FASHION

United Artists


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Hugh Dancy, Peter Sarsgaard, Sophie Auster, Joanna Newsom and Meredith Monk are among the inspiring artists photographed in looks from Giorgio Armani’s spring collections—proving that creativity takes many forms. CLICK HERE to see a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Born in Cheshire, England, Susie Bick ran away from boarding school to come to New York at 14 and was promptly discovered by photographer Steven Meisel. On the lensman’s advice, she returned to her studies and didn’t start modeling until she was 16, but she went on to have an illustrious career, booking campaigns for Dior, Versace, Nina Ricci and Yves Saint Laurent and serving as an unofficial muse to both Vivienne Westwood and David Bailey. The 42-year-old mother of twin boys has also appeared in several feature films, including Robert Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter, and is married to musician and writer Nick Cave.

Armani Prive’s embroidered and sequined black silk dress, at Giorgio Armani, New York. Armani Prive headpiece.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

In the early Nineties, after getting laid off from his job as a computer salesman, then-28-year-old John Douglas Thompson decided to try something he’d never done before: acting. He studied for two years at the Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island, and went on to join Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts, where he has starred in productions of many of the Bard’s texts. Earlier this year Thompson, now 46, won an Obie for his performance in the title role of Othello at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York. This fall he garnered rave reviews as the lead in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones at New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre.

Giorgio Armani’s navy silk and wool sweater, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York; Giorgio Armani, New York.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Though often heralded as a leader of the neofolk scene, 27-year-old Joanna Newsom doesn’t consider herself a folksinger. Her work—marked by her ethereal voice, narrative lyrics and solo harp accompaniment—blends elements of West African, bluegrass and avant-garde music and has also developed a following on the normally harder-edged indie rock scene. Newsom has been playing the harp since she was eight (she became obsessed with the instrument as a toddler and begged her parents to buy one for her) and began her career on Will “Bonnie Prince Billy” Oldham’s tour in 2002. Her debut album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, was released in 2004 and was followed by Ys (2006). She recently finished work on a new album.

Giorgio Armani’s beaded black and blue silk blouse and sequined black silk shorts, at Armani/5th Avenue, new york. Emporio Armani hat; Carolina Amato gloves.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Composer and performer Meredith Monk has been expanding the minds of music fans for more than 40 years, creating boundary-breaking works that combine elements of theater, vocalization and dance. Recent career highlights for the 67-year-old New Yorker include a Grammy nomination for her latest album, Impermanence (2008), and performances at both the Whitney and the Guggenheim museums. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a “genius” grant from the MacArthur Foundation in 1995, Monk is the founder of the House Foundation for the Arts, an organization dedicated to interdisciplinary performance. She has also won awards for her films, among them 1988’s Book of Days, which aired on PBS and was selected for the 1991 Whitney Biennial.

Giorgio Armani’s gray and white silk jacket and pink silk skirt, at Armani/ 5th Avenue, New York; Giorgio Armani. Solange Azagury-Partridge earrings; Emporio Armani necklace and bracelets.

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Peter Sarsgaard

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li, 23, was raised around the world—from Stockholm to Nepal, India, Morocco and Portugal. Perhaps that explains her ability to sound completely in her element whether performing her own quirky music, as on 2008’s Youth Novels; covering the Kings of Leon’s hard- rocking “Knocked Up”; or singing with Kanye West on “Gifted.” A performer at both Lollapalooza and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this year, she’s currently at work on a new album.

Giorgio Armani’s beaded multicolored silk tunic and sequined red silk shorts, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York. Giorgio Armani earrings and bracelets; Armani Prive shoes.

Beauty Note: Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press Thermal Protection Spray helps hair endure big blasts of heat.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Motivated by his curiosity and thirst for adventure, Dennis Oppenheim has explored numerous media, including earthwork, photography, video, sculpture and installation, since he began making art in the mid-Sixties. Early in his career he often used his body as material; in 1970, for example, he lay on the beach in direct sunlight for five hours with a book partially covering his chest to create Reading Position for Second Degree Burn. Oppenheim has exhibited his art at galleries and museums all over the world, such as the Tate in London and both the Whitney and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1997 his work was included in the Venice Biennale. Born in Electric City, Washington, in 1938, Oppenheim lives and works in New York.

Giorgio Armani’s navy wool and linen blazer, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York; Giorgio Armani.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Seen here, students from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. Back row, from left: Lamin pereira dos Santos wears Emporio Armani’s white cotton T-shirt and black briefs; Garrett Groat in Emporio Armani’s black cotton tank top and briefs; Sean Bennett in Emporio Armani’s black cotton briefs; Andrea Maria Battaggia in Emporio Armani’s black cotton T-shirt and briefs; Walter Angelini in Emporio Armani’s black cotton tank top; James Applewhite in Emporio Armani’s black cotton briefs, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York; Emporio Armani, emporioarmani.com.

