Editorial #9 - Richard Avedon's Fantastic Fable

Richard Avedon's Fantastic Fable

This is an incredible fashion editorial photographed by Richard Avedon in November 1995.  The editorial has a Tim Burton feel with bright colours teamed with a dark but humourous shadow of death in each photograph.

At this time there photographs were cutting edge and pushing the boundaries of fashion photography.

The New Yorker devoted a large portion of their magazine to Avedon's work. It was a timeless fable involving two characters, Mr. & Mrs. Comfort, and their tumultuous love affair. Many believed that this reflected Avedon's disillusionment with contemporary fashion, reducing it to a dance with death.

My Modern Met - Alice

This photo is so sexy.  The models make-up is beautiful and her headpiece amazing.  I love the framing of the shot where the model is the main focus however, it is the skeletal hand holding the money that makes the photo so incredible.  would you agree?

This photograph reminds me for some reason of the Pygmalian narrative by Ovid where he creates the most perfect women out of stone.  This photograph looks like he is admiring a masterpiece, the women, who looks as if she is a stone sculpture.

This photograph reminds me of the poem Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning.  In the poem the man for love of the women and his desire to keep her forever as his own and no-one else's strangles her with her own hair to keep her all for himself.

In one long yellow string I wound

Three times her little throat around,

And strangled her. No pain felt she;

I am quite sure she felt no pain.

As a shut bud that holds a bee,

I warily oped her lids: again

Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.

This dress on the left is amazing with the trail that completely encircles the skeleton.  It is also so beautiful the way she is holding her leg up.

The way the model is holding her face is incredible.  The passion and the way she is clenching the skeletons jacket is amazing.  It actually she looks like she is in love with the skeleton.  I love it.  Its amazing the model could make being in love with a skeleton look so amazing.

Let me know what you think of this fashion editorial and whether you agree that it is amazing!

xxk

honey.pie