Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita

Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita by Christopher Sweet
240 pages
NonFiction – Coffee Table Book

Wow! I discovered Slim Aarons after watching a documentary on his work. He was a renowned American photographer famous for capturing the lifestyles of the rich and famous in the 1950s and 1960s. After leaving the US Army where he served as a combat photographer in WWII, he made it his life mission to photograph “beautiful people doing beautiful things in beautiful places”. This photography coffee book documenting his time in Italy is the stuff of dreams!

The people and the photographs seem real and authentic - beautifully interesting, not cookie cutter perfect. Some photos are a bit grainy or dark. Reading the descriptions bring the people in the photographs alive. Young and old. Families. All individuals who breathed ratified air. Many beautiful and rich. Many with "it". All self-assured and seemingly viable and sporting. Elegance personified. It was uplifting to see people beautifully enjoying life.

There were small bikinis occasionally (and one full frontal nude!) but they felt artistic versus vulgar. The non-swim wardrobes were refreshingly non-vulgar: elegant and stylish, obviously high quality, covering the body, no visible labels. Understated wealth. Most are timelessly elegant. The women's hairstyle occasionally date the photographs more than anything else.

This coffee table book is highly inspirational and aspirational. I loved the environmental portraits (such character!) and the candid personal photos (so intimate!). I did not love the nude & bikini shots. This is a visual feast you will want to visit again and again.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Artists and Interior Designers seeking inspiration. Anyone who has secretly wanted to live in the 1950s & 1960s. Anyone who has secretly wanted to be or know royalty. Anyone who wants to temporarily escape into la dolce vita (the good life).