Scene: In the latest issue of RARE Fashion Magazine by Ja’Dee Murphy, Chief Editor. In the world of fashion, there are creatives and then there are visionaries who transcend titles. Fred J. DeVito is one of those rare individuals whose journey is not confined to a single lane, but rather expands across art direction, photography, storytelling, and cultural documentation. To call him a photographer would be limiting, To call him an art director would only tell part of the story. Fred J. DeVito is, as he defines it, an imagemaker, a creator of moments that live beyond time. From iconic campaigns and historic collaborations to the quiet poetry of street culture, his work captures not only what we see, but what we feel. In this exclusive conversation, we explore the journey, the purpose, and the legacy of a man who continues to shape how we view the world through imagery.Scene: Alva Chinn, Halstonette, photographed at the Cooper Hewitt Museum.Scene: Young man in black leather coat and white socks photographed on Park Avenue.Scene: Friends hanging out photographed on Wooster Street in SoHo.Scene: Ad campaigns I art directed: Halston for Bloomingdale’s with Joan Severance and Tony Spinelli, photographed by Arthur Elgort; Almay Cosmetics with Yasmin Le Bon, photographed by David Seidman; Karl Lagerfeld with Tatjana Patitz, photographed by Wayne Maser; BodyViews with Monica Bellucci, photographed by William Garrett.
Scene: RARE front cover and content page. What makes Fred J. DeVito extraordinary is not simply longevity in his career, nor the legendary names and iconic brands attached to his journey. It is the ability to remain connected to the human experience through imagery, emotion, memory, and truth. In a world consumed with visibility, Fred reminds us that true artistry is not always about being seen, but about seeing. Seeing beauty in simplicity. Seeing history in ordinary moments. Seeing purpose beyond commerce. Throughout this conversation, what resonated deeply with me was his humility, his wisdom, and his unwavering respect for the creative process. There are a softness and intelligence in the way he speaks about fashion, art, collaboration, and humanity that reflects the essence of someone who has truly lived through multiple eras of transformation while never losing his authenticity…
Special thanks to Ja’Dee Murphy for inviting me to be interviewed and appear in the latest issue of RARE. Much gratitude!
Scene: Helmut Newton x Steven Klein On the Dark Side at Staley Wise Gallery in SoHo. In this exhibition, the photographic work of Helmut Newton and Steven Klein are united because they both share an inclination for the erotic, the fetishistic, the humorous, and the glamorous. Elements that have universal appeal. Helmut Newton has long been known as an icon of fashion photography and scandalized magazine readers in the 1970s and 1980s with his charged and witty depictions of sex and power. From the 1990s to the present, Steven Klein has taken up Newton’s baton with his equally provocative images while reflecting contemporary attitudes about beauty, gender, and sexuality. Photo above: Helmut Newton Woman examining man, Calvin Klein, American Vogue, St. Tropez, 1975.Scene: Steven Klein Karl Lagerfeld’s Studio, 2008.Scene: Steven Klein I’m a cheat and a liar, 2008. Steven Klein was born in Rhode Island in 1965 and studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design before concentrating on photography in the 1990s in Paris, becoming one of the most provocative and influential image-makers of the contemporary era. In addition to creating advertising campaigns for the world’s leading brands, Klein’s work continues to be published in magazines such as Vogue and VanityFair. He is particularly known for his photographic collaborations with designers and artists, including Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, Brad Pitt, and Madonna. His work has been exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and is included in the permanent collections of institutions including the V&A Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London and the International Center of Photography in New York. His first monograph, Steven Klein, was published by Phaidon in 2022. Most of the images in this exhibition are also included in his newest book, Steven Klein Vogue, which was published in 2025 by Abrams.Scene: Helmut Newton TV Murder in a hotel on the Croisette, Cannes, France, 1975. Helmut Newton was born in Berlin in 1920 and from an early age was interested in photography, assisting the prominent photographer Yva. With the emergence of the Nazis, his Jewish family fled Germany in 1938. Newton eventually landed in Australia, where he began his life as a photographer, achieving success and ultimately moving to Paris with his wife, June. In addition to his many years of editorial photography, most notably in French and American Vogue, Newton released several books of his work, beginning with White Women in 1976. His work continues to be exhibited worldwide and is included in permanent collections of institutions, including the International Center of Photography in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and most significantly, the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin, which was founded shortly after his death in Los Angeles in 2004.
Screen: Helmut Newton Rue Aubriot, Yves Saint Laurent, French Vougue, Paris, 1975.
Scene: Helmut Newton Rich Girls, Bordighera, Italy, 1982.
Scene: Guests arriving and viewing the exhibit.
