Model vs. MODEL: Nigel Barker draws the line in his latest book
It is a book for both the fashion curious (What is a Twiggy?) and the fashion savvy — as it also discusses the evolution of beauty ideals from the perspective of an insider.
I don’t remember how I came to understand what a model is, or what differentiates her from everyone else in whatever magazine I was flipping through. At some point I saw a photo of Amber Valletta, in a Calvin Klein Escape ad, and thought: “This woman is so scary.” Still, I couldn’t stop staring. Later on I would learn what that “scary” look was on a TV show called America’s Next Top Model — it was “fierce.” It’s when you look angry but pretty, and you have to “smize” to achieve it. The show introduced to our generation not only new words we never thought we’d ever need to use, but also a cast of characters that taught women, and later on, men, how to be a model. This included, as the Tyra Banks introduction goes, “noted fashion photographer” Nigel Barker, who recently released his second book, Models of Influence.
Both Amber and Tyra are in the book, along with 48 other women who, as its tagline notes, have reset the course of fashion. “The books starts in the early 1940s and showcases the works of the most celebrated photographers from every decade including such illustrious names as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, William Klein, David Bailey, William Claxton, Bert Stern, Stan Shaffer, Helmut Newton, Scavullo, Stan Malinowski, Bruce Weber, Gilles Bensimon, Herb Ritz, Michael Thompson, Arthur Elgort, Mario Testino, Ellen Von Unwerth, Sante D’Orazio, Mikael Jansson, Patrick Demarchelier, Corinne Day, Max Vadukul, Tesh, Matt Jones, Regan Cameron, Guy Aroch, Inez and Vinoodh, Cliff Watts, Terry Richardson, Sebastian Faena, Simon Emmett and me,” Barker says.
It is a book for both the fashion curious (What is a Twiggy?) and the fashion savvy — as it also discusses the evolution of beauty ideals from the perspective of an insider. In the introduction, he writes, “Models have moved us over the years to think and see the world differently. They hold up a mirror to society and show us where we are and where we still have room to grow. What is considered beautiful evolves, but it’s very often through models and fasion that we come to understand beauty in the context of our time, and by extension, within ourselves.” It is from this statement that the book flows through its eight chapters: “The Golden Age,” “The Cult of Personality,” “The Beauty Revolution,” “The Million-Dollar Faces,” “The Supermodels,” “The Androgynes,” “The Noughties” and “The Contemporaries.” Each category — periods in the modeling industry — chronicles the careers of top models who have dominated them.
Every model who has ever made us want to buy a bottle of perfume, wear boyfriend jeans, get a pixie cut; every model who has convinced us that full eyebrows look good, that rail-thin is no longer in, that being a dork is sexy; everyone from Kate Moss to Kate Upton is in it. In an interview with The STAR, Barker talks about what makes a “model of influence,” the social media factor, and, of course, taking photographs of beautiful people.
Beauty is a subject that he goes all nerdy over. “There has been much debate over the years as to what makes the perfect face,” he says. “The Pythagoreans even created a theory called the Golden Section (or Golden Ratio) suggesting that certain distances between various facial features like the eyes, the nose from the lips and chin, etc., add up to the perfect face. This theory was by all accounts applied to creating Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and even the ‘Mona Lisa.’ However, I would argue that perhaps unlike a painting or sculpture, we are not still, posed models. And although a photo is a still shot, it is a moment caught in time and only worth the story it tells. So I would like to put forward the argument that it is in fact the confidence, the motivation, the energy, the sense of humor, the attitude that we find alluring which when added together allows us to be spontaneous in a photo which is something we all strive to be and that is in essence what being photogenic means,” he says.
He adds that this energy is what makes a photoshoot memorable — but that of all the photoshoots he’s ever done, there is one that made him fall in love with his job. That would be the first time he worked with his future wife, Cristen.
“I have had many memorable photo shoots — with bulls in Barcelona, on top of bridges in Sydney, on the beaches of Phuket, with wild animals, with rock stars and celebrities and many with supermodels old and young! But as far as the one that made me fall in love with my job… that would be when I was about 22 years old and I met Crissy. We had only just met and I photographed her outside my apartment in Milan, Italy. I had only recently started shooting with any direction, but when I turned my lens on this young beauty, I fell in love. She became my muse and still is to this day. There isn’t an expression, a laughter line or crease that I don’t know intimately well through my lens. I knew after that first shoot that I never wanted to put my camera down.”
Since that time, Barker has worked with a lot of beautiful women — many of which he included in Models of Influence. Selecting who goes into the book was more than just about beauty, however. “There were times when I had to choose between one model or another, and ultimately it came down to who did what first and in what way they specifically affected the world at large to perceive beauty differently. I was looking for women who were pioneers and trailblazers in the worlds of fashion and beauty,” he shares.
“Having worked for so many years and so closely with so many extraordinary supermodels like Twiggy, Elle Macpherson, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Paulina Porizkova, Janice Dickinson, Coco Rocha, Iman, Alek Wek, etc., it was fantastic to be able to tell their story in a way that was bigger than just the fact that they were successful, but rather why and how they made such an impact and what that impact was.”
What makes a model of influence?
In the book, Barker cites aristocratic beauties like Bettina Graziani and Dovima from the 1950s, models who are far from being the girl-next-door, and the final chapter includes Coco Rocha, who Barker says “claims to hold the Guinness World Record for the highest number of usable poses in one minute,” and Cara Delevigne, whom Karl Lagerfeld calls “the Charlie Chaplin of the fashion world,” — both of whom the public know like they literally are the girls next door, thanks to Instagram and Twitter.
“I am a big fan of the 1950s era or the Golden Age of modeling because it really is a very distinct and classy time of both fashion and style. Classic timeless elegance was the order of the day and the photography from that period is like no other and rarely ever replicated, as models these days are much more approachable and real. There’s something supernatural about the poise and perfection from that time period,” Barker shares. But the industry has changed since, and so has its audience. “Probably the most interesting trend in the modeling world is the effect social media is playing in the business. Models who take advantage of their social media platforms and build large followings are far more likely to become successful. Whereas before, new faces were selected by photographers, designers and editors, now the latest finds are often scouted by we the people who follow, like and friend various social media characters turning them in to celebrities and models.”
Both Rocha and Delevigne, along with other models in The Contemporaries, like Liu Wen, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone and Karlie Kloss, have that relatable charm and a communicative nature that make them such online hits. It also doesn’t hurt that they all have unique personal style — on and especially off-duty.
Barker explains, “Models have always been ones to watch as far as personal style goes. That is one of the reasons they become inspirational muses for photographers, designers and editors alike. It’s not about wearing the current trends but more about being an individual and making your own style statement. Models like Twiggy, Lauren Hutton, Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss and Kristen McMenamy are great examples of models in Models of Influence who really helped change the way we define what is acceptable, possible and even beautiful.”
So what makes a model of influence? What do all these 50 models have in common? “You have to be prepared to take risks, make a difference, stand out and stand for something,” he says. “The question is who are you? All the models in this book have a strong sense of character and personality that separate them from the crowd. Being pretty is fine, but in the modeling business, not really special. Let yourself be known.”
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Models of Influence by Nigel Barker is available at National Book Store.
