Blog Four- Other Names Associated with Heroin Chic

Now that I have talked about Calvin Klein, Kate Moss and Corinne Day, let’s take a look at a few other prominent people behind heroin chic:

Davide Sorrenti:

Davide Sorrenti was born June 9^, 1976, in Naples, Italy. He was a young photographer who was born into a family with two other prominent photographers, his mom Francesca and brother Mario. Davide’s name is often linked with heroin chic. In his late teens, Davide’s photos were becoming noticed. At the age of 19, Davide’s images were starting to appear in magazines like Detour, Interview and Raygun. These images were far from the high fashion editorials that had once been featured in all the magazines. Instead, they were dark and portrayed the abuse of drugs. One of Davide’s favorite muses was his girlfriend Jaime King.

http://www.idea-books.com/jamesisagirl.html

Unfortunately Davide’s promising future as a photographer was taken from him at the age of 20. His sudden death was a result of a heroin overdose mixed with a hereditary form of anemia.

Jaime King:

http://www.idea-books.com/jamesisagirl.html

Jaime King was introduced to the business at the young age of 15 when she chose modeling over high school. Going by the name James at the time, Ms. King was a native from Omaha Nebraska and found herself getting into a little trouble when she first moved to New York. In 1996, Jaime admitted that she was on the verge of getting sent back to Nebraska because she was missing planes and screwing up jobs. Her youth and skinny frame made her a poster girl for heroin chic. But it wasn’t just that Jaime was appearing in ads that glamourized drug usage but she was also abusing them on the side. In a recent interview King talked about her struggles of the 90’s:

http://www.idea-books.com/jamesisagirl.html

"But I think every girl who comes to New York needs to go through that stage. You know why? Because you get to the lowest point when you're so exhausted and so done from partying . . . and you're so depressed, and that's when you make a choice whether you're gonna let yourself sink or you're gonna swim, and I decided I was gonna swim. And you see girls who just give up hope, and then they deteriorate. But the successful girls do not do that." (Proud, 2013)

And she did swim. Jaime is now a successful actress, appearing as Lemon Breeland on the CW’s Hart of Dixie, alongside Rachel Bilson. She was also married in 2007 to filmmaker Kyle Newman. The two have one child together, son James Knight.

http://www.eonline.com/news/475716/jaime-king-cuddles-in-bed-with-baby-son-james-knight-see-the-precious-pic

Chloe Sevigny:

Peerie.com

The glamorization of drugs wasn’t just found in fashion. Heroin chic could be seen on the big screen as well and actress Chloe Sevigny was one of the young stars promoting the look. In 1995 Chloe appeared in the movie KIDS. This film showed the harsh realities of explicit teenage sex acts, STDs, date rape and drug abuse. A lot of reviews have criticized this film for condoning this kind of behavior. Chloe Sevigny is still acting today as well as designing and modeling.

A few other names to remember:

Mario Sorentti:

Mario captured photos of his then girlfriend, Kate Moss, in the Obsession ad for Calvin Klein.

Curt Cobain and Courtney Love:

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/kurt-cobain-and-courtney-love/images/21803626/title/kurt-photo

Curt was lead singer for the band Nirvana in the 90’s. In 1994, Cobain took his own life after taking a lethal dose of heroin. He left behind his wife, Courtney Love and their daughter, Frances Bean. Love was a heroin addict as well. In a recent interview Love opened up about her addiction. Claiming that she first shot up at actor Charlie Sheen’s house, Love has stayed sober for the most part since rehab. She admitted that she shot up once in 2005 with the intention to commit suicide.  

While there are others names to be associated with heroin chic, these are some of the most common people think of when reflecting back on this era of fashion.

Sources:

Carles. (2011, May 31). Chloe Sevigny talks openly about how she is 37 years old and potentially 'past her prime'. Hipster Runoff.  Retrieved from http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/altreport/2011/05/chloe-sevigny-talks-openly-about-how-she-37-years-old-and-potentially-past-her-prime.html

Egan, J. (1996, February 4). James is a girl. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/04/magazine/james-is-a-girl.html?src=pm&pagewanted=1

Nye, James. (2014, March 20). A discarded cigar box full of syringes, a filthy rag and a stamped out cigarette: The tragic new pictures giving fresh insight into Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2585567/Police-release-new-Kurt-Cobain-photo.html

Proud, A. (2013, May 6). From teenage addict to happily married mother-to-be.... how Jaime King battled heroin and crippling depression. Mail Online.  Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2320374/From-teenage-addict-happily-married-mother---Jaime-King-battled-heroin-crippling-depression.html

Sales, N. Jo. Caution: These Kids Are About to Blow Up. New York Nightlife. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/nymetro/nightlife/barsclubs/features/2937/