Rankin | Seven Photographs That Changed The Fashion World
In this class, we watched a video about the photographer known as Rankin. In this video, Rankin looked at seven photographs which changed the fashion world and successfully recreated them with his own models and equipment.
The first image is from photographer Cecil Beaton. Rankin recreated the 1934 photo from Vogue of the white Panama hat. "Beaton brought to it his typical wit and elegance so that what she is wearing is secondary to the beauty of the image." Rankin had help from pop star and model, Sophie Ellis Bextor as his model as she was perfect for the 1930s and 1940s look.
Second Image - Erwin Blumenfeld, 1950s Vogue. "Blumenfield was all about visual experimentation. He was an innovative fashion photographer of his era and a pioneer for colour photography. His stunning Vogue cover in 1950 shows the influence of the surrealist but also shows the excitement of the country looking forward to the next century," Heidi Klum was chosen to be the muse for this shoot because of her chameleon tendencies and fame.
Third Image - Richard Avedon, 1955, "Dovima With Elephants". "Classic styling with energy and creative spirit. Daring, stylish and ambitious, his pictures reflected the optimism of 50s America and turned him into the first celebrity fashion photographer. His status was confirmed by Funny Face, a film based on Avedon but was was made famous for starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. His photo of a model with elephants that was in Harpers Bazaar in 1955.” Rankin chose supermodel Erin O'Connor for this recreation because of her tall and thin figure.
Fourth Image - David Bailey, 1963, Jean Shrimpton. "Before Bailey, fashion photography in Britain was still a gentleman's trade however he broke through all that bringing an energy, charm and incredible life to his images. Bailey is the perfect fashion photographer combining technical brilliance with sheer force of personality to create photos that have a sense of total spontaneity. He created some of the most iconic images of the 60s and most of them were with his muse and girlfriend, Jean Shrimpton.” Rankin chose to recreate the image from Vogue in 1963 with his own girlfriend, Tuuli Shipster.
Fifth Image - Helmut Newton, 1975, "Le Smoking”, original model. "In the era of sexual liberation, pornography going mainstream and conventions being challenged; Newton's voyeuristic images of strong women in often highly charged sexual scenarios often captured the new mood. His pictures also suggested that fashion photographs could be more than just a beautiful snapshot. His images felt like frames from a slightly seedy film and moved fashion photography forward again.” The photo taken for Vogue in 1975 is the one that Rankin recreated with an androgynous and mysterious feel. This was taken in the Rue Aubriot in Paris outside Newton's apartment. Rankin went back to the same street for his shoot and used models, Jade Parfitt and Mollie Gondi.
Sixth Image - Herb Ritts, 1984, "Fred with Tires". "Ritts' work has been described as so dark you can see the shadows and the light. He wanted to make beautiful images with beautiful people and in doing so was responsible for the way men were portrayed in fashion. His image 'Fred With Tyres' which was about workers in denim was shown in Italian Vogue in 1984 and caused quite a stir.” To recreate this image, Rankin used top male model David Gandy who is the face of Dolce and Gabanna.
Seventh Image - Guy Bourdin. "His highly saturated look and dramatic scenario seem to suggest some hidden tension or trauma. His influence is incredible not just in photography but in pop culture.” He chose to recreate Bourdin's 1970 Vogue cover as it captures the sleazy glamour of his work that has none of the admiration of women which is normally seen in traditional fashion photos. He used model and socialite, Daphne Guinness to pose for this shoot.
