SELLING DREAMS: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

Image VIA http://apowl.com

‘Beyond the simple recording of fabric and surface detail, the most memorable images fulfil or challenge the desires and aspirations of the viewer.’

WORDS - aside from those in single quotation marks which have been sourced from the exhibition notes - BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY.

The State Library of NSW’s current exhibition Selling Dreams features the works of many outstanding fashion photographers. The images on display have been drawn from the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, and chronicle the evolution of fashion photography as an art form and as a form of advertising. As stated by the V&A, ‘these images reflect contemporary culture, world events and the dramatic shifts in women’s roles throughout the Twentieth-Century.’

It is clear that the exhibition endeavours to explore the relevance of fashion photography throughout history and indeed highlight that the role of a fashion photographer – as declared by Irving Penn - is not merely to sell clothes, but to sell dreams.

One can only really appreciate how far fashion publications have come if they stop to consider the pre-photography age, when magazines featured engraved illustrations of fashion designs and only had a limited readership. In 1911, renowned photographer Edward Steichen proclaimed his L’art de la Robe series of photographs – printed in Art et Décoration – the first serious fashion photographs ever made. These images were of women adorned in decadent headpieces and glamorous gowns by French designer Paul Poiret.

Each wall of the gallery space in the State Library is dedicated to a certain era of fashion photography. There are plaques that eloquently describe each image’s significance and how the photographer has employed certain techniques to achieve the perfect shot. We are forced to contemplate the brilliance behind these images and I found myself leaving the exhibition with a greater appreciation of these artists and their craft. Apparently Horst P. Horst - the German-American fashion photographer - was so precise that the lighting for a single image could take three days to perfect.

The contexts in which these photographs have been taken are also explored by the V&A and we are given a greater understanding of how fashion photography has engaged in cultural movements over time. One particular movement noted in the exhibition is Surrealism, which began in the early 1920s and influenced photographers to ‘use new techniques and unexpected juxtapositions to challenge perceptions of reality, to amuse and to disturb.’

Being artists, fashion photographers can at times struggle to achieve an image that satisfies both their artistic eye and the magazine’s demands. While Irving Penn was right to say that the role of a fashion photographer is to not only sell clothes, but also to sell dreams, one cannot deny that at the core of any fashion editorial is the drive to sell the designs on display. After all, fashion is big business and these photographers would have nothing to shoot if the fashion houses ceased to exist due to financial hardship. Striking this balance was particularly problematic for Lillian Bassman, who had a strong desire to produce images that evoked a certain mood. The V&A notes that this desire often ‘took precedence over depicting the details of the clothes’ and Lillian was told by the Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Carmel Snow that, “You are not here to make art, you are here to show the buttons and the bows.”

As the decades progressed, fashion photographers continued to look for new ways to reach their audience and to reflect or challenge society. The 1950s saw many fashion photographers adopt ‘a more spontaneous, photojournalistic approach’ - shooting models in bustling streets and public spaces and encouraging more candid imagery. The fashion photography of the 1960s then engaged with the feminist movement as the body was ‘liberated from constricting undergarments and corsetry’ and women began demanding more from the fashion industry and from the world as a whole. Renowned photographers such as David Bailey influenced the trend towards a more youthful look, by working closely with teenage models Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton.

An era of fashion photography that interests me greatly is that of the 1970s. The V&A notes that during this time, photographers ‘tested the limits of acceptable fashion imagery’ and many of the works emerging throughout this decade were ‘informed by the potentially controversial themes of religion and violence.’ The exhibition’s focus on the work of Deborah Turbeville and Sarah Moon was especially interesting, as our attention is drawn to the fact that these women’s ‘contemplative images provided female perspectives on the themes of beauty and sexual objectification.’ I am particularly flawed by Deborah Turbeville’s brave and often controversial portfolio, as there is a striking contrast between her images and those of conventional fashion photography. Her notorious Bath House Series - published in Vogue in 1975 – caused significant outrage from critics who believed the images ‘promoted lesbianism and trivialised the horrors of the Holocaust gas chambers.’ I was thrilled to find some of the images in this provocative series on display in the State Library.  

Moving on to the fashion photography of today, the advance in technology is particularly stark. The images on display in the exhibition highlight just how dramatically the nature of fashion photography has evolved. We realise that the relationship between photograph and narrative has become stronger than ever; 'Today's most dazzling fashion images are rich with colourful and poetic narratives. Big budgets, set designers and multiple stylists are employed to create elaborate fantasies.' This notion is especially clear in the work of Tim Walker - some of which can be seen here. 

Aside from celebrating the work of brilliant fashion photographers, Selling Dreams also makes a point of emphasising the need for great collaboration. We are reminded that, 'Every fashion image is a carefully staged collaboration between magazine, photographer and model, designed to tell a story or to sell a product.' 

Great fashion photography is indeed that which seduces the viewer and draws them into another world - a world of fantasy and unquestionable beauty. The V&A transported me into this world through its gorgeous exhibition and I would highly recommend that you pop into the State Library before the exhibition ends on November  10th 2013. 

