An exhibition showcasing the history of fashion photography at Condé Nast

9 May 2014

An exciting opportunity to glimpse the glamourous work of elite fashion photographers from the world's top publications

Home to haute and capital of chic, Paris is the natural choice for an elegant exhibition highlighting how photographers working with likes of Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Love and W have played key roles in shaping the evolution of fashion photography. Spanning styling from 1918 through to the present day, the exhibition at Palais Galliera, the Musée De La Mode, delivers fashion at its finest within a 10 minute walk from the four-star Hotel Amarante Champs Elysées.

The range of 150 photographic prints are mostly original and organised by seven themes in order to pull together different photographers to show the connections and influences each had within the industry and with each other. An example would be Constantin Joffé's 1945 street shot of a woman leaving her taxi, looking away as the epitome of elegance in the everyday, fast forward to 1962 and David Bailey has a young Jean Shrimpton looking unaware of her photograph being taken in a busy city street. Ending with Terry Richardson's 2001 photo in which the model smiles straight into the camera while walking down the street; all street style photographers, all showcasing the latest trends of their time but all in ways that reflect the social, lifestyle and fashion expectations of their era.

The exhibition has been curated in collaboration with art historian Nathalie Herschdorfer, who published "Coming into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast", which is not only the perfect coffee table companion but also the source of inspiration for the exhibition. From the surreal to the seductive, street styling to staged shots, it provides an exhaustive line-up of the biggest names in fashion photography and shows how their creative courses intertwine.

However if the imagery alone doesn't inspire enough wardrobe-wants, the 15 haute couture items displayed alongside the photographs will provide many daydream inducing delights from evening dresses circa 1935 à la Lanvin and Chanel, to the "Mondrian" dress by Yves Saint Laurent and the "Hommage à Vionnet" dress by Yohji Yamamoto. While pondering the past, look to the future of fashion photography with contemporary films and for further reading, why not flick through some of the finest features from their publications on a number of screens within the two reading rooms, surrounded by 50 encased magazines.

Boasting the titles of many of our favourite fashion reads, Condé Nast have been educating us in all things fabulous and famous, from models and make-up to mode must-haves, for as long as we can remember. The Editors in Chief and Artistic Directors ensured a host of talent graced their glossy pages over the years, at the start of their careers, leading to the exhibition of an incredible array of 90 leading photographers, from Bailey to Bourdin and Man Ray to Corinne Day.

With almost a century of styling, Papier Glacé, on until May the 25th, is the perfect source of shopping inspiration. If you're planning a Parisian getaway, why not discover our range of exclusive offers. Located in the heart of Paris, we offer first class service in our four-star suites and rooms, moments from the Champs Elysées.