Scene: Helmut Newton Paloma Picasso, Paris, 1978.Scene: Steven Klein Bondage Warriors 01, 2009.Scene: Steven Klein Toxic Bloom, 2012.Scene: Helmut Newton Woman and Gardener, Lake Como, Italy, 1979.Scene: Helmut Newton Winnie at The Negresco, Nice, 1975.Scene: Steven Klein Predator, 2007.
Scene: Guests in the gallery.
Scene: Etheleen Staley of Staley Wise Gallery and quest.
Scene: Steven Klein Suburbia 11, 2007.Scene: Helmut Newton Roselyne in Arcangues, France, 1975.Scene: Helmut Newton Roselyne, August, 1975.Scene: Steven Klein Power in Form, 2005.Scene: Helmut Newton Untitled (Model reclining in open robe).Screenshot
Scene: Grace Coddington and Guest.
Scene: Gallery view.ScreenshotScene: Steven Klein Cursed Romance, 2012.Scene: Steven Klein Karlie Kloss, 2009. This is also the cover of his hardcover book Steven Klein Vogue, Abram Books, 2025.
Special thanks to Staley Wise Gallery for the inspiration and exceptional exhibition.
Scene: Malan Breton unveiled his Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear and menswear collections during New York Fashion Week themed The Age of the Machine, The Heart of Humanity. The presentation was an immersive, theatrical experience that blended high fashion with Broadway-style storytelling. Broadway Legends Baayork Lee and Priscilla Lopez and Muses, Elton Ilirjani, Angel Pai, and Consuelo Vanderbilt were on the runway. A celebration of reinvention and beauty as a form of resilience with inspiration from the Gilded Age. The designs featured a mix of 19th-century richness and futuristic lines with rich silks, brocades, and bold metallics. The collection explored the tension between mechanical precision and human emotion, presented in a structured “script-driven” narrative across four distinct acts: The Heart, Time, Transformation, and Legacy. The show featured an original score composed by Breton himself, blending orchestral arrangements with futuristic soundscapes. In support of CaringKind, The Heart of Alzheimer’s Caregiving. Talent for the show: Key Hairstylist Vivienne Mackinder. 60s nod to Vidal Sassoon. Clean, graphic, and simple hair. Every model wore a wig which was selected and cut to suit their face. Wigs Wigs.com. Hair Products Back of Bottle; Key Makeup Artist Odilis Trinidad. 50s glam. Colorfix lips Primary red and matte. Lashes by Odilis Lashes; Stylist Montgomery Frazier; Casting Sandi Bass; Production The House of Jax; Timepieces Seiko Watch, King Seiko; Location Léman Ballroom; Public Relations Lawlor Media Group; Collaborator Helen Oppenheim, Photojournalist Fred J. DeVito Imagemaker.
New York Men’s Day opened New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026. The all day event is an eclectic assortment of emerging brands. The Designers showcased here are Clara Son, FIT Collective, Max Esmail, Oxblood Zebra, and Joseph McRae. NYMD is an AgentryPR initiative intended to help nurture emerging talent and consolidate the showing of contemporary menswear and genderless collections. Presented by: Project, a platform for men’s contemporary apparel, and Coterie, a platform for women’s contemporary apparel. Sponsored by GrimoireNY, Smart Water, Coca Cola, Gola Classics, and Victinox. Location Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan. Photojournalist Fred J. DeVito, Imagemaker.
Scene: Clara Son’s collection, titled Reset. The presentation featured a surrealist mock bedroom set where models posed in front of full-length mirrors to emphasize the theme of self-reflection and personal evolution. The collection focuses on post-genderism, blending unconventional elements with classic influences to create elegant, minimal menswear. Notable pieces include ruched jackets with harness details, waxed canvas textures, and ruched stripe tops paired with “curtain pants”. Like her previous Reminiscence and Exuvia collections, Reset uses fashion to tell a story of transforming life’s challenges into a cohesive visual narrative. Talent for the show: Key Hairstylist Kien Hoang and team for Oribe; Key Makeup Artist Michelle Webb, and team for Augment Tokyo, team support Academy of Freelance Makeup; Stylist Nyeelah Lewis; Casting Noella Diaz; Movement Director; Vive Khamsingsavath; Footwear: Florsheim; Interns: Hugo Arvizu and Alexander Sablow; Public Relations: AgentryPR.