The fashion photographers from Selling Dreams:

Baron Adolf de Meyer

Baron George Hoyningen-Huene

Brian Duffy

Bruce Weber

Cecil Beaton

Corinne Day

Craig McDean

David Bailey

Deborah Turbeville

Edward Steichen

Elaine Constantine

Erwin Blumenfeld

Frank Horvat

Genevieve Naylor

Gian Paolo Barbieri

Glen Luchford

Guy Bourdin

Helmut Newton

Herbert List

Horst P. Horst

Ilse Bing

Irving Penn

Jason Evans

Jeanloup Sieff

John Cowan

John French

John Rankin Waddell

Jim Lee

Juergen Teller

Lillian Bassman

Melvin Sokolsky

Miles Aldridge

Norman Parkinson

Peter Rose Pulham

Richard Avedon

Rob Hillier

Ronald Traeger

Sarah Moon

Scott Schuman

Steve Johnson

Steven Klein

Terence Donovan

Tim Walker

William Klein

FASHION BOOK REVIEW NO. 1

Over the past few years, I have developed a minor addiction to fashion books. I have a shelf filled with books on fashion photographers, fashion magazines, fashion stylists, and all the beautiful things that distract me from the somewhat ordinariness of everyday life. 

These books celebrate the industry, by showcasing the talented groups and individuals who make up this ever-changing world of high fashion. 

I am going to analyse and review my books in the hope that I will familiarise myself with the content of each book, and learn more about the fashion industry. 

REVIEW OF FASHION BOOK, 

“In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style”

Edited by Kirstie Clements and Lee Tulloch.

First published in Australia in 2009 by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia Pty Ltd.

“Vogue Australia celebrates its 50^th birthday with a fascinating look back over five decades of people, fashions and style setters; the names, the faces and the places in vogue... In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style is a stunning visual journey of Vogue in Australia and a gorgeous document of a magazine’s confident coming of age.”

WORDS BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY.

Vogue Australia has been committed to educating and engaging its readers since it started as a supplement to British Vogue in 1956. This book, dedicated to 'every talented individual associated with Vogue Australia over the decades', looks back over the first fifty years of the magazine - highlighting the ways in which society has changed and how this well known publication has changed with it. 

Vogue Australia took a large step in 1959, when it broke away from its British sister and became an 'edition of Vogue in its own right.’ The first Editor of Vogue Australia, Rosemary Cooper, proudly announced in her debut issue that 'There are now four Vogues. American Vogue, English Vogue, French Vogue and Vogue Australia...We, ourselves, are thrilled that Vogue Australia has grown up so quickly. We hope that you are, too."

In the foreword written by Kirstie Clements and Lee Tulloch, we are told that more than 600 existing issues of the magazine were sifted through to create this book. 

"...Our ambition was to show the evolution of Vogue Australia over fifty years in a cultural as much as a fashion sense. It's striking just how much of the magazine, right from the beginning, was devoted to words as well as pictures, and in those words are encapsulated a vibrant record of Australian social history." 

Before the rise of the Internet and the obvious influences brought about by globalisation, magazines had a duty of connecting locals with the world. Vogue Australia opened our eyes to the European and American fashion worlds, and showed that fashion could transcend borders. This book documents the ebbs and flows of fashion trends throughout time, and highlights how various trends have been recycled, or 'referenced' over the years. It is pregnant with stylish women, vibrant colour and timeless glamour. 

What strikes me when reading this book is how strongly health and fitness were embraced and celebrated throughout these 50 years of Vogue Australia – particularly in the decades leading up to the millennium. The women featured exude health; they are often smiling in the photographs, and are captured outdoors taking part in some form of sport or leisurely activity – or at least pretending to in front of the camera. 

The book is filled with fashion spreads embodying everything quintessential of Australian lifestyle at the time. The images are drenched in sunshine, often set by the beach or in the Australian countryside. Freckles adorn the faces of sun kissed beauties, and one can easily be seduced by not just the clothing, but also the lifestyle that these 'characters' lead. 

When describing what made Australian Vogue unique to Australia, Fashion stylist and editor Nancy Pilcher said, "I suppose we worked outside a lot, we had the beautiful sun and the landscapes and the beaches to work with. June (McCallum, former Editor-in-Chief) and Patrick (Russell, former photographer and Creative Director) were on a mission to create something very Australian and different and fresh. Together, we created the spirit of Australian Vogue, getting great looking young Australians, men and women, and making them look energetic whatever they did."

Photographers, both local and international, that contributed over the years to the magazine include the notorious Helmut Newton, Norman Parkinson, Cecil Beaton, Richard Bailey, Patrick Russell, Deborah Turbeville, Karl Lagerfeld, Graham Shearer, and Monty Coles. They all have very different points of view and style - which helps the magazine develop over the years and offer something new/fresh to its readers. 

Something that I think is important to note is Vogue Australia's commitment (and that of many other fashion magazines during these decades) to featuring models on its covers instead of ‘celebrities’. Celebrity culture, whilst still prominent, was nowhere near as saturated as it is now, and famous actresses on the covers were not such a drawcard. Models, in many ways, were considered celebrities in their own right, and there was much greater value placed on professional ‘coat hangers’ showcasing the clothing of prominent designers. 

I wasn’t born until the later chapters of this book, but I am somewhat overwhelmed by nostalgia when turning its pages. This magazine reflects the changes in society and in cultural attitudes, as it is clearly influenced by the developments in politics, sex, money, art, music, film and an array of other significant factors. Not having lived through many of these years, I felt that I learned something about Australian history purely through flicking through these pages. 

This book is a wonderful look at how society has changed and how the 'ideal beauty' has gone through many transformations. It chronicles Australia's love of fashion over five decades, and showcases the evolution of Australian women. If nothing else, it highlights the fact that Vogue is more than just a beauty/fashion magazine - it is a celebration of women and a platform for women to embrace both substance and style.  

TO LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK: