Horse & Style Magazine: High Horse Society
The Artistry of Slim Aarons
As Featured in Horse & Style Magazine
Written by Alli Addison
Photography by Jenna R. Dana
Original Images Property of Slim Aarons / Getty Images
“I believe in fairy tales. For six decades I have concentrated on photographing attractive people who were doing attractive things in attractive places. Many of these elegant people were princes and princesses and others were just ladies and gentlemen. Some lived in marble palaces and Camelot castles, and others lived in magnificent contemporary estates. I traveled all over the world to photograph them; found them in London and New York, Gstaad and Newport, Palm Beach and St. Tropez, and Lake Forest and Rome.” - Slim Aarons, Once Upon A Time
The world of today is different than the world of Slim Aarons. Slim’s world was magical, enthralling, a time long gone. It was a time of class and elegance. And it was a world that, prior to Slim Aarons, was largely private and elusive. Slim Aarons, in the simplest form, was a photographer. But those familiar with his body of work spanning over half a century and still influential beyond compare, Slim Aarons was and is so much more. He coined the mantra of capturing “attractive people, doing attractive things, in attractive places.” With a camera in hand, a WASP-requisite skill set and uncompromising detail, Slim Aarons was granted access into the private homes and lives of the wealthy, privileged and powerful.
His story has been told countless times, almost to the point of redundancy. Words used to describe his career and artistry have been, creatively, synonym-ed to death. Yet, nothing quite compares to being able to tell his story and broaden the horizons of those who are unfamiliar with the icon that is Slim Aarons. Therefore, a Slim Aarons primer seems exceedingly necessary.