Olivier Zahm - Photographer & Stylist

[Marnieg]

no worries he will be there
He is everywhere...

 

[cocostyle]

for sure. just check out his purplediary.com

 

[Fuuma]

in NY during fashion week, he was everywhere... parties, shows, after parties. standard hotel, restaurants..etc I think I saw him a hundred times! this guy never sleep ?...!!!
and in real person he is absolutely fascinating.

Well there were two Purple parties (Standard and that club promoted by the two dudes from Béatrice inn) he also was at the Jane and other hotspots, hanging out w. Richardson. He's more staggering than fascinating but I must say he's got that 70s manly peacock thing down pat and I like that so it's always cool to see him around.

Purple, like it or not, is a labour of love. They have like 2 employees and you know that it's not some random team of corporate journalists handling the whole thing. 90s anti-fashion giving the finger at Vogue and other photoshops rubbish.

 

[BerlinRocks]

^have you opened Purple FASHION recently ?
have you read Zahm's text in theanyspacewhatever cat. ?

I think you should. Coz it's no longer a finger to Vogue !

regarding the employee. I know someone who used to work (intern) overthere and it doesn't look like a great environment of work. though it's always nice to have Purple name on your resume.

and he's one of the dude behind André Montana etc.

 

[Fuuma]

^have you opened Purple FASHION recently ?
have you read Zahm's text in theanyspacewhatever cat. ?

I think you should. Coz it's no longer a finger to Vogue !

regarding the employee. I know someone who used to work (intern) overthere and it doesn't look like a great environment of work. though it's always nice to have Purple name on your resume.

and he's one of the dude behind André Montana etc.

Well their mode of payment seems to be not to pay and I haven't looked at the actual mag in a long time but that's beside the point. While the content may not be to your liking right now I doubt the direction changed. As for Montana well I don't dislike hype clubs that much so...

theanyspacewhatever : I don't like relational art, I read about it sometimes but I didn't even go to see the expo.

note: I can't stand the photography of Richardson either and most party pics leave me comatose. That doesn't mean I can't recognize the cultural importance of some of these things.

 

[Marnieg]

Purple is known for using a lot of interns and don't pay them.
and today they are best friend with Vogue and anybody important...
anyway the magazine is good to me much better than so many others...
they just should avoid a bit the 10 pages with the same photographers and same models because as a reader I get nauseous after 40 pages....

 

[BerlinRocks]

Well their mode of payment seems to be not to pay and I haven't looked at the actual mag in a long time but that's beside the point. While the content may not be to your liking right now I doubt the direction changed. As for Montana well I don't dislike hype clubs that much so...

theanyspacewhatever : I don't like relational art, I read about it sometimes but I didn't even go to see the expo.

note: I can't stand the photography of Richardson either and most party pics leave me comatose. That doesn't mean I can't recognize the cultural importance of some of these things.

about the anyspace ... I hadn't, too.
it seems the exhibition was REALLY a waste of time and money.
while it was supposed to be an 'historic' exhibition (about the 90s french art scene), there was nothing historic in this. and while it was, indeed, supposed to enlight about relationnal aesthetic, none of the artist worked together as they used to do from late 80s to mid 90s.
I really advice you to read one itw of Dominique Gonzalez Foerster published in Le Monde earlier this year (jan. 2009, an amazing itw) and the article written by Franck Gautherot in Frog.

but if you don't care .... well I would understand ...


though indeed my friend wasn't paid (which is a problem as they used a lot of stuff my friend did for them), i was talking about the "atmosphere" when you are not part of that clique (and don't really care about the fashion cliques).

I do, too, recognize "the cultural importance of those things". But sorry the newest issues have nothing interesting in them.
apart some itw.

 

[Fuuma]

about the anyspace ... I hadn't, too.
it seems the exhibition was REALLY a waste of time and money.
while it was supposed to be an 'historic' exhibition (about the 90s french art scene), there was nothing historic in this. and while it was, indeed, supposed to enlight about relationnal aesthetic, none of the artist worked together as they used to do from late 80s to mid 90s.
I really advice you to read one itw of Dominique Gonzalez Foerster published in Le Monde earlier this year (jan. 2009, an amazing itw) and the article written by Franck Gautherot in Frog.

but if you don't care .... well I would understand ...


though indeed my friend wasn't paid (which is a problem as they used a lot of stuff my friend did for them), i was talking about the "atmosphere" when you are not part of that clique (and don't really care about the fashion cliques).

I do, too, recognize "the cultural importance of those things". But sorry the newest issues have nothing interesting in them.
apart some itw.

Relational art: I've read Bourriaud's seminal book and the reviews in Artforum and Artreview and before that Deleuze caméra-image. I've also seen some expos throughout the 90s and 00s, aside from a few exceptions (Cattelan the trickster) I just don't like the work. I'll check out the articles you suggested, I only read Le Monde sporadically so I probably missed it.

Purple: Interns and not paying is on par w. the course in fashion, blaming Purple on this would be absurd, it's how the system works.

Cliques: yeah, it's a cliquish world. Some people just write articles and don't care about the socialization aspect (i.e. fashion parties). More power to them as the parties get repetitive.

I'll pick up a few recent issues and get back to you on what the mag has become.

 

[Fuuma]

Purple is known for using a lot of interns and don't pay them.
and today they are best friend with Vogue and anybody important...
anyway the magazine is good to me much better than so many others...
they just should avoid a bit the 10 pages with the same photographers and same models because as a reader I get nauseous after 40 pages....

When I said the mag gave the finger to Vogue I meant that their anti-fashion aesthetic was in complete opposition and even a reaction to the glossy glamour of Vogue. This isn't about relationships but philosophy.

 

[minstinguett]

Just watched "Wonderland" starring Val Kilmer and was struck by the resemblance between him in the movie and Olivier Zahm. If they ever make a movie about OZ they should cast Kilmer!

 

[minstinguett]

Links to two articles and interviews -

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/03/olivier_zahm.html

The Future of Fashion interview on Style.com

 

[gian-franco]

thanks! loved the interview on The Cut!

 

[alyshalee]

JULY 28 ] : END OF LOVE
DEAR FRIENDS
To all the anonymous friends who follow my life on the Purple Diary, I have to tell you that I’m in a lot of pain. Natacha Ramsay dumped me on Sunday. She ran away with her lover (with whom she has had a long romance that I was aware of and accepted) for a summer of love. She called me to tell me that she loves him, that we are finished. I asked her to come back two times and she said no two times. As you know if you follow the Purple Diary I try to create and promote an alternative love lifestyle (that I used to call in French La Communauté des Amants). Natacha’s decision to leave me so brutally and painfully will certainly be seen by conservative people as a clear feminine revenge against the lifestyle Natacha and I used to share, and think that I’m a dreamer. Right now I’m just a mess. But I will hopefully recover soon and offer you some more pictures of love and sex that won’t hurt the one I love or used to love.

Olivier Zahm

purple-diary.com

 

[gian-franco]

Wor, that was really honest

 

[raerae]

I felt só bad for him after reading that..
Never thought he would be so open and sensitive..
Natacha's loss imo.

 

[CrisGalaxy]

awww poor Oliver

 

[rougey]

Apparently Natacha and him are back together...

 

[Almásy]

How do you know?

 

[Fabulyss]

Does anyone know what kind of camera he uses for the purple-diary shots? I would love to know.

 

[thedanae]

Front page on tFS today: Olivier Zahm Thinks You're Vulgar