British Vogue collectors are definitely familiar with the shots taken by photographer Eugene “Gene” Vernier, so they will be happy to know that a soon to be released volume entitled Vernier: Fashion, Femininity & Form (Hirmer Verlag) is going to celebrate his images, uncovering also quite a few previously unknown facts about his life.
Born in 1920, as a young soldier in the Free French Army Vernier was trained in photography and cine-photography. He had his first experiences as cine cameraman in North Africa and then worked for Pathé News.
These vitally important steps in his early career helped him developing a photo documentary eye and a sensibility that was to prove completely different from the more glossy and glamorous one displayed by more famous fashion photographers.
Vernier started working for Vogue between 1954 to 1967, a key period of time for fashion all over the world and the book includes more than one hundred images from these years, all taken from Vogue's photo archive and selected by Vernier himself before he died in December 2011, plus a few commercial and advertising images.
The photographs feature famous models from those times such as Celia Hammond, Jean Shrimpton, Tania Mallet, and Jill Kennington, all wearing pieces by iconic designers.
Vernier became known for adding his very personal touch to his pictures: sometimes his own car or race horse appeared in the background of some images, while in later years he developed a passion for dogs. Apparently, the main reason for giving to his models a canine companion was because in some cases the dog's colour or shape called to his mind the design donned by the model and seemed to enhance the main subject.
The volume also includes revealing behind-the-shoots stories plus commentary by fashion history expert Becky E. Conekin, formerly Course Director at the London College of Fashion, and currently Senior Lecturer in History at Yale University, and by Vogue historian and essayist Robin Muir.
The best thing about the book is that, thanks to QR codes, it also allows to go online and watch some newsreels by Vernier (check out for example this video entitled "Germany's Food" to get an idea of Vernier's early camera work).
Definitely uninterested in the cult of celebrity (a lesson that will hopefully inspire many young street style/fashion photographers out there as much as Vernier's background in reportage...), Vernier always made sure that there was a perfect mix between models, clothes and location and that the models and their garments looked at their best.
A final note about this volume regards the best quote about Vernier, that comes courtesy of model Tania Mallet (who later on in her life became a Bond girl): “With his Pathé background he was more Cartier Bresson than Cecil Beaton combining photo reportage and fashion to create a new look.”
Vernier: Fashion, Femininity & Form will be out on 22nd October 2012 on Hirmer Verlag.
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