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.  

Glamorous Elegance

This photo is by Edward Steichen, one of the most important figures in the history of photography. He had a long and fulfilling career, and was also known as artist, curator, writer, and technical innovator in addition to being a fashion photographer. Owen Edwards of Smithsonian magazine said about him in May, 2009 issue” A painter by training, Edward Steichen changed fashion photography forever.” He didn’t invent fashion photography, but most critiques agree that he developed a template for the modern fashion photographer.

This particular photo shows two models wearing gowns by Madeleine Vionnet. The name of the model in white is unknown; Marion Morehouse, in black, was one of the photographer's favorite models.  The image truly depicts the ease of the movement for which the designer was known. Her nicknames included “Queen of the bias cut” and “the architect among dressmakers” and till today she receives the credits for inventing the bias cut as a way to create elegantly draped garments. The technique allows the dress to cling to the body while also moving easily with the wearer. The flattering silhouettes such as handkerchief dress, cowl neck and halter top which are widely used in a modern fashion were first introduced to the fashion world by Vionnet. Edward Steinchen took this photo in 1930, and it reflects the fashion of that time, with its elegance, glamour, luxury and a hint of mystique.

Corset

         This photo is by famous fashion photographer Jeanloup Sieff. The photographer joined Magnum Agency in 1958, and his work for them made him travel to many different countries. He settled in New York for a number of years in 1960s where he worked for Esquire, Glamour, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, becoming extremely popular in America. It is during these years that this photo was taken. The name of this important work could not be any simpler than it is – “Corset.”

           This is how photographer himself described the experience of this photo shoot in his monograph: “'It was the beautiful Anka, with her desperately tiny waist, who posed in this 1900 corset. In spite of her slim figure, she found it difficult to breathe”.  “Corset” tells a story about fashion history.  It shows an iconic image of a beauty symbol that dominated fashion world till the beginning of 20^th Century.  Viewers can see how uncomfortable this model is wearing a corset. It was a common fashion for women for several centuries to wear corset underneath of the dresses. The idea was to make waist look smaller thus creating an hourglass silhouette. Most historical photographs showing women in corsets make modern women feel sorry for their predecessors, and this image does it too, but at the same time it is a very sensual and exciting picture to look at. The difference is in the photographer. He intrigues the viewers and let them see a corset from a different point of view. The lighting and composition of this photo focus attention directly onto the model’s hips and waist. Her pose with the slightly crossed legs helps to enhance the "hourglass" shape of the body.  After a while, the beauty of a picture becomes more important than the feeling sorry part.

        This photo seems quite simple in composition and color choices, but at the same time this beautiful work of art is also a controversial image. Should fashion be comfortable and practical, or better serve our esthetic needs and let the model suffer? Is the hourglass figure still a symbol of femininity?  Who decides on what is an ideal beauty image?

Funny Face

 

               This photo has a story to tell. It is a still image from one of my favorite movies - ‘Funny Face”, directed by Stanley Donen and produced by Paramount pictures in 1957. The Internet Movie Database describes the plot summary for this film this way: “Fashion photographer Dick Avery, in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over, the store is left in a shambles, much to salesgirl Jo Stockton's dismay. Avery stays behind to help her clean up. Later, he examines the photos taken there and sees Jo in the background of one shot. He is intrigued by her unique appearance, as is Maggie Prescott, the editor of a leading fashion magazine. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer.”

          This photo shows Jo Stockton posing for a photo shoot in Louvre. There are many reasons why I like this particular image. The most important one is Audrey Hepburn, the actress who plays Jo Stockton. It is not enough to say that she is an amazing actress. There is something in her personality and acting, that one cannot forget the image she portraits. Billy Wilder, a prominent Hollywood filmmaker, said about her “Audrey was known for something which has disappeared, and that is elegance, grace and manners….God kissed her on the cheek, and there she was.”

          Another reason why I like this image so much is the fashion used in this movie and in this photo in particular. Great French couture designer Hubert de Givenchy had made most of her clothes, not only for this film, but also for herself. In his introduction to the book “Audrey Style” by Pamela Clarke Keogh, he said “Audrey had a big personality. In her choice of her dresses, in wearing them with such elegance, chic and simplicity. In a very personal way, she created her own look – “The Hepburn Style.” She was “unique” and will always be so. The Audrey Hepburn myth exists. It is here.” I think this photo illustrates Wilder’s and Givenchy’s remarks in the best possible way. Even more than fifty years after the film’s release, this image seems fashionable and contemporary, bringing energy and excitement to its viewers.

The New Look

           This is the famous photograph by Willy Maywald of “Le Bar”, a suit created by French designer Christian Dior. It made headlines in the newspapers in 1947 and marked the introduction of the fashion trend called the “New Look.”  It was the period in fashion that started in 1947 and continued approximately till the end of the 1950’s. There are many fashion photos showing garments that were made and worn during that time, but this photo stands out.  Fashion designers, historians, curators and other professionals may use a variety of examples to illustrate that time frame, but from my experience nobody misses the opportunity to include this photo.  One could forget the name of photographer and designer, but not the image itself, because it illustrates this time period in the best possible way.

            As the story goes, on February 12, 1947, Dior launched his first fashion collection for Spring-Summer 1947. It was presented in Paris, in the salons of the company's headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne. Dior called his line “Corolla”, a botanical term describing opening petals, which referred to his ideal of woman as a flower.  However, the new collection went down in fashion history as the “New Look” after Harper’s Bazaar’s editor-in-chief Carmel Show’s exclamation, "It's such a New Look!"  There were several characteristics that made this such a unique look: long skirt (full or straight), large bust (which fell from style in 1912), small rounder shoulder line and small cinched waist. During the WWII, designers and apparel manufactures had very strict fabric restrictions, and thus they were limited in their offerings.  As if to celebrate the lifting of such restrictions, Dior used 20 yards of extravagant fabrics in his creations, that along was sensational and luxurious after the years of hardship.  The New Look became revolutionary and strongly popular, influencing fashion and other designers for many years to come. Paris, which had fallen from its position as the capital of the fashion world after WWII, regained its esteemed position due in part to the attention it gained form Dior's New Look.

           Why this photo is so captivating? Different viewers may have different opinions about this, but I can only have my own. I think that successful composition and choice of black and white colors are the key factors that made this photo being so famous. The model is the focal point and she is almost centrally located .Almost, because she stands on the sidewalk showing the road in the background. The road is behind the main character of this picture, but it seems like it is also an important part of this photo. The road is unobstructed and unknown, but very inviting. Even the model’s gesture is pointing to it. One can see that future is unknown, just like the misty road, but also “picture perfect.” It made sense then, after the WWII, when everyone was so full of hopes for a great future. The walls on the left side serve almost as a partial frame that adds some dimension to the photo in overall.  The fact that photographer used black and white process instead of the color one, makes it even more special. The contract between black and white in the composition bring extra attention of a combination of black and white in the outfit worn by a model. It creates an image of clean simple elegance, something that both designer and photographer were aspiring to achieve. In overall, this image has a story to tell, and it is open to the interpretations by its viewers. A book “Fifty Years of Fashion” by Valerie Steele is a great source for additional information about New Look and other periods in a fashion history.