Models of Influence

A Collectible Anthology of the 50 Most Inf luential Models in Fashion History

In Models of Influence, photographer, television host, and fashion authority Nigel Barker profiles fifty of the most noteworthy models from the 1940s to the present, revealing how their look or way of modeling not only made an indelible stamp on the industry but also influenced fashion design, the popular way of dress, and notions of female beauty worldwide.

Each of the book's eight chapters focuses on a distinct period, from the postwar modeling boom, which ushered in an era of models who communicated a return to glamour, to the present day, with the emergence of media-savvy models who understand the power of branding themselves to the world at large. Each entry highlights the model's background and career, exploring her unique qualities and the secret to her staying power, whether it's her physical characteristics, daring approach to image making, transformative abilities, or a particular energy that captured or even redefined the zeitgeist of fashion and culture of the time.

To complement the text, Barker has personally selected more than one hundred full-color and black-and-white photographs from the archives of the world's top fashion photographers—Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, David Bailey, Francesco Scavullo, Herb Ritts, and Mario Testino among them—to assemble a collectible anthology of many of the finest fashion images from the last seventy years.

With an engaging, informative text and a vivid collection of seminal photographs, Models of Influence is the definitive word on the subject.

With 110 full-color and black-and-white photographs

“"The new beauty bible!"”

"Nigel Barker's experience as a photographer, documentary filmmaker, and presence on America's Next Top Model and The Face, with Naomi Campbell, allows him an exceptional historical view of the cultural impact of the world's most legendary models. This elegant book is a must-read and must-have." -- Andre Leon Talley, contributing editor, Vogue "In citing and celebrating these bewitchingly photogenic women, we discover how our perception of beauty, our definition of femininity, and our objects of desire have changed over the last half century. Beauty is not eternal after all, and that's what makes its allure-and this book-so endlessly fascinating." -- Hal Rubenstein, editor, author, and designer -- Cynthia Rowley, designer "Nigel Barker has brought research, knowledge, and, above all, sensitivity, to Models of Influence.He gives the beauties of each era their rightful due and at the same time allows you to see the individual women who helped shape fashion history." -- Cathy Horyn, journalist and former New York Times fashion critic

Nigel Barker is a fashion photographer whose images have been printed in many major magazines. The host of Oxygen's The Face, Nigel was also a judge on America's Next Top Model for nine years. He directs and produces films and documentaries, many of which are devoted to his humanitarian work for organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. He lives in New York City with his wife, Cristen, and their two children, Jack and Jasmine.

A Collectible Anthology of the 50 Most Inf luential Models in Fashion History In Models of Influence, photographer, television host, and fashion authority Nigel Barker profiles fifty of the most noteworthy models from the 1940s to the present, revealing how their look or way of modeling not only made an indelible stamp on the industry but also influenced fashion design, the popular way of dress, and notions of female beauty worldwide. Each of the book's eight chapters focuses on a distinct period, from the postwar modeling boom, which ushered in an era of models who communicated a return to glamour, to the present day, with the emergence of media-savvy models who understand the power of branding themselves to the world at large. Each entry highlights the model's background and career, exploring her unique qualities and the secret to her staying power, whether it's her physical characteristics, daring approach to image making, transformative abilities, or a particular energy that captured or even redefined the zeitgeist of fashion and culture of the time. To complement the text, Barker has personally selected more than one hundred full-color and black-and-white photographs from the archives of the world's top fashion photographers--Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, David Bailey, Francesco Scavullo, Herb Ritts, and Mario Testino among them--to assemble a collectible anthology of many of the finest fashion images from the last seventy years. With an engaging, informative text and a vivid collection of seminal photographs, Models of Influence is the definitive word on the subject. With 110 full-color and black-and-white photographs

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