Christian Dior’s Junon gown from the designer’s 1949 collection, which also featured gowns by the names of Venus and Hera, is constructed with a skirt of beaded ombré petals resembling peacock feathers, a bird possessing classical symbolism through its associations with the Queen of the Olympians. The ball gown, housed at The Costume Institute
Erwin Blumenfeld photographed a reportedly unharnessed Lisa Fonssagrives swinging her Lucien Lelong dress off the side of the Eiffel Tower in celebration of the monument’s fiftieth anniversary for French Vogue in 1939. In August of 2009, the subscriber cover of Harper’s Bazaar shot by Peter Lindbergh portrayed Kate Winslet in a similar fashion, wearing a Ralph Lauren gown in
A pioneer for African American women, Josephine Baker is commonly associated with her seductive banana dance performance at the Folies Bergère, costumed in a skimpy skirt constructed with a string of artificial bananas. In 2006, Beyonce payed tribute to Baker by sporting her own version of a banana skirt for the Fashion
Steven Meisel looked to the 1967 film Belle du Jour for Vanity Fair’s December 2008 cover featuring Kate Winselt, describing the actress as “Deneuvely” in her risque ensemble. The 2012 Dior Timepiece campaign shot by Patrick Demarchelier stars Dior spokesmodel Charlize Theron seductively posed in a similar state of dishabille apart from the white
In accordance with his passion for photographing still lifes and floral vanitas, Irving Penn photographed Shalom Harlow in a floral creation by milliner Philip Treacy and dress by Richard Tyler for Vogue in April 1, 1995. Terry Richardson’s 2012 September Harper’s Bazaar cover features Gwen Stefani topped similarly in an oversized floral hat by Alexis Mabille
With a background in reportage and sports photography, Hungarian photographer Martin Munkasci became a pioneer in active, candid-style fashion photography. Puddle Jumper by Munkasci was published in Harper’s Bazaar in 1934 and has become one of the most recognized images in fashion photography. In 1957, Richard Avedon, who would also revolutionize fashion photography through dynamic,
Regarded for his skill to capture even the slightest sartorial detail, Irving Penn frequently photographed his muse and wife, Lisa Fonssagrives, who represented the beauty ideal of the period now referred to as the golden age of couture. In this photograph published in Vogue’s September 15, 1950 issue, Fonssagrives wears a gown
Kees van Dongen painted The Corn Poppy in 1919, which features the fashionable female of the period sporting cropped hair, thick eye make-up and a red lip. In 1959, English photographer Norman Parkinson payed homage to the fauvist painting with his photograph entitled After van Dongen, published in the November, 1959 issue of Vogue. The