We only met Lynnette about half a year ago and since then we’ve been linking or randomly running into each other at Alife parties, Williamsburg loft parties, A-ron’s Wreck Room, and Diego’s “brownie” party last weekend. She even coincidentally photographed a catalog shoot that the Worship Worthy team was invited to participate in.
If the amount we’ve seen lately of this stylish muse behind the camera is any indication of what the rest of the world is about to see then hold on tight, it’s a flashbulb blitz!
Name and Age, please:
Lynnette Astaire AKA Jane Jetson
Where are you originally from?
Chicago
How long have you lived in New York?
8 years
What are your favorite memories of New York since living here?
9/9/99. My first memory here. 2nd week in NY. 17 yrs old in the penthouse of the Soho Grand Hotel watching celebrites do coke all night. (What up V!)
When did you know you wanted to be a photographer?
Well, I got a Polaroid for my 7th Christmas. My 4 year old brother was my first muse..I had that poor kid posing in his pajamas with Barbie ….by Jr High I decided to be an orthopedic surgeon after I broke my arm trying to do a 360 tailwhip on my BMX like an idiot, so I ended up obsessing over GPA’s, SAT’s and AP classes, but after looking at old polaroids one day I was like fuck med school…
What were the first steps you took towards fulfilling this dream?
I traded my cello for a Pentax K1000, and started cutting class to shoot the hot delinquents.
Who or what do you consider your biggest inspiration in photography?
Music. I’m like Prince in ‘77….before Purple Rain!
What do you think sets your photography apart from others’?
It’s on some Pop Art shit. It’s something you can hang on a wall, use to sell a product or even beat off to. Its versatile with out being boring. My “Riding the White Horse” piece has a million things going on. Drug refrences, disco, to 10th Century European History. And if you don’t get it then I guess you can always look at her tits. But at the end of the day I want you to look beyond the beautiful lighting and pretty makeup because there is something deeper.
We first noticed your work while perusing the MOB website a couple years ago and recently we’ve seen the Kangol x MOB billboard in the L.E.S which you shot. How did you hook up with MOB and what it’s like to see your work on such a large scale?
Before Mob, Leah styled our first editorial, when I was still in school. Now she’s styling her own brand and its our very first billboard!! The tee that I did with her SOLD OUT at Colette in Paris! PARIS!! We’ve definitely come full circle. We’re both here to shake shit up so it’s great.
Growing up in Chicago, has Chi-Town influenced your style in any way?
Not so much….I grew up on the Southside of Chicago, I went to Catholic school to avoid gangs so the only art I got was like the “Stations of the Cross”. So I think Chicago has influenced my state of mind more than my actual style. I mean, Chicago ’style’ is not really a particular style. Our style is just about being original.
Any person you’d absolutely love to photograph?
The list is always changing. I have ideas for people I haven’t even met yet! Right now I want Ice T and Coco. He’s all like ex-cop killer gangster rapper and she’s like a living blow up doll, it’s nuts.
Got a favorite photoshoot?
I honestly, love all of them the same just for different reasons.
What part of photography is most satisfying to you?
Capturing a scene that will never happen again the same way, the exact way I want it remembered.
Can you tell us about any other things you’ve got on your horizon?
In numerology my personal year for 2008 is an 11, which is highly charged number. I just inked a multiyear contract with one of Bill Gates companies… Im pretty stoked. Im also going to keep building on what I have, keep doing what I do and working with people who like it… I’m in the beginning of my career and I don’t plan on going anywhere so the horizon is endless.
Got any favorite clothing brands? Stores?
I’ve really gotten into shoes, serious, like Louboutin. I’ve got these sick red pumps by Tara Subkoff that I’ve never worn. They’re like some new wave Betty Boop shit. I have a lot of old pieces from my granny that I like to mix up. I’ve gotten the best tops from Hussein Chalayan, the best jackets by Rick Owens and Secta, and my Neil Barrett pants makes my ass look yummy, hahah I’m so serious! I love tights and stockings, so I go to Conway to get them for cheap.
Got a long term plan?
To keep doing what I love and go make some amazing babies with an amazing man.
Do you have much free time? What do you do when you’re not working?
The Beach, a burlesque show, a Knicks game, a cooking class, a juke competition, the spa, a shooting range, Japan, I’ll do any of those places again, anytime.
How would you describe your personal style?
Fresh
What’s your prized possession?
My 6 senses
Where do you like to shop?
I don’t really like to shop. I’m ready to just look in the magazines and call the store!
Do you go out much? Got any favorite bars, lounges, and clubs?
Sometimes, but I did way too much partying when I first moved to NYC. Moomba. Lot 61. Life. Veruka, even Cheetah so I’m kinda burnt. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE people, I’m an addict…men, women, it doesn’t matter just as long as they’re good. I don’t have a particular clique or scene though. I’ll hit an underground house club, a townhouse on Park Avenue and a dive in Williamsburg. All in the same night without changing clothes. You never know where and when you’ll meet the next person who is going to change your life so I tend to be all over the place.
What music have you been listening to lately?
Anything. Music is better than drugs. The orchestral version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Bananas. Coldplay X Buena Vista Social Club? Bananas. Lil Wayne? Bananas. Amy Winehouse? Bananas. J*Davey? FUCKING Bananas. Zero 7, Justice, Zepplin? Bananas. Just the sound of Chris Cornell’s voice is Bananas. Janelle Monae, Kings of Leon, Madlib, Jamiroquai? Bananas. DJ Kahled? Bananas. Beyonce? Yeah I said it….Bananas!!!!
What’s your most recent discovery/exploration in New York?
Zoning out on the subway with no destination. You enjoy the ride way more when you don’t have someplace to be. I love the breakdancing acrobats on the 4/5, they’re like an urban Cirque du Soleil.
Do you plan on living in NY forever?
Absolutely not.
If you smoke, tell us your favorite rolling paper. If you drink, tell us your cocktail/drink of choice.
I stopped drinking at 21.
Name one New York woman that you would nominate to our Hail Mary! list.
Mmmm…it’s a tie… Fellow photographer Ashley Reid is awesome! Google her. I love my friend Brookelynn Starnes and her new line Cloak and Dagger NYC. She’s the real deal!!! Google her too or go to Barney’s.
Make sure to check more of Lynnette’s work at www.lynnetteastaire.com.
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Very cool! I’m proud of you girl!
-K