Sam Taylor-Johnson on Old School Glamour

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Sam Taylor-Wood in Los Angeles
Sam Taylor-Wood in Los Angeles, AnOther Magazine S/S02Photography by David Furnish

We recall the stylish words of wisdom spoken by the lauded artist in AnOther Magazine S/S02

"If you ever happen to find yourself in Los Angeles pay a visit to the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard and step back into a piece of history. The Rat Pack used to come here for marathon drinking sessions and Raquel Welch was discovered by the poolside. You can have a Martini with freshly squeezed peach juice, which is what Liz Taylor used to drink, followed by a double vodka martini – Frank Sinatra's choice tipple. Marlene Dietrich changed the 'no ladies wear trousers' rule in the bar by wearing a pair of slacks. Humphrey Bogart also used to be a regular at the Polo Lounge, which earned its name when stars such as Spencer Tracey would drink here after playing polo. Elsewhere in Los Angeles everything is so sprawling that you don't get a feeling of concentrated Hollywood glamour. But at the Polo Lounge it's about going back for a bit of old school glamour and wearing your trousers with pride."

Sam Taylor-Johnson (formerly known as Sam Taylor-Wood) is a London-based video and photographic artist whose exquisite portrayals of isolation and psychological fragility often betray penchant for glamour laced with a latent but explosive energy. Her 360 degree, panoramic series of audio-photographs entitled "Five Revolutionary Seconds " culminated with her nomination for the Turner Prize in 1998. More recently, Taylor-Johnson has explored the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, fusing religious imagery with the secular, urban and contemporary landscape of her multifaceted environment.