Mainbocher Corset

      

This iconic fashion photograph is by Horst P.Horst. It was taken in 1939, in Vogue’s Paris studio,but even now it is as modern as it looks back then. Many contemporary designers use this photo as an inspiration for their collections. His work frequently reflects his interest in surrealism and his passion for the ancient Greek ideal of physical beauty. Born in Germany as Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann, he chose to be known as Horst P.Horst. Some of the best known portraits of Coco Chanel were shot by Horst, and he continued to photograph her fashions for three decades, after meeting with her in New York in 1930’s. There were other celebrities photographed by Horst P. Horst, including Lisa Fonssagrives, Cole Porter and Elsa Schiaparelli.

       The “Mainbocher Corset” represents some of Horst’s artistic specifics. Most of his work is in black and white, with the subject being somewhat surrounded by light source.This photo itself carries a kind of erotically charged mystery, something that most viewers would like to know more about. It is eternally feminine photo, full of strength and sensuality. Taken many years ago, this photo captured a creation of American couturier Main Rousseau Bocher who founded a fashion label Mainbocher. The corset itself became a famous fashion item, because it radically altered the undefined silhouette of the thirties. The corset controversy proved to be a terrific marketing opportunity and the house of Mainbocher teamed up with the Warner Brothers Corset Company and streamlined the design for mass production.

     Horst' career truly reached Old Master status when the world's most famous pop goddess, Madonna, created her celebrated hymn to classic fashion photography with her single Vogue in 1990. The view of a platinum-haired model from the back, arms raised above a loosened ivory corset, was appropriated by Madonna in her 1990 "Vogue" video. Bruce Weber, one of many photographers influenced by Horst, artfully described his feelings about Horst's work in a 1992 television documentary… the elegance of his photographs took the viewer to another place, very beautifully; his ability to give his models the untouchable quality is really interesting as it gives you something of a distance; it's like seeing somebody from another world and you wonder who that person is and you really want to know that person and really want to fall in love with that person.

Demarchelier's touch

           This photograph is by Patrick Demarchelier, a contemporary fashion photographer. Originally from France, he left Paris for New York in 1975, where his career took off. He spent years working for American, British and French Vogue, and also for Rolling Stone, Glamour, Life, Newsweek, Elle and Mademoiselle. Famous fashion houses, such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine, TAG Heuer, Chanel, YSL, Lacoste, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren had  employed his talent for year to shoot theirs advertising campains. His photos appeared on numerous covers of fashion magazines for decades.  Most of the supermodels also had a chance to be photographed by Patrick. This particular image is of Christy Turlington, taken in New York in 1992. Although it doesn’t illustrate any designer’s creation, most people would agree that it is a fashion photograph.

         Demarchelier’s work help the whole genre of fashion photography to be recognized as an art form. His sensitivity, deep sense of humanity, respect for his subjects and exquisite craftsmanship bring this art form to a new level. As an artist, he always holds himself to a very high standard: “A photographer is someone fragile. We must constantly renew ourselves. For me, each project is a new challenge and whatever was done before is forgotten.” It is said that his photographs have “Demarchelier’s touch”, and it is spontaneity combined with positive vision that he projects upon his subject. His images blend the boundaries between fashion, portraiture, fine art and photography, thus creating unique and unforgettable visual memories. On the 4^th of July, 2007, the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) presented him with the “Eleanor Lambert Award” to honor his esteemed career and “his unique contribution to the world of fashion.” This beautiful photo is only one example of this.

Evening Dresses by Charles James

This is a photograph by Cecil Beaton, a British photographer (1904-1980) whose artistic abilities extended beyond photography. He was a writer and illustrator (with a talent for caricature), and won recognition as a costume and stage designer. He was a costume and production designer for a number of films, winning Academy Awards for his work on Gigi (1958) and My Fair Lady (1964). In 1968 a retrospective of his work was mounted by London's National Portrait Gallery, and in 1972 he was knighted.
Beaton's career as a fashion photographer grew naturally out of his work as  society portraitist and flourished under the patronage of Vogue, first in London and then in New York and Paris. Being a multi-talented artist, he employed different techniques for his fashion shot, bringing the inspiration from theater into the fashion field. 
This photo is called "Charles James Evening Dresses", shot in 1948 is very important image in the history of a modern fashion. Ever since Christian Dior's "New Look" collection launched in February 1947, the dramatic revitalization of Paris couture has began. The world again was paying more attention to the French design houses. Beaton's image reminded fashion audience about American Fashion, and especially about the genius of Charles James, the American couturier. The photo captured the highly elegance of a new generation of models including Jean Patchett, Doria Leigh and Dovima. 
Philippe Garner in his essay "An Instinct for Style" thus described Beaton: " His was a unique talent. It has been said of Beaton that he was not a photographer's photographer, a suggestion which could be explained by his professed technical ignorance and seemingly dilettante approach to the medium. He played the role of the gentleman amateur but in fact "was a remarkably hard-working professional, sharply attentive to the smallest detail of every image his camera produced."
In this photo  Beaton captured the world of high fashion, but the way he presented it was for a very real world.