Photograph of Kate Moss by Tim Walker, one of the famous fashion photographers that worked with Grace Coddington at Vogue in  From Grace: The American Vogue Years and Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016

ART| BOOK REVIEW

Grace Coddington, former editor, stylist and creative director at Vogue, celebrates some of the greatest fashion photographers that worked with her at Vogue in Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016.

BY KAZAD

Bruce Weber, 1984. Hair by Didier Malige. Hair, Didier Malige. Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue here and Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016

Saving Grace- My- Fashion- Archive- 1968-2016. Format: Two hardcover books in a clamshell box
Size: 393 × 304 mm, 12 x 15 1/2 in
Pages: 816 pp (2 books)
Number of Illustrations: 605

Famous fashion photographers who have worked with Grace Coddington will enthusiastically talk about her intense attention to details and impeccable taste.  As the editor, stylist and creative director at Vogue, Coddington strove for excellence and brought out the best in photographers that worked with her.

Phaidon’s new stunning two-book collection spanning Coddington’s career shows why she is celebrated for her powerful visual narratives.  Titled Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016, this book is designed in close collaboration with Grace Coddington and Michael Roberts.

LIFESTYLE| READ ALSO: Japanese Fashion Designers Celebrate Innovative Designs

Every effort went into making this book unique and beautiful. Encased in an elegant clamshell box with a pattern of silkscreened drawings and painted gold trim are two volumes of Grace Coddington’s collected works: Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue and Grace: The American Vogue Years.

 Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016 features more than 600 images by famous fashion photographers.  Coddington’s most beloved fashion stories and important behind-the-scenes pictures augment the images. Some of the images in this collection are becoming known for the very first time. They include photographs by famous fashion photographers like Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, and Patrick Demarchelier.

This book shows Coddington dedication to work and an unflinching desire for perfection. It is evident why Anna Wintour described her as a ‘legend with the best eye in the business’ and selected as one of TIME’s  100 most influential icons.

Although now an international celebrity and icon, Coddington reluctantly stepped into the limelight. Before 2009, she was only known to the fashion set. However, in 2009, she attained a celebrity status. Her role in the documentary film The September Issue exposed her diligence and drive for excellence to the whole world. Her charm also captivated many hearts. Suddenly, Coddington who had for years abhorred limelight became an international star.

Grace Coddington

Coddington relocated to the United States from the United Kingdom in 1986. Born in Welsh, Coddington was passionate and dedicated in her role as editor, stylist, and creative director at Vogue.  For more than three decades, she pursued her desire for excellence.  After nearly thirty years as the creative director of Vogue US, Coddington moved on to a new role as creative director-at-large for the magazine.  Here are a few of Grace Coddington’s greatest fashion photographers from the Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016.

Tim Walker

Tim Walker: Maja Salamon, Ola Rudnicka, Codie Young, Esmerelda Seay-Reynolds, Nastya Sten, Sasha Luss, Alexandra Kivimäki, and Alice Cornish in paper dresses and jewelry created by Rhea Thierstein. Hair, Julien d’Ys; makeup, Lucia Pieroni; production design, Rhea Thierstein; London, May 2014. From Grace: The American Vogue Years and Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016

In Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016, Grace Coddington eulogized some of her greatest fashion photographers. Tim Walker is one of Coddington’s favorite famous fashion photographers.  She describes him thus: Tim thrives on his fantasy world, bringing to life a sense of old-fashioned charm, meticulous in all its detail. He can be exceptionally tenacious: once he gets an idea in his head, he’s like a dog with a bone and simply won’t let go. Fortunately, this usually works to our advantage.”

David Sims

David Sims: Sasha Pivovarova in Alexander McQueen. Hair, Guido; makeup, Diane Kendal; London, September 2008. From Grace: The American Vogue Years and Saving Grace Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016

David Sims is another of Grace Coddington’s greatest fashion photographers.  Often described as a minimalist, Sims focus is on the essential and nothing more. For him, every aspect of the model, including accessories must unify as one. Coddington’s describes Sims thus: David has no interest in the superfluous and is instinctively inclined to strip down a fashion photograph to its minimum, leaving only what is strictly necessary, such as volume and silhouette.”

Bruce Weber

Bruce Weber, Brittany, 1984. From Grace. Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue here and Saving Grace: My Fashion Archive 1968-2016

Bruce Weber holds a special place in Grace Coddington’s successful career at Vogue. An accomplished photographer and filmmaker knew his way around town. Therefore, when Grace Coddington arrived in New York in 1987, he took it upon himself to show her around town. He inserted her into the New York art scene, introducing her to work of such artists as Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Weston, and Andrew Wyeth.

An accomplished fashion photographer, Bruce Weber was already well-known before Coddington arrived in New York in 1987. He had made a name for himself shooting masterful campaigns for Calvin Klein and editorial pieces for GQ and others. Nonetheless, he was open to new ideas and worked successfully with Coddington.

Weber’s images show a combination of art and aesthetics. His relationship with art and life influenced his work.  Each work is an extension of him.   Coddington described Weber thus: ” Whenever Bruce takes a picture of is likely to become part of his life, which is a vast universe  of American hideaways, musicians and movies, sports heroes, art and photography, and dogs.”

Join the art conversation: Share your thoughts and comments. Facebook– Twitter–Google+