Godlis interview
We just got copies of GODLIS MIAMI, a photobook by the street photographer Godlis!
"Freezing up? Think Warm with a book of pictures - Godlis Miami."
He commented about the book; as the name suggests, this new photobook is filled with photos taken in Miami Beach in 1970's, which makes you feel the warmth of Florida sun shine.
Not only visiting Miami for the promotion of the book, Godlis spent his winter holidays in Florida as well.
Also, in mid January, FLAMINGO, a Florida based lifestyle magazine "for Floridian, by Floridian", had a interview article about him and his book:
FLAMINGO Famed Street Photographer David Godlis’ Take on a Bygone Era in 1970s South Beach
A couple questions Godlis answered in there was exactly what we wanted to ask him for sometime; it is about how people in this book dress:
KITSCH ISN’T THE RIGHT WORD, BUT THE SUBJECTS IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS DISPLAY THIS DAZZLING ARRAY OF WILD, GARISH FABRIC PATTERNS—GEOMETRIC, FLORAL, ANIMAL PRINT, ALL KINDS OF STUFF—AND THIS RIOT OF OUTLANDISH SUNGLASSES.
Godlis: "Crazy time period, fashion-wise, etc. The retirees’ outfits were similar to what my grandmother and her sisters were wearing. They were weird-looking to me. Why was my 70-year-old grandmother dressing up in these crazy prints? But that was what they dressed up in. Not just my grandmother, they’re all wearing them."
WHY DO YOU THINK THE LEOPARD-PRINT TASTE OF THE RETIREES ISN’T TOO DIFFERENT FROM THE PUNK ROCKERS YOU DOCUMENTED A FEW YEARS LATER?
Godlis: "It’s a combo of things. These people really dressed up to go to the beach. They got their hair done. They had their perfect bathing suit. They were ready for their close-up.
When I went into the punk scene … a lot of people were going down to Union Square to these clothing shops that were selling clothing from the ’60s. Somebody like Blondie (Deborah Harry) would go looking for the look that the lady had on the cover of the book. We’d all seen those people.
When you take old peoples’ clothes and put them on young people sometimes they look pretty good, especially when the old people are wearing wacky fashions."
Interesting! So it sounds like grandmas in Miami dressed up in a bit outdated wacky clothing but several years later the similar style became cutting edge fashion in New York...!
Series of Godlis' street photobooks might be a good references documenting street fashion of the periods as well!