When we're not able to sit front row at Fashion Week, or galavant down 5th Avenue looking at the latest styles in the trendy store windows, photography allows us an avenue to view fashion a different way. Whether the picture is in black and white or enhanced with color, fashion photographers can preserve the style, movement, and emotion of looks throughout the decades. Here are a few of my favorite photographers and the styles they have preserved.
Erwin Blumenfeld
Erwin Blumenfeld's fashion photography of the 1940's and 50's showcased an avant-garde viewpoint. He experimented with his images and the colorful end-products resemble something like a painting - multiple layers, distortions, and exposures giving dimension to the clothing and model. Mr. Blumenfeld's work has appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Life magazine.
Many of his pieces also carried a socio-political message, such as the last picture in the gallery below, shot in 1945 for Harper's Bazaar, representing a 'Salute to Freedom.'
Photo credit: Erwin Blumenfeld, from left to right: 1939 for Harper's Bazaar; Rage for Color Look magazine, October 1958; Variant of photograph published in Vogue August 1950, Model Dovima; advertisement for Bianchini-Férier, Harper's Bazaar, August 1945
Howell Conant Sr.
In the 1950s and 60s, Howell Conant Sr. photographed looks worn by celebrities such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Whether to promote a new movie or shed a glimpse into the star's private life, perhaps what made Conant's photographs stand out was the way he captured part of the personality of the person wearing the outfit, as much as he did the outfit itself. Conant's photographs were featured in magazine publications such as Life, Look, Photoplay, Collier's, and Elle.
Photo credit: Howell Conant Left to Right - 1961 for Breakfast at Tiffany's; Grace Kelly 1955; last photo in 1956
Richard Avedon
By the 1970s, Richard Avedon took up the head photographer position at Vogue. He was known inside and outside the world of fashion photography, also known for photographing figures of the American West. His fashion photographs, however, can be categorized by an attention to how the garment moved and emotion can be seen in the model's expression, so much so that sometimes the pictures seem like stills from a movie.
Photo Credit: Richard Avedon for Versace; 1957; Dior 1947; last picture credit: Calvin Klein
Peter Lindbergh
A household name, Peter Lindbergh's fashion photographs throughout the 1980s and early 2000's featured black and white photography, New York streets, and natural/non-retouched looks. He was a frequent collaborator with Dior and his photos appeared in numerous magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Allure, Rolling Stone, etc.
Photo Credit: Peter Lindbergh
Dior, Photo Credit: Peter Lindbergh
Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham worked with fashion on another kind of runway - the streets of New York City. He is best known for his candid street photography, photographing 'real' people versus models, his photos appearing in the New York Times.
"The best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has been. Always will be." -Bill Cunningham
Photo Credit: Left - Zeitgeist Films, Right - Chanel by Bill Cunningham
Bill's column for The New York Times, "On the Street," featured candid photographs centered around a common theme. This article featured coats of the season. Credit: The New York Times
All credit for photos to rightful owners. To learn more about these photographers and their work, please visit their websites. https://erwinblumenfeld.com/; http://www.artnet.com/artists/howell-conant/; https://www.avedonfoundation.org/; http://peterlindbergh.foundation/; https://www.nytimes.com/by/bill-cunningham
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