ROBERT LONGO

Robert Longo's drawings have been occupying my inspiration folder for some time. Recently, Lycra asked me to try out a new pair of jeans by wearing them during my most rigorous everyday activities to see how well they hold their stretch.  I immediately thought to the emotive, expressive drawings of Longo, and realized that emulating them would be the perfect way to test out the jeans.

Longo (b. 1953) is an American painter and sculptor, most known for his "Men in the Cities" drawings, pictured here.

To make the works, Longo started with photographs, which he projected onto paper.  From there, he traced the outline of the image (subtracting any background details), and continued to fill in the figure.  Each drawing took up to a week to complete.

There is a distinctive sculptural quality to these works, which play on themes of authority, emotion, and isolation.

Longo has also been involved in the direction of music videos and films, and acted as head guitarist for an experimental band in the 1970's.

For my rendition of Longo's photographs, I opted for a high-contrast look against solid wall.  I had a lot of fun taking these photos, and I must say -- throughout all the frames, and for the rest of the day, I was seriously impressed with the way the jeans kept their shape.

I'm wearing a Cynthia Rowley sweater, vintage blouse, J. Crew scarf, Regal boots courtesy of Cougar Shoes, and DL1961 Emma jeans courtesy of Invista's Lycra.

Thank you to Invista's Lycra for sponsoring this post, and for Cougar's support as well!
[Longo images from robertlongo.com, tensongsthatsavedyourlife.com, and wellthreaded.com.]