VIM Magazine

“He was most recognizable for his fashion photography and intense editorial style in American Vogue during the 1950s and 60s. Penn's style of black and white still life portraiture helped to capture the true essence of Parisian Couture, as it showcased the structuring and tight silhouettes of the era. His photography emphasized post-war ideas of youth and opulence in new-age designers such as Christian Dior and Jacques Griffe, all the while showcasing how the modern American woman should dress after 6pm.

Irving Penn was born to immigrant parents in 1917 in Plainfield, New Jersey. He was educated through the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts, where he was exposed to applications and principles of contemporary art through magazines, exhibitions, architecture, and photography. After World War II, Penn was hired by Vogue's art director Alex Liberman. He quickly developed his signature still life and portraiture style through fashion assignments, photographing clothes from some of Paris' top couture houses, such as Christian Dior, Jean Patou, and Jacques Fath.

The Vogue years were formative to Penn's early career as he slowly started to curate his now signature style of black and white still life photography. His controlled studio environment further aided in his preference for photographing clothing, as he could trim away anything that was not essential to his compositions and hone in on his subjects (The Irving Penn Foundation). In examining his fashion compositions from the 1950s, there is an emphasis on optimism and youth, which accurately describe the post-war fashion years. Penn’s Vogue covers, for example, paid precise observation to the new, ultrafeminine silhouette that emphasized elements like high busts, wasp waists, and full skirts of satin or tulle, all of which would come to dominate the female silhouette throughout the mid-century. The rebirth of Parisian Couture also became prevalent in his black and white style, as it helped to appreciate the sophisticated structuring performed by houses like Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, and Jacques Heim. For this editorial, stylist Mackenzie Haupt tapped into the essence of 1950s fashion through hand-selected pieces like an A-line dress full of peach tulle with gathered hems and a hand-embroidered bodice of gold roses. In addition, a ball gown with a full skirt made from baby blue silk adorned with two rows of the gathered edging of the same material.

Haupt understood that to capture mid-century fashion you’d need to “keep a consistent silhouette with a tight bodice, cinched waist, and a long, flowing skirt. I thought of Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and the words elegance and poise. I knew they were working if I could picture the outfits on a red carpet in the 1950s.” Moreover, elements like ruffled sleeves and sweetheart necklines help add to the already sophisticated touch of femininity that the garments possess.

These two dresses remind us of how these structural features became the driving forces behind the revitalization of women’s clothing during the post-war years. Accessories played an essential role in reconfiguring a fresh look for women, and items like opera-length gloves and wide-brimmed hats helped add volume, height, and drama to the new silhouettes of the day, while other accessories like pearl necklaces brought with them a feeling of elegance and nostalgia to decades when opulence ran rampant. Even face veils gave modern everyday women an air of mystery and exoticism. Irving Penn’s career spanned over 60 years, curating a portfolio to include some of the most influential persons to ever lay hands on a needle and thread.

Yet, VIM Magazine pays special tribute to Penn’s work of the 1950s, not just because of his influence in photographing the revival of Parisian Couture and its rebirth from the ashes of World War II. Instead, it is Penn’s unconscious creation of a golden standard in showcasing the intricate and time-staking art form that is the world of haute couture, while simultaneously introducing that elite fashion sphere into the homes of every modern family through the pages of American Vogue so that they, too, could indulge in the fantasy of a world so familiar to himself.”

Words by Dylan Powell