Sofia Coppola Inspired Moments
mardi 11 juin 2013 
Sofia Coppola Inspired Moments
By Dara Block
Recently, I re-watched Sofia Coppola's 2003 film Lost in Translation and came across a line in the movie in which Scarlett Johansson's character said, "Every girl goes through a photography phase." I am not sure why, but those words got me thinking about this question: Do you ever have moments in your life that feel very Sofia Coppola? Perhaps, that is a strange concept to ponder, but lately I have been thinking about some of my own photos and couldn't help but think how sofia-esque they seemed. As we all know, Sofia Coppola has a very distinct and feminine style that completely resonates in her films and even in her photographs... just look back at some of her most noted editorials and even her iconic guest editor issue of Vogue Paris from January 2005 and you can see what I am talking about. With all that said, I thought I would share some of my photographs that have a very Sofia Coppola quality about them... let's take a look!
First up, let's start with Sofia Coppola's brilliant guest editor issue of Vogue Paris from 2005. This will probably be one of the best magazine covers of all time and I love how inside the issue we see her putting on her black heels at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. A sexy black shoe, whether flat or high will always be her signature, so I thought I would combine my new pair of black J. Crew wedges with my December 2005 issue of Vogue Paris to create this montage. I tried to create a very mysterious and sexy-chic type of image. There is something kind of alluring about some strappy black heels paired next to an issue of Vogue Paris. Somehow, I imagine Sofia Coppola doing the same with her fashion magazines and shoes.
Interestingly, I also took another photo of myself in my new J. Crew sandals on the diving board of my swimming pool and couldn't help but think how Sofia Coppola this moment seemed. Perhaps, like a scene at the Chateau Marmont in her 2010 film Somewhere or better yet, like an image from her Marc Jacobs perfume ad shot by Juergen Teller. I think there is something about this pic that could fit in both categories. Either way, I appreciate the way in which Sofia Coppola always incorporates a nice pair of shoes in her photographs and on film... it is definitely one of her trademarks.
What I find fascinating about Sofia Coppola is that all her films tend to include all the things that she loves... music, fashion, art, and photography. I took this image a couple of months ago and I thought it would be interesting to blend many of Sofia Coppola's interests. As you can see, there is a painting of her done by one of her favorite artists Elizabeth Peyton. There is also an album by Phoenix… as she is married to the lead singer, Thomas Mars. I also featured some Marc Jacobs colored pencils… as we all know Sofia Coppola is one of his main muses. I even added an image by Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra. I am actually not sure if Sofia Coppola likes her photography, but I certainly see some connections between the two artists. Both Coppola and Dijkstra are very much intrigued by youth and the struggles that teenagers go through. Just look back at Sofia Coppola's 1999 film The Virgin Suicides and you can very much see a hidden Rineke Dijkstra influence. For some reason, I just had to incorporate an image of Dijkstra's work… it is so Sofia Coppola!
A couple of years ago my sister and I did a summer photo series for our Sisters in Black Frocks blog and decided to create our own summer version of the opening scene from Lost in Translation. By now, we have all figured out that Sofia Coppola was very much inspired by the photorealist painter John Kacere… so we decided to blend his painting style with our own aesthetic to come up with this relaxing summer image. Interestingly, as the years go by, I am now starting to think that this image may have more of a Somewhere feeling. Perhaps, it is that whole lounging on the diving board idea… it feels like something one would do while lounging by the pool at the Chateau Marmont. For some reason, this scene from the film comes to mind!
Finally, I end my photo series with this montage of some of my own personal favorite Vogue magazine covers. I remember, back in 2003 Sofia Coppola told Vogue Magazine that "When she was a kid growing up in the country, magazines were so important to me. I would get The Face and Vogue and French Vogue — they were my link to the rest of the world." I have always appreciated Sofia Coppola's love of magazines so I thought this image seemed rather appropriate. I assembled this girlish montage of some of my favorite magazine covers and paired it with my Repetto Paris shoe box, as an homage to an image I saw of what her office looked like in a March 2000 issue of Vogue. In addition, I will never forget the 1992 issue of Vogue Italia and the way Sofia Coppola looked on that cover. She was the epitome of 90s minimalism and still to this day I am totally amazed by her style in that issue! I think it's quite interesting to see how influential fashion magazines can be… no matter how old the issue, they certainly can have a lasting impact! This Vogue Italia 1992 issue is by far one of those unforgettable issues!
As we can see, Sofia Coppola is not just inspiring as a film director but also as an image maker. I love how she takes many of her own artistic influences and incorporates them so beautifully into her films. I don't know about you, but I feel like so many of her film and magazine moments have artistically affected my life… so I dedicate these images of mine, to her. Brava, Sofia for so many continuous years of style inspiration… much appreciated!
connect with iwtbac bloglovin | facebook | pinterest | tumblr | twitter
Sofia Coppola photos courtesy of Condé Nast and Marc Jacobs. Dara Block photos © 2013 Dara Block. All Rights Reserved.
Sofia Coppola in Art, Dara Block, Fashion, Films, Inspiration, Magazines, Photography, Style, Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris
Reader Comments (5)
Congrats on a great blog!
If you can, check out this article on Sofia Coppola's Milkfed: http://ladolcemoda7.blogspot.com.ar/2013/06/the-wonderful-sofia-coppola.html
All the best,
Francesca
http://ladolcemoda7.blogspot.com.ar/