This book commemorates the long collaboration between couturier Azzedine Alaïa and photographer Arthur Elgort, who, working together, shaped the 1980s and actively contributed to the renewal of the representation of women.
In the 1970s, despite not yet knowing each other, Azzedine Alaïa and Arthur Elgort were about to go down the same path. The former realized that fashion had changed: it was now no longer so much in the salons that fashion had to be appreciated but in the street. The latter, Arthur Elgort, then a young photographer for the English edition of Vogue, was in the process of establishing a new vision of photography. His snapshots would soon define a lighter, more informal photographic style of great spontaneity. At the same time as the fashion designer was seeing his feminine ideal embodied in the street and worn by an ever-increasing number of clients, the photographer was leaving the studio, opening the windows, and taking over movement and cities as a natural and new setting. Both actively contributed to renewing the representation of the now assertive, determined and independent woman.
This book commemorates the long collaboration between Alaïa and Elgort. Many of the images produced by the duo are considered classics, emblematic of the late 20th century. This volume reproduces around 200 of these dynamic, playful photographs, many of which feature Alaïa himself.
Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, Paris, in 2023.
Azzedine Alaïa (1935-2017) was a French-Tunisian designer and couturier, internationally renowned for his sculptural gowns.
Arthur Elgort was born in 1940 in New York City. As a teenager he attended Stuyvesant High School and then went on to study painting at Hunter College. Finding the medium too lonely, he decided to try his hand at photography and soon discovered it was a talent. Shortly thereafter he made his debut in British Vogue in 1971. With just one shoot he created not only a sensation but a permanent place in the world of fashion photography. Arthur Elgort's relaxed and easy snapshot style was a breath of fresh air in a world where staged and stiff studio shoots with mannequin-like models were the norm. Arthur Elgort encouraged his subjects to move freely in the frame. The models he chose were lively, wore less make-up, and were simply enhanced by the natural light that he favored. Taking his models outside into the "real world," where the clothes he was being asked to photograph would be worn and put to the test, became a signature of his personal style. Arthur Elgort quickly became one of the best-known and most emulated photographers in the world. The risks that he took with his photographic style changed the idea of what a fashion photograph could be and pushed the entire industry forward. For over 50 years Arthur Elgort has been a major influence, from his Vogue covers to his luxury-brand ad campaigns, his work is an inspiration. His style and influence created infinite possibilities in the world of fashion photography which he continues to explore today from his base in New York City.
