In 1975, Helmut Newton was contacted by Vogue Paris; the artist was to oversee one of the season\u2019s fashion spreads. The shoot took place in a narrow little Paris street: rue Aubriot in the Marais, where the photographer had been living for 14 years. The photo session was attended by an intimate group of just 5 people: Helmut, then-chief editor Francine Crescent, a hair stylist, and two models. Newton asked Vikebe, a model who he regularly collaborated with, to incarnate a familiar figure in 19th century French art: the dandy, who \u201chas no profession other than elegance,\u201d according to Baudelaire. The idea behind the image is simple: a masculine woman, androgynous, in a Parisian street by night. \u201cLe smoking\u201d gives her power; her body language accentuates an impression of inaccessibility. A confident posture, the way she holds her cigarette, is front and center… Everything comes together to give her a man\u2019s expression, and yet, in total contrast, it\u2019s femininity to the max that\u2019s printed on this glossy paper.<\/p>\n
The photograph had to be taken at night, so as not to deprive the clients of their precious pieces. This didn\u2019t bother Helmut Newton one bit; on the contrary, the artist liked to work at night. He took the photo with no flash, using only the light from the street lamps. This is without a doubt what makes the photo so poignant and realistic. And this was the goal: even though elaborate, the image had to represent a scene that had actually taken place. Newton took on the role of a paparazzi taking a detour in this little street, capturing this instant with the greatest discretion. And yet this photo was very out of the ordinary for Helmut\u2019s style, since the woman on it was entirely clothed. Yes, Newton didn\u2019t adapt, neither to conventions nor couturiers. That\u2019s why he took a second photo. Almost identical to the one ordered by Vogue, he added a nude model wearing high heels, sensually caressing her more virile counterpart. A glacial scene that is now iconic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 1975, Helmut Newton was contacted by Vogue Paris; the artist was to oversee one of the season\u2019s fashion spreads. The shoot took place in a narrow little Paris street: rue Aubriot in the Marais, where the photographer had been living for 14 years. The photo session was attended by an intimate group of just…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,6],"tags":[1207,16349,8057,34,63,1466,2018,623,16350,1247,199],"class_list":["post-10554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion-accessories","category-ready-to-wear","tag-dandy","tag-francine-crescent","tag-helmut-newton","tag-icon","tag-icone","tag-paris","tag-photographie","tag-smoking","tag-vikebe","tag-vogue","tag-yves-saint-laurent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n