Front row, from left: Erika Silverman wears Emporio Armani’s white cotton T-shirt; Brianna Steinfeldt in Emporio Armani’s black cotton T-shirt; Alisha Brach in Emporio Armani’s black cotton T-shirt; Daphne Fernberger in Armani Jeans’ white cotton T-shirt; Adji Cissoko in Emporio Armani’s black cotton T-shirt, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York; Emporio Armani, emporioarmani.com.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Talk about range. Actor Hugh Dancy has tackled everything from chick-flick comedy (Confessions of a Shopaholic) and racy thriller (Basic Instinct 2) to high-minded period drama (the BBC’s Daniel Deronda). Seen most recently in festival favorite Adam, in which he plays a man with Asperger’s syndrome, Dancy has several projects in the works, including Coach, an indie about an aimless trust funder–turned–soccer mentor. A 34-year-old Oxford-educated Brit, Dancy lives in New York and London with his wife, actress Claire Danes.

Giorgio Armani’s black wool crepe tuxedo jacket and pants and white cotton tuxedo shirt, at Armani/5th avenue, New York; Giorgio Armani. Giorgio Armani bow tie.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

A rare black dancer in the world of classical ballet, Misty Copeland has catapulted through the ranks since she started dancing at the relatively late age of 13. Now a soloist with American Ballet Theatre, she’s a standout for the rigor and poetry she brings to the classics and for her no-holds-barred attack and energy in contemporary works. In March the California native, 27, was handpicked by Prince to star in his “Crimson and Clover” video. Its success on the Internet has won her a whole new following.

Giorgio Armani’s beaded gray and black silk dress, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

In 2001 French actress and director Maïwenn Le Besco, 33, made a splash in Paris with her one-woman show, Le pois chiche (“Chickpea”). The autobiographical work, in which she detailed the pressures inflicted upon her by her out-of-control stage mom, ran at the famed Café de la Gare for a year and a half. Le Besco has also starred in a horror film, Haute tension, and in The Fifth Element, directed by Luc Besson, with whom she has a daughter. She has written and directed three films informed by her life in show business: I’m an actrice, Pardonnez-moi and Le bal des actrices.

Giorgio Armani’s black wool crepe tuxedo jacket and pants, at Armani/5th avenue, New York. emporio armani bracelet.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Native Brooklynite Sophie Auster is precocious even by New York standards. She made her film debut at age 10, in Lulu on the Bridge, directed by her father, writer Paul Auster (Mom is novelist Siri Hustvedt). And she kicked off her musical career at 16 when she recorded an eponymous album in collaboration with the band One Ring Zero, singing translations of French poetry. Now 22 and a senior at Sarah Lawrence College, she’s at work on an album of original songs, Broken Down Cabaret, and has two films slated for release.

Giorgio Armani’s sequined black silk jacket; Emporio Armani’s black acetate and viscose satin skirt, at Armani/5th Avenue, New York. Wolford hosiery.

Beauty Note: Maintain baby-soft skin with Biologique Recherche Lait Biosensible Cleansing Milk.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Aurélia Thiérrée was born on tour, a fitting entrance for the great-granddaughter of Eugene O’Neill and the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin. Her parents, Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée, are the creators of Le Cirque Invisible, a contemporary circus in which Aurélia began performing at age three. The troupe’s whimsical, stylized shows continue to inspire her solo work, which combines theater with illusion and music. Her most recent piece, Aurélia’s Oratorio, is currently on a world tour.

Armani Prive’s embroidered and sequined black silk satin gown, at Giorgio Armani, New York.

Beauty Note: Smooth over any rough patches with Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One body lotion.

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Photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Alex White

Nineteen-year-old Jennifer Lawrence cemented her status as a Hollywood up-and-comer at the 2008 Venice Film Festival, winning the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best emerging actress for her performance opposite Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger in Guillermo Arriaga’s The Burning Plain. The Louisville, Kentucky, native has appeared on two seasons of the TBS comedy The Bill Engvall Show and is set to star alongside Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster in The Beaver, due for release in 2011.

Armani Jeans’ blue cotton denim shirt and jeans, at Armani/5th avenue, New York.

Hair by Christiaan using Oribe Hair Care; makeup by Lisa Butler/Tim Howard Management; manicures by Deborah Lippmann/Lippmann Collection. Production by Gabriel Hill/GE Projects East. Casting by Jennifer Venditti/JV8 Inc. and Starworks. Lighting technician: Jodokus Driessen; digital technician: Brian Anderson. Photography assistants: Shoji Van Kuzumi, Joe Hume and Marc Kroop. Style coordinator: Deborah Afshani. Fashion assistants: Kathryn Typaldos and Katie Casamassimo.