The photography of Ellen von Unwerth – A Study

Ellen von Unwerth is one of the most important fashion photographers of her time. If you have yet to discover the provocative tastes and fantastic talents of this circus performer / fashion model-turned photographer, I really recommend you do. I have been a fan of hers for quite some time (I used to buy The Face a lot in the 90′s) and I was reunited with her talents when I came across this shoot of Emma Watson for VS magazine’s SS10 issue, earlier this year.

Ellen von Unwerth has one of the most prolific careers of any fashion photographer. She was born in Germany in the mid ’50′s and has photographed some of the most beautiful and stylish women in the world for magazines like, Arena, The Face, I-D, Vanity Fair and Vogue. She took to the other side of the camera in the 80′s photographing her model friends, but it was the Guess Jeans campaign that made her and subject, Claudia Schiffer, fashion forces to be reckoned with.

Throughout her astounding career, using images of powerful femininity, she has pushed the boundaries in fashion photography. Think cigarette smoking, Betty Paige lookalikes wearing top hats, stockings and smudged red lipstick. To get more of an insight into how this fantastic artist creates her iconic images read this interview here. Otherwise, simply scroll through the images here representing a small collection of some of her work.

Chronologically.

Kate Moss by Ellen von Unwerth “Charming Lolita” Shoot Vogue Italia, 1992.

Kate Moss by Ellen von Unwerth “Charme!” Shoot for Vogue Italia, 1992.

Winona Ryder by Ellen von Unwerth, 1994.

Juliette Lewis by Ellen von Unwerth for The Face, 1994.

Liv Tyler by Ellen von Unwerth for Vogue Italia, circa 1995.

Nadja Auermann by Ellen von Unwerth, 1996.

Milla Jovovich by Ellen von Unwerth, 1997.

Chloe Sevigny by Ellen von Unwerth, 1999.

Vanessa Paradis by Ellen von Unwerth, 2002.

Britney Spears by Ellen von Unwerth, 2003.

Charlotte Gainsbourg by Ellen von Unwerth, 2006.

Marion Cotillard by Ellen von Unwerth, 2006.

John Galliano and Eva Green by Ellen von Unwerth, for Madame Figaro magazine, 2007.

All images compiled by William McFadden at home.frognet.net

Sharon Stone for Spanish Vogue Causes Conflict

My friend recently returned from a trip to Spain and I asked him to pick me up a copy of Vogue España on his way through the airport. He graciously did so and even though, me hablo no Espanol, Vogue is Vogue and the spreads are always stunning no matter what language or country they are shot in. I also feel that Spanish women are underestimated when it comes to European style and I’m often inspired by the way they dress.

Ironically though, it is American actress, Sharon Stone who is the cover star and I was blown away by the 16 page feature inside. It sees the 51 year old actress “Clad in black leather, studs and [thigh-high] boots… [she] plays a dramatic role for Vogue; [the] wildest of her life”. I pour over the pictures, some of which include her brother Mike and can’t believe not only how beautiful Sharon Stone looks but also the amazing styling throughout the shoot. I was just saying to a pal of mine last week that I was getting a little tired of the Rock Chic look but after seeing, this I’m taking that back immediately. From Balmain to American Apparel the pieces and styling in this shoot are all incredible.

I have an issue though, my conflict is the old photoshopping debate. Now, I am under no illusion that Sharon Stone doesn’t look absolutely fantastic for a woman of 20 years her junior let alone 51. Her picture from the red carpet at Cannes is proof alone that she looks fantastic. My question is, is it right to promote pictures that seem to be so obviously photoshopped? I have already said here that it’s the styling as well as the subject herself that has prompted me to blog about this shoot but would I have been so enamoured had the lens interpretation been more accurately represented in print? I doubt it. But so what? As far as I can tell the images have been photoshopped, for heaven’s sake her legs look like the plastic perfection of a shop mannequin, but Sharon Stone is not a mannequin, she’s not even a model.

The argument then should be why use an actress to feature in a fashion shoot, why not just do some au natural shots and leave the fashion shoots to the models?

Look to Love – Sienna Miller

Okay, don’t hate me here; I’m looking at the fashion alone… but I adore this Thakoon Resort 2010 dress! I reckon Sienna Miller has risen once again in the style stakes. Her sartorial choices seemed to fail miserably after the collapse of boho but she has risen from the ashes of her gypsy skirts triumphantly. Her recent promotional campaign for G.I. Joe (or G.I. Joan as a friend of mine called it last week!) proved that she can still pull-off a decent outfit or two. (The less said about the movie the better though). Last night’s NYC premier of fashion documentary film, The September Issue, had the red carpet a-jumping and Sienna stole the show, not mention broke the ice that is the usual demeanor of the film’s star. Anna Wintour appeared to joke about with the actress as the pair posed for pics at the event.

The subject of the documentary is the creation of US Vogue’s September issue. It is the magazines biggest yearly edition and Sienna is this years cover star.

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Teen Vogue and the English Rose… Emma Watson Style

Emma Watson is continuing her whirlwind tour of international fashion magazines looking nothing less than like the exquisite English rose that she is. The latest magazine to have Ms Watson grace its front cover is Teen Vogue as part of a shoot they are calling Emma Enchanted. Photographed at this beautiful stately home in England, the actress wore a fabulous array of pieces from the AW09 catwalks including D&G and Burberry Prorsum among others.

Emma Watson  really is one of the most fabulous young women in the media to style-watch. Her obvious passion for clothes and her specific tastes always seem to come out in which ever magazine she is being shot for. This Teen Vogue one though, for me at least, seems to sum-up the actresses media persona. A video on the Teen Vogue website from the shoot sees Emma explain that she’s a big fan of the mag. She explains, “Their styling is always really creative…I think it’s really innovative, I’ve really loved everything that I’ve worn today. More pics and info…

High Fashion Follows Us

It seems that even the big glossies (Elle and UK Vogue at least) are not only following what going on on the catwalk but is also listening to what is going on on the sidewalk. Both magazines have made a feature considering attainable fashion, meaning that in the world of Haute Couture journalism the powers that be have deemed that cheap is chic.

Known for it’s high-end fashion content, magazines like Elle and Vogue almost always feature pieces that the average Joe(sephine) will never be able to attain, and we can only look upon these pieces and take inspiration from them. But as the times change, dressing audaciously is very much non-trend this month sees Elle feature a “New Section! STYLE FOR LESS,” which comes across as a slightly over-excitable title, in which they cover high-street swimwear, a daring leap… On a more interesting note, this month also sees UK Vogue do a feature called “More Dash than Cash - Tux Redux”, which is basically a shoot that has seen the new trend of wearing something crazy glamorous like and sequins or feathers or sparkling jewels and dressing down with funky accessories, edgy make-up and abstract animal prints. Creating layers of colour, texture and vibes all in one outfit. The shoot includes pieces from stores like Miss Selfridge, Next, Aldo and River Island, it’s incredible to think that stores like this produce pieces that not only we can afford but that are featured in the pages of glossy magazines. Here are the shots:

click on the thumbnails below for more pics…