Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photograpy review

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up buying this book since an E-reader just doesn’t cut it when it comes to books about photography and fashion. When it comes to books about fashion and photography I much prefer to own a physical copy, publishers often go all out even just for the cover, Icons of Style’s cover has this special feel almost like a soft fabric or one of those 3D optical illusion cards.

It’s difficult to write a review for such a beautiful book. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Paul Martineau to select the photographs featured in this book. The photographs are so beautiful and some are a little risqué. I’m also glad that the photographs aren’t split in half as some publishers do it really ruins a perfect photograph. No matter how hard I try my review can’t do this book justice so you’ll just have to buy it!

We also get a history lesson when it comes to the editors for magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. For me it was a joy to see some of the dresses designed by Dior, Schiaparelli and Charles James. Everyone who worked on this book did an outstanding job!

This is the book to have on your shelf if you love fashion and photography!

The cover was shot by Sarah Moon who started out as a model and became a fashion photographer in the seventies. Sarah was the first woman who shot the famous Pirelli calendar in 1972.

Fashion photography wasn’t seen as a form of art in the early beginning but it produced so many iconic images that we do see it as a form of art these days. This book is a must have for anyone aspiring to become a fashion photographer and fashion lovers.

We start our journey in 1911 when Edward Steichen accepted a dare by Lucien Vogel publisher of Jardin des Modes to shoot artistic fashion photographs. Steichen’s work was soon featured in the magazine Art et Décoration in april of 1911. Edward Steichen was a genius and for me he is the one who paved the way for other fashion photographers.

We travel through the century with more photographs by famous photographers such as Herb Ritts, Hiro, Melanie Pullen, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Cecil Beaton, Man Ray, Horst P. Horst, Lusha Nelson, Viviane Sassen and so many more.

Melvin Sokolsky for Harper’s Bazaar in 1963