Through generations and magazine covers , Models Matter, edited by the well-known French stylist Christopher Niquet, explores a multi-layered history of feminine beauty, from Jean Shrimpton to Jerry Hall, Naomi Campbell to Linda Evangelista, muses for extraordinary fashion lensmen like Steven Meisel, Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon.
The first time I saw Donna Mitchell was on a rainy, gloomy New York winter’s day. I spotted her two blocks away on East 57th Street, walking toward me in a huge black cape, long crazy hair, full face of makeup, lost in her own film noir. Models used to prep themselves, at home; she was probably on her way to a booking. I was fifteen, and as she passed me by I fell under her spell. It was as if she had stepped out of one of my issues of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar.
I have loved models since fourth grade. In the Sixties and Seventies they were not household names. They were not credited in the magazines; they had no platform, no social media. Thanks to the magic of New York, I’d see them randomly all the time: Samantha Jones waiting for the elevator at Saks, Marisa Berenson outside my high school, Loulou de la Falaise just passing by. Gradually, I summoned up the courage to take pictures of them in the street, without asking permission. When my cousin offered to take me to Sokolsky’s studio, I was petrified, but of course I went. I ended up spending the whole time in the hair and makeup room. I was fascinated by the preparation process, the creation.
I’m often asked what special quality makes a model. I can’t answer that question; I just feel it. If I have one talent, this is it: I know instinctively how she will respond to my camera. A great model is a great thespian who puts her trust in me. She takes my cues and adds her own vibrato; this transcends us both. During the golden age of Christy, Naomi, and Linda, my all-white studio on Park Avenue was nicknamed the Clinic. There, we performed a kind of alchemy. It was a place to create, a place to discover. I am forever grateful to those hardworking souls who let me pluck out their eyebrows and cut or dye their hair. Who had the grace and courage to trust me.
Nowadays, models have become overexposed, marketed, disposable. Fashion is still obsessed with the young and the new. Yet, glamour ages well! It was a great pleasure to put Lauren Hutton back to work at forty-six, for Barneys. Incredible, too, to work with the legends of the Sixties and Seventies: Peggy Moffitt, Veruschka, Wallis Franken.
It saddens me that so many voiceless faces from the Fifties to the late Eighties have faded into oblivion. Until I met Christopher Niquet, I thought I was their only admirer, the only archivist of their stories. The fact that someone as young as Christopher cares about Susan Moncur’s legacy is cause for amazement, relief, and hope. These women deserve our recognition. They were all so unique, so talented, so passionate about their craft. How could I forget them?
As Linda Evangelista once said, “I serve.” This never ceases to humble me.
Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel is an American fashion photographer considered one the most successful in the industry, regularly shooting for Vogue or W. This excerpt was published in the introduction to the book.
Christopher Niquet, Models Matter
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