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Poolside with Slim Aarons
From the Caribbean to Italy and Mexico to Monaco, the photographs featured in the extravagant Poolside with Slim Aarons whisks the reader away to an exclusive club where taste, style, luxury, and grandeur prevail.
Introduction by William Norwich, fashion and interior design editor, Phaidon Press
Like its predecessors, Once Upon a Time and A Place in the Sun , Poolside with Slim Aarons offers images of jet-setters and the wealthy, of beautiful, glittering people living the glamorous life. Yet this new collection of stunning photographs of the rich and well-connected “doing attractive things” in their favorite playgrounds has a new twist.
The main character is pools, and everything that goes with them—magnificent, suntanned bodies; well-oiled skin; bikini-clad women; yachts; summer cocktails; sumptuous buffets; spectacular locations; and most of fun. Poolside is not so much a Who’s Who of society, aristocracy, and celebrity—although C. Z. Guest, Lilly Pulitzer, Cheryl Tiegs, Peter Beard, and many who have appeared in the previous books are here—as it is about leisure time and how the rich make use of it. This is a more intimate peek into very private lives, to which photographer Slim Aarons was given unprecedented access in the fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties.
Also available from Slim
Slim Women
Slim Once Upon a Time
Slim A Place in the Sun
Slim La Dolce Vita
Introduction by William Norwich, fashion and interior design editor, Phaidon Press
Like its predecessors, Once Upon a Time and A Place in the Sun , Poolside with Slim Aarons offers images of jet-setters and the wealthy, of beautiful, glittering people living the glamorous life. Yet this new collection of stunning photographs of the rich and well-connected “doing attractive things” in their favorite playgrounds has a new twist.
The main character is pools, and everything that goes with them—magnificent, suntanned bodies; well-oiled skin; bikini-clad women; yachts; summer cocktails; sumptuous buffets; spectacular locations; and most of fun. Poolside is not so much a Who’s Who of society, aristocracy, and celebrity—although C. Z. Guest, Lilly Pulitzer, Cheryl Tiegs, Peter Beard, and many who have appeared in the previous books are here—as it is about leisure time and how the rich make use of it. This is a more intimate peek into very private lives, to which photographer Slim Aarons was given unprecedented access in the fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties.
Also available from Slim
Slim Women
Slim Once Upon a Time
Slim A Place in the Sun
Slim La Dolce Vita
- GenresPhotographyNonfictionArt
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Slim Aarons
20 books30 followersSlim, one of the most influential photographers of his generation, started during World War II when he served as a combat photographer for Yank magazine in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. After the war he became a freelance photographer for many magazines including Holiday, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Travel & Leisure, Look, and Life. Many of the pictures in this book were originally commissioned by the legendary Frank Zachary who for many years was editor-in-chief of Holiday and then Town & Country. In 1997, Getty Images signed on to represent the Slim Aarons collection and now serves as the primary curator of his work.
His editor and longtime friend Mr. Zachary wrote in his introduction to the book: “Slim has documented the life of the rich, the privileged, and the leisured for fifty years. Without animus or adulation, he has mirrored the changing countenance of society—face lifts and all. His sustained focus on this historically inaccessible segment of society is without parallel in the annals of photography and possibly even literature . . . Slim’s achievement stands alone. It is the only visual chronicle (and in living color, too) of the privileged class in our time ..."
His editor and longtime friend Mr. Zachary wrote in his introduction to the book: “Slim has documented the life of the rich, the privileged, and the leisured for fifty years. Without animus or adulation, he has mirrored the changing countenance of society—face lifts and all. His sustained focus on this historically inaccessible segment of society is without parallel in the annals of photography and possibly even literature . . . Slim’s achievement stands alone. It is the only visual chronicle (and in living color, too) of the privileged class in our time ..."
