Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Claus (not Clause)



Sadly, after 28 years in a coma, Sunny Von Bulow passed away this week.

Her husband, Claus Von Bulow, was always a dandy, but at the time of his trial (where he was first found guilty of intentionally overdosing his wife with insulin, but subsequently acquitted) he had a smarmy quality that made him quite repellent. Now, however, as this picture in The New York Post shows, he has aged into a fashion plate that I imagine my friend The Sartorialist would love to photograph.

This post is clearly about style, not justice - the point being that news pictures can grab you for all kinds of reason. In this case it's the tilt of the hat, the cut of the coat, the one glove on/one glove off, the cane - more accessory than crutch, even the white beard. But while it's nearly Christmas, remember this is Claus, not Clause!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Huh? What have you been smokin' James?

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Knowing who he is and what he did (or was accused of doing), his shinny black, pointed shoes that look petite at the bottom of his suit plus the pointed grey beard, even the cane, bring to mind a certain animal often associated with crimes of the underworld.

Paul Pincus said...

i remember being 14 or 15 years old and spotting an issue of vanity fair with claus von bulow on it's cover wearing the now famous leather jacket! i was obsessed! i'm damaged like that! i think helmut newton did the portrait. seeing the photograph you've posted is fascinating to me. he's still so self-possessed. i find it difficult to judge him. maybe he really is innocent. at any rate, he's kept it together! -p.p.

Diana said...

This story was also filmed a couple of years ago, right? Claus von Bulow was played by the great Jeremy Irons and Sunny von Bulow by..hm, perhaps Glenn Close (?). I remember, I just accidentely started to watch the film on tv, and I couldn´t switch away till the end. I knew, that it was based on a true story, but it is shocking to hear, that the lady was 28 years in coma. Rest in peace!

Anonymous said...

Messed up...