Star of Stripes: Patti Smith
Cover photo: Getty Images
Our muse this week is the legendary Patti Smith. With a penchant for monochrome clothing and bold stripes, Smith’s style complements Georgina’s own designs. Equal parts punk and peace advocate, Smith's outlook embodies our own.
Photo by Judy Linn
Born in 1946 to a jazz singer and a machinist, Smith rose to fame in the 70s for her genre-defying music style, featuring spoken-word poetry in tandem with rock music. Her first album, Horses, is as famous for its groundbreaking musical form as it is for its cover, shot by Patti’s longtime partner Robert Mapplethorpe. In this photograph, Patti wears an iconic white shirt striped vertically by a black ribbon, set against a black jacket slung over her shoulder. This image was to become symbolic of the artist and the punk rock movement of the ensuing decade.
Photo by Rob Mapplethorpe
In more recent years, Smith has become synonymous with anti-war sentiment, performing poetry and songs at peaceful protests and rallies. She has also made her mark on the film industry, with the 2018 documentary Horses: Patti Smith and her Band, a cameo appearance in Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme, and as herself in Song to Song, alongside Rooney Mara and Ryan Gosling. Smith has experimented with visual art throughout her career, as well as photography, and has collated this work for exhibitions around America.
Photo by Frank Stefanko
In 2019, Smith tours with her band, and is reportedly working on a detective novel set in London. Her stealthy legacy exists not only in her own work but in the influence she has had on other artists, among them fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester, Madonna, and band Florence and the Machine, whose 2018 song, ‘Patricia’, is an homage to Smith. Patti Smith continues to inspire new generations of fans looking to create beyond the boundaries.
Photo by Annie Leibovitz
