POOLING FORCE

“Submerged in water

The peaceful sound of my breath

I am transported”

– Haiku –

To my horror, the day is almost already coming to a close and what with the humid climate at the moment in London,  A-Gent of Style has had pools on his mind all day.

I thought I would therefore share with you some of the outdoors pools that have recently grabbed my attention.

Some are elegant and serene, others are stylised or just natural, some are unusual, quirky even arresting, and others have the WOW factor.

Whatever their style is and whether you prefer natural, salty, choppy waters or the calm and soft ones, whether you are stuck on a train or behind your desk, these pools should have the power to bring you the escapism they symbolise and that you deserve.

So come and dive in:

WALL FLOWER: CECILIA PAREDES

Like a prestidigitator or a chameleon, the Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes uses her own body as medium and tool for her latest photo performances  ‘Landscape Series’ to transform herself into animals, plants or her surroundings.

To achieve this effect, she only resorts to body paint, make-up, fabrics, wallpapers or anthropomorphic gestures to complete her image. Paredes merges with her environment, thus creating a metaphor and a metatextuality is the sense she is both the subject and the object in her art. There is a strong link here between human nature and nature itself.

A-Gent of Style was drawn to these images as they are all at once stunning, sensual, confusing, amusing, intriguing and sometimes almost unnerving: when Paredes’ black eyes suddenly stare at you like a tiger would do, motionless and camouflaged amongst the foliage. Quel frisson!

The incredible precision and exactness of her postures and poses make her fade and almost disappear in the background; her black hair or her hands are sometimes the only clues that make her ‘visible’ and human. In most instances, the pattern on her body carries on flawlessly and seamlessly with the pattern in the background therefore perfectly juxtaposing the natural with the artificial.

Have a look for yourself:
















































This series illustrates only one facet of the San Francisco-based artist, who also works in sculpture and installations, experimenting with different materials and aesthetic styles, which she uses to talk about identity in a metaphoric way. You can view her oeuvre on her website.

ILLUSTRIOUS ILLUSTRATOR: RENE GRUAU

The name of René Gruau has been synonymous with fashion, beauty and advertisements since the 1940s and beyond, and its recipient famous for some of the most iconic and enduring illustrations of the 20th C.

A-Gent of Style was in France last week and was flicking through old fashion magazines until he came across an advert for Guerlain’s Eau Sauvage by Gruau and was amused by its, ahem, cheekiness (you’ll immediately see what I mean when you scroll down the retrospective later on). This prompted A-Gent to look further into the world of the illustrious illustrator.





The famed artist, born in Italy but raised in France, is particularly associated with the house of Dior and its 1950’s ‘New Look’ and probably most remembered for his sublime depictions of fashions from the ‘Golden Age’ of haute couture through his collaborations with Dior and other fashion houses like Schiaparelli, Fath, Balenciaga, Chanel, Balmain and Givenchy, music-halls such as Le Moulin Rouge and Le Lido ( Gruau was influenced by Belle Époque artist Toulouse-Lautrec) and his colorful and vivacious portrayals of women in fashion magazines like Elle, Marie-Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Flair.






But Gruau also revolutionized the concept of masculinity and the imagery of the modern man and this is what A-Gent of Style would like to focus on today.

His advertising campaigns either captured elegant, debonair gentlemen for magazines like Club and Sir: Men’s International Fashion Journal or the carefree everyday through a bold color palette (he very often used the sacrosanct trilogy of black, white and red or orange), relaxed lines, slim silhouettes and a touch of humour depicting the modern casual, confident man with humour and sex appeal . Some of his images of partial male nudity were considered shocking even revolutionary at the time, like for instance the 1966 adverts for Guerlain’s Eau Sauvage after-shave featuring a man in various states of undress. Oh la la.

If you want to treat yourself twofold, why not go and pick up your copy at Assouline‘s newly opened, first London boutique at the opulent Art-Deco Claridge’s. And once you are there, why not undulge in an Afternoon Tea in the Foyer or a cocktail at Le Fumoir (A-Gent of Style’s favourite London bar) whilst feasting on your new glossy hardback! That’s A-Gent of Style’s plan for this Saturday afternoon.

Decadence at its best.