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 16, 2023
My son asked me if I’d heard of the photographer Slim Aarons and I remembered looking at his photographs of beautiful people by beautiful pools 40 years ago - so I looked him up at the library and found this book focused on just that- beautiful people by beautiful pools. It’s a book that provides a glimpse into times past- the 60s and 70s when people sat by pools baking in the sun, drinking beautiful cocktails and eating scrumptious food- with amazingly fit bodies and no sunburn. The architectural settings of the pools carved out of rocks were my favorites- except the best which was the photo of Mrs Aarons and her children at Christmas in the family pool in the Hollywood Hills, with a giant Christmas tree and ornaments throughout the pool.
January 21, 2009
Reason #752 Why I Love the Library.
Because sometimes it is just the thing to look at really big pictures of glamorousness. People who have put on their best bathingsuit, knowing they might be photographed at a rich person's pool or while vacationing a la the rich at a rich-peoples' resort.
I don't want to own this book.
I just want to spend an hour with it in my lap, thinking about bathingsuits, and how they fit or don't fit our bodies, and acknowledging the bubble of envy rising in me, to own a pool, to float in the extravegence of a poolside martini next to slightly oily men in tiny briefs.
Because sometimes it is just the thing to look at really big pictures of glamorousness. People who have put on their best bathingsuit, knowing they might be photographed at a rich person's pool or while vacationing a la the rich at a rich-peoples' resort.
I don't want to own this book.
I just want to spend an hour with it in my lap, thinking about bathingsuits, and how they fit or don't fit our bodies, and acknowledging the bubble of envy rising in me, to own a pool, to float in the extravegence of a poolside martini next to slightly oily men in tiny briefs.
June 4, 2013
1) I bet the Mad Men costume designers have consulted this a lot. 2) People looked much more fit in the 70s than in the 50s. [Corollary: it's interesting how The Ideal Body Type changes over time.] 3) This is only my anecdotal experience, but this book is a powerful motivator to exercise. 4) The profusion of large-scale prints in the late 60s and 70s makes for very fun images.
February 8, 2022
Not his best one
April 4, 2023
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
October 19, 2020
Poolside With Slim Aarons
Beautiful book with beautiful pictures of the good life and of a pastime when people weren't as vulgar or classless. I have always been true to who I Am and where I am from but like everyone else I always aspired to better things. Regardless of your socioeconomic beliefs this book is a great photographic journey in time. I did not care for the intro which some of I found repulsive and immoral same with some of the pictures. however,the scenic views, the pools whether out in the desert of Arizona or By the Water In Sardinia were breathtaking and I was able to get the book brand new sealed at a major department store on sale for $39.95 which is pretty good considering what it retails for and the type of book it is. I wish I would have been born back in the old days.
2 people found this helpful
Beautiful book with beautiful pictures of the good life and of a pastime when people weren't as vulgar or classless. I have always been true to who I Am and where I am from but like everyone else I always aspired to better things. Regardless of your socioeconomic beliefs this book is a great photographic journey in time. I did not care for the intro which some of I found repulsive and immoral same with some of the pictures. however,the scenic views, the pools whether out in the desert of Arizona or By the Water In Sardinia were breathtaking and I was able to get the book brand new sealed at a major department store on sale for $39.95 which is pretty good considering what it retails for and the type of book it is. I wish I would have been born back in the old days.
2 people found this helpful
November 9, 2007
I feel kinda bad not giving this a better review and almost gave into my guilt and gave it 3 stars. After all, there are some beautiful photographs here. However, the subject bored me. Wealthy people and pools. I didn't care. I mean, I enjoy money, I like pools, and I love exotic locales but I was so uninterested in rich people vacationing in gorgeous locations, hanging out by pools. I felt I should be envying their lives but I totally don't.
If this is your kind of thing though, there are plenty of fabulously beautiful bikini clad, martini sipping lovelies living the fantasy life for you to fantasize about.
If this is your kind of thing though, there are plenty of fabulously beautiful bikini clad, martini sipping lovelies living the fantasy life for you to fantasize about.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews