Norman Parkinson: Portraits in Fashion [Hardcover]

Robin Muir (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

This elegant monograph is the first to focus exclusively on the celebrated photographer's fashion portraits.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fine reproduction of the photos and Muir's excellent essay add sturdy reinforcement.” -- Library Journal

From the Publisher

Photographer Norman Parkinson was both a superb craftsman and a consummate artist. From his Þrst shoot in 1935, he brought a dramatic glamour, bold inventiveness, and daring new sense of individuality to the fashion portrait. “If a girl looks like a model,” he said, “she is not for my lens.” Parkinson’s ideal was embodied by sitters like Jerry Hall, Iman, and Appollonia van Ravenstein. His long association with VOGUE, and his many assignments for HARPER’S BAZAAR, QUEEN, and other international magazines, brought him both fame and recognition. In return, he gave the fashion world ineffable style. This stunning volume—organized by decade and illustrated with fashion plates, portraits, and contact sheets—is a lavish record of a career that encompassed—and informed—Þve decades of fashion. Robin Muir, a fashion curator, is the co–editor of People in Vogue and Unseen Vogue.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books; First edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740661567
• ISBN-13: 978-1740661560
• ASIN: 1570762775
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,697,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pictorial biography of influential fashion photographer, September 28, 2004

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Norman Parkinson: Portraits in Fashion (Hardcover)

Beginning his career in the 1930s, the British photographer Norman Parkinson practically invented the genre of fashion photography with his bold, elegant, and imaginative photographs in the magazines Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Town and Country, and others. Robin Muir, former picture edition of the British "Vogue," follows Parkinson's career with an introduction and with an essay and gallery of representative photographs from each decade from the 1930s to the '80s. Parkinson died in 1990 while on location for a photo shoot. Parkinson managed to remain at the center of the highly-competitive field of fashion photography for the most demanding fashion magazines because his photographic genius was such that he adapted to the styles, celebrities, imagination, and interests of each decade without loosing his exceptional, uncompromising gift. His buoyant, mannerly personality going with his self-evident professionalism played a part in this. A Parkinson photograph from the 1980s stands out as clearly as one from the beginning of his career in the 1930s, as does one from any other decade. This finely-produced art book with informative and knowledgeable text and over 100 full-page photos, most in color, is a fitting commemoration of this incomparable fashion photographer who left an indelible mark on the field.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Artist, February 11, 2006

By 

Samantha Glasser "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Norman Parkinson: Portraits in Fashion (Hardcover)

Norman Parkinson was one of the most amazing photographers. His career spanned from the 1930s through the 1980s and he worked with many of the biggest celebrities of each decade and some of the most prominent magazines. His photos were artistic, clear, symmetrical, and showed a mastery of light. This book is an exhibition of his talents in fashion photography. It is forewarded by model Iman. The book overviews each decade and proceeds with amazing photographs from each era.

There are photos of major stars like Iman, Noel Coward, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Raquel Welch, Jerry Hall, Appollonia, and Bianca Jagger. There are advertisements from major magazines like Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, Life, Queen, and Town and Country.