Scene: The FIT Collective.This curated showcase featured the work of recent graduates from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) menswear program, highlighting the next generation of American design talent. The presentation was noted for its collective energy and for functioning as a space for high-visibility mentorship within the industry. Designers: Mitchell Godfrey, Lucas Coburn Allen, Anderson Guerrero, Christian Allen, Coolidge Abel-Bey, Griffin Queen, Max Mullertz, Jake Savoca, Jaden Villegas, Johan Cruz, Loren Crowe, Morgan McAndrew, Basil Cho, Oliver Perry Reinard, Parker Bel-Devaney, Kazu Okamoto. FIT Faculty Professors: Christopher Uvenio Assistant Chair, Tetsuo Tamanaha, Michael Maccari, Nilcem Stitt,, Wonki Lee, Steven Schacht, Igor Kozlenko, Ruobing Zhao, Eugene Ree. Talent for the show: Key Hairstylist Ashley Brecken and team for Oribe; Key Makeup Artist Michelle Webb, and team for Augment Tokyo, team support Academy of Freelance Makeup.
Scene: Max Esmail’s collection, titled Confidant. The collection marks a departure from the architectural, Bauhaus-inspired minimalist aesthetic of his debut and leans into a darker, more cinematic narrative. It features a “mob-boss allure” characterized by sharp tailoring, dark tones, and vintage leathers. Max Esmail (Maxwell Amadeus Kamal Coombs Esmail) is a London-born, US-based designer who founded his namesake brand in 2024. The Confidant collection is heavily influenced by the underworld of crime and gangster/dystopian sci-fi films that Esmail grew up watching. Highlights include sleek, high-end menswear such as tailored suits, leather outerwear, and accessories like luxury watches, all designed with a “criminal edge”. Talent for the show: Key Hairstylist Christian Ceja-Compin and team for Oribe; Key Makeup Artist Michelle Webb, and team for Augment Tokyo, team support Academy of Freelance Makeup; Watches Tag Heure; Shoes Allen Edmonds; Glasses Vintage Frames Company.
Scene: Oxblood Zebra’s collection, titled Off-Script: The Rule Breakers’ Uniform designed by Reuben Shaw. The collection is characterized by a rebellion with refinement aesthetic, blending sharp tailoring with deconstructed elements to challenge traditional corporate attire. The collection focuses on tailoring with a pulse, emphasizing individuality over standard work uniforms. Oxblood Zebra’s presentation highlighted several distinct stylistic choices: Dual Identity: The brand name represents the intersection of oxblood (rich legacy and power) and zebra (untamed individuality). Tailoring Techniques: Looks featured blazers with sharp precision softened by draped trousers, asymmetrical layers, and shirting that blurred lines between polished and deconstructed. Talent for the show: Key Hairstylist Mandee Tauber and team for Oribe; Key Makeup Artist Michelle Webb, and team for Augment Tokyo, team support Academy of Freelance Makeup; Creative Consultant Denny Balmaceda; Jewelry Urban Society; Dress Footwear Florsheim; Sneakers Gola; Team Vernon Hadley, Chase Whiteside, and Ayana White; Public Relations: Concept Jones.
Scene: Joseph McRae’s collection, titled Bloom ’25. The collection celebrates the designer’s 10-year anniversary and draws inspiration from the classic film and musical The Wiz. Described as a Dysphoria of Prints, the collection pays homage to the story of Dorothy, symbolizing self-discovery and the concept that home is about embracing one’s truth. The collection features gender-fluid designs with a heavy focus on striking shapes, architectural structure, and bold textures. The collection highlights oversized, interchangeable pieces, such as half-and-half puffer jackets and flowing pants in muted tones, focusing on themes of transformation. McRae utilized his signature washable neoprene to create structured silhouettes. The presentation highlighted stacked beanies, one-size-fits-all jackets, and branded sweatshirts. Talent for the show: Key Hairstylist Kien Hoang and team for Oribe; Key Makeup Artist Michelle Webb, and team for Augment Tokyo, First Assistant Monique Marquerite, team support Academy of Freelance Makeup.
Scene: Disco Chalet Grande Soirée. Saturday night the weather was frigid upstate, but revelers dared the cold to dance and party in harmony at the après-ski Disco Chalet with lots of hatitude. The Annual Winter event took place at Inness, luxury hotel and resort, in the Event Barn, Accord NY. The popular ski-culture dance experience was created and produced by Sean B Nutley and DJ Laura Lynn. The music penetrated the house by DJs Greg Wilson and Laura Lynn with White Rabbit Audio by Thomas Russo. Personal style pursued vintage vibes with present tenses and future visions. Sponsors: Amaro Montenegro, Select Aperitivo, Rosaluna Mezcal, Le Shag, StockadeFaire, Inside + Out Upstate NY, Chronogram Magazine, BjornQorn, Aryloom, Hudson Modern, Alaluna, Upstate Curious, The Catskills Cocktail Club, Starlight Motel, Catskill Crew, Kingston Weekender, Queer Conspiracy, and White Rabbit Audio.
