Sabtu, 18 Januari 2014

Irving Penn.

It's no secret that I have a slight obsession with anything that happened in the Fashion/Art scene from the 1930's onwards.

In my quest for knowledge of that time, I have learned of the lives of Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Salvador Dali, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Diana Vreeland and so many others.

I think to appreciate where the fashion industry is going, you need to understand where it all began.

I think one of the most interesting parts of that era was the fact that so many of the Fashion Designers, Photographers and Artists were close friends and helped to support each other through the good times and the bad.

Did you know Salvador Dali and his wife used to holiday in Coco Chanel's villa?

I can only imagine what they would have talked about after a few glasses of vino.

How about that Christian Dior was such a huge fan of Haute Couture Designer Balenciaga's work that when he announced his retirement, Dior begged him to change his mind and continue designing.

Anyway I could go on and on about these truly magnificent people but today I wanted to talk about the iconic Photographer Irving Penn.

Irving Penn was born in 1917 in New Jersey and lived until the ripe old age of 92.

His photography style is remembered for it's elegance, simplicity and class.

He was also the first photographer to use plain grey/white backdrops on his photoshoots which are now used in every photography studio around the world.

Anyway without further ado, below are some of my personal favourites.