Don’t expect model behavior from fashion photographers.
Author Michael Gross, in a new tell-all book out July 5, dishes the
dirt on the shooters rather than their subjects in an often-shocking
tale rife with bed-hopping hotties, rampant drug use and cut-throat
antics.
Gross knows his stuff, delving deep into the fascinating rivalries and
wicked manipulations that take place behind the cameras wielded by the
greats like Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel and Mario
Testino.
But in “Focus: The Secret, Sexy, Sometimes Sordid World of Fashion
Photographers,” he also tells the tale of Bert Stern — who morphed from
superstar fashion photog to homeless crazy person in the space of a
decade.
One of Stern’s first assignments was a sexually-charged 1962 shoot with
Marilyn Monroe. The star was at her sultriest, seeming to taunt him as
she slowly disrobed.
In one moment, the blond goddess dropped her scarf and stood before Stern nude as he kept clicking away.
Vogue deemed the pictures too risqué and reshot Monroe fully clothed.
But Stern’s negatives proved priceless when Monroe was found dead
shortly after the session.
His career soared, eclipsing even the great Avedon for a time. Stern,
married to ballet dancer Allegra Kent, became as well known for his
infidelities as for his photos of the era’s celebrity models like Twiggy
and Marisa Berenson.
By 1971, Stern had lost everything, including Kent and his three
children. After his second escape from a psych ward, he was reportedly
seen running away from cops with a water pistol in his hand.
Gross takes great delight in writing about Gilles Bensimon and his long reign at fashion magazine Elle.
Under Bensimon’s sway, the magazine’s cool factor ran so high that Madonna chose Elle for her first fashion cover in 2001.
The author writes gleefully about a particular rumor that followed
Bensimon through the years regarding his prodigious private parts.
Indeed, Gross seems to confirm the tale with reports of Bensimon
happily showing off his manhood — which he seemed to have trouble
keeping in his pants.
Bensimon was married to Aussie beauty Elle Macpherson, who made the
cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue a record five times. But
he wasn’t a model husband, as Bensimon was soon cheating on her.
He became obsessed in 1991 with another tall and busty model, Rachel
Williams — who dumped Bensimon after her success became too much, too
fast.
Terry Richardson
(Thibault Camus/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
He later rallied to marry model Kelly Killoren. After their divorce,
she gained fame for suffering a complete on-camera breakdown as a cast
member of “The Real Housewives of New York.”
Gross identified Bensimon as a member of the ’70s “French mob,” a randy
group of photogs that included Patrick Demarchelier, Alex Chatelain,
Pierre Houles and Mike Reinhardt.
The story was they all kept mattresses in their studios.
Christie Brinkley was an art student in Paris when she started working
with Reinhardt in 1973. He tipped Eileen Ford about the up-and-coming
model, who was soon featured by CoverGirl makeup and Sports Illustrated.
Brinkley wound up in a brief affair with Rheinhardt after she broke off
a relationship with Houles. Model Janice Dickinson, whose photos of
Brinkley first drew Houles’ attention, wound up dumped by Rheinhardt,
according to the book.
And so it goes.
Richardson made Kate Upton a superstar in videos he shot.
(TerryRichardsonTV via YouTube)
Any book promising a peek inside the “sometimes sordid” world of fashion photography can’t ignore Terry Richardson.
In 2013, it seemed Richardson’s career couldn’t grow any bigger. His
sexually provocative style garnered a long list of big name clients,
high and low, from Dior and Bulgari to Target.
Richardson’s “breastcentric” videos of Kate Upton made her a superstar.
Major celebs including Scarlett Johansson, Cameron Diaz and Kate Moss
posed in front of his camera.
His girlfriend, Audrey Gelman, was the classy spokeswoman for Manhattan
Borough President Scott Stringer. She was also Lena Dunham’s close
friend and the inspiration for the character of Marni on HBO’s hit
series “Girls.”
Miley Cyrus in "Wrecking Ball"
(MileyCyrusVEVO via YouTube)
All this was already going on when he directed the video for Miley
Cyrus’ hit, “Wrecking Ball,” with the naked singer writhing her way out
of the Disney stable of pop princesses.
Gross estimates that Richardson made $58 million in 2013. And then the allegations of sexual abuse first surfaced.
The most damaging came from Jamie Peck, a college student when she was
invited to model for Richardson. One of his more unusual requests was
that she make tea with her used tampon, according to the book.
The tales of debauchery turn more sordid from there, with equally nasty
revelations that reduced Richardson’s client list to three: Jared Leto,
Mason Reese and Tony Orlando.
Gelman left him, and Dunham tweeted an apology for the time she posed with the photographer.
No comments:
Post a Comment