We enter through a large door, then discover with relish the innner working of the fashion house . Haute couture is the stuff dreams are made of, and Gérard Uféras’ photographs plunge the viewer into the dreamworld of Dior. What happens behind the boutique windows? What goes into a collection? The photographs exude the precise handiwork, the details and the objects of their creators. We discover the ateliers with their sketchbooks and managers. Then, little by little, the dresses slowly take form, as human models replace the lifeless Stockman mannequins, the hands of the seamstresses are draped in silk veils that match the grace of the long-legged beauties.
After a gentle series, where silence reigns, calm and voluptuous, a dozen pages stand out from the others. The texture of the images changes. Uféras photographs a series of objects belonging to the seamstresses, thimbles and sewing kits. The rhythm increases, their faces are deep in concentration, the teams gear up, we marvel at the preparations that go into a piece of embroidery. Then come the models trying on the clothes, then the “denouement,” the presentation of the dresses, the introduction of the color, the choice of crimson red that cuts through shades of grey . As the book shuts, our mind still wanders…
Gérard Uféras lives and works in his hometown Paris. In 1986, he participated in the creation of the Agence VU’. His worked regularly appears in the press. In 1993, he joined Rapho agency. Starting in 2001, he became interested in shooting behind the scenes in the worlds of theatre and fashion.
Sophie Hedtmann
Dior, 30, avenue Montaigne
Photos de Gérard Uféras
Texte de Jérôme Hanover
En librairie déc. 2012
252 pages
24 x 32 cm
ISBN : 978-2-909953-16-8
49 €
