa.com.

这本书能促进关于女人在变老之后如何着装的讨论吗?“老年人的美丽和优雅还没有被充分赞扬，”沃克说，“这是对只拍摄‘特定年龄的女孩’的抵制。” 他补充说，在拍摄的过程中，他从拍摄对象那里学到了一点东西。“在现代文化中，所有的事情都在加速，”他说，“我喜欢和不用赶时间的人在一起。我今年42 岁，我从她们身上明白要懂得欣赏，放慢节奏，享受简单。”《老奶奶字母表》售价40美元，thamesandhudsonusa.com。