Antonio Lopez: Off-Duty Disco

Karl Lagerfeld, Grace Jones and Andy Warhol Star in the Fashion Illustrator’s Personal Photo Collection

Antonio Lopez’s candid images of his camped-up entourage basking in St. Tropez and Studio 54-era New York capture the headiness of the 1970s. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, the fashion illustrator is better known for his swirling, Pop Art-infused sketches and psychedelic personality portraits. These rarely seen Instamatic photographs featuring Karl Lagerfeld, Andy Warhol and Anna Piaggi were shot during Lopez’s downtime from assignments for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New York Times, and coincide with an exhibition of Lopez's work from online gallery East of Mayfair, on show at the Roland Mouret concept store in London. “The photographs actually look like his drawings,” says curator Janina Joffe. “They have the same movements and composition.” While working in Paris with art director Juan Ramos, Lopez notably discovered Jerry Hall and Tina Chow. “I think what people liked about Antonio is his character, his lifestyle and vivacity,” says Joffe of the industry iconoclast, who would have turned 70 this year. “It was a scene but it wasn’t sceney the way it is now. They wanted to be out there, outrageous and very fun—and that’s what you can tell with this project.”

Antonio Lopez runs at East of Mayfair and Roland Mouret, London, from September 14 to October 20 2013. -via nowness.com

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