The beach was a frequent mise-en-scène for Herb Ritts photographs, which often featured nude, sometimes gowned, statuesque women emerging from the ocean or sprawled out amongst the sand. In 1987, Herb–short for Herbert–would photograph Danish model Brigitte Nielsen on a beach in Malibu. Swathed in a fisherman’s net, she appears a siren or mermaid, freshly washed ashore. For the 2001 GQ Calendar, Italian photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri looked to the Ritts image when photographing Monica Bellucci similarly sheathed in a black net on the sand.

Brigitte Nielsen with Netting, Malibu by Herb Ritts, 1987

Monica Bellucci by Gian Paolo Barbieri, GQ 2001 Calendar