This book is gorgeous and it brings together art history (costume, fashion and fashion photography) and stunning visuals to help you better understand the information. It balances the amount of information with the pictures you get and that really makes the book stand out.

I really wish the font for the writing wasn't as smaller, it was a bit difficult to read and it makes the information to seem dense and too much, but it's not!

This book gives you an overview of fashion and especially fashion photography from its beginning until today. You can see really a lot of different styles and photographers, therefore this book is really inspiring for everybody interested in art, photography or fashion.

It took me a while to get through, yet it was such a rewarding reading experience. For someone who is interested in the history of photography, as a research topic, and in fashion, as a hobby, this book is a real treat! I am planning to get myself a copy, not because it would rest fabulously on my coffee table, but because some of the essays are worth revisiting, specifically those about the early years of artistic fashion photography.

Each essay is dedicated to a particular section of the century it covers (from 1911 to 2011) and each is thoroughly researched and, therefore, very culturally dense, discussing how fashion photography went from establishing itself as a “reactive genre” in Paul Martineau’s “Style in the Face of Crisis,” to the era in which “fashion became a central form of cultural expression,” in Michal Raz-Russo’s “From Rebellion to Seduction.” At the end of every essay, there is a generous section of page-filling images that are referenced throughout the book, pertaining to all the big names past and present, longtime favourites of mine, plus other lesser known artists. Some of these images are just as expressive and experimental now as they were in the time they were taken. I would have loved to see the exhibit so this book is as close as it gets!

*Thanks to NetGalley & Getty Publications for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

A well-curated collection of fashion photography, Icons of Style doubles as a survey of how the medium has changed over the past century. The book makes for the perfect coffee table, as well as an insightful exploration of style.

This is a homage to fashion photography by Paul Martineau including 300+ sumptuous photos, fashion covers and illustrations for art lovers. Also captures the historical timeline as fashion developed and changed over the decades.

An amazing book about fashion and photography through the ages. All of the photos are beautiful, and makes you wonder how some were achieved without all the photoshop tools that are available to photographers today.
The fashions depicted are a real walk through time, and the historic information is really interesting. A very enlightening book on both fashion and photography

From The Globe and Mail review June 2018:
"Fashion photography can reflect profound cultural shifts, such as the rise of a grittier photojournalism style in the face of crises, such as the Great Depression and the Second World War, or the periods of rebellion and seduction epitomized by 1970s Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton. This coffee table companion to the upcoming J. Paul Getty Museum exhibition is a comprehensive survey of developments in 20th-century photographic style and taste through that lens, and it’s gorgeous."

This drool-worthy book is a stunning homage to fashion photography by Paul Martineau, curator of many J. Paul Getty Museum exhibitions. Includes 300+ sumptuous photos, magazine covers and illustrations for lovers of art and lavish beauty.

Grateful to NetGalley and Getty Publications for the early read. Opinions are mine.

#IconsOfStyle #NetGalley

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up buying this book since an E-reader just doesn't cut it when it comes to books about photography and fashion. When it comes to books about fashion and photography I much prefer to own a physical copy, publishers often go all out even just for the cover, Icons of Style's cover has this special feel almost like a soft fabric or one of those 3D optical illusion cards.

It's difficult to write a review for such a beautiful book. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for Paul Martineau to select the photographs featured in this book. The photographs are so beautiful and some are a little risqué. I'm also glad that the photographs aren't split in half as some publishers do it really ruins a perfect photograph.

We also get a history lesson when it comes to the editors for magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. For me it was a joy to see some of the dresses designed by Dior, Schiaparelli and Charles James. Everyone who worked on this book did an outstanding job! 

This is the book to have on your shelf if you love fashion and photography!

The cover was shot by Sarah Moon who started out as a model and became a fashion photographer in the seventies. Sarah was the first woman who shot the famous Pirelli calendar in 1972.

Fashion photography wasn't seen as a form of art in the early beginning but it produced so many iconic images that we do see it as a form of art these days. This book is a musthave for anyone aspiring to become a fashion photographer and fashion lovers.

We start our journey in 1911 when Edward Steichen accepted a dare by Lucien Vogel publisher of Jardin des Modes to shoot artistic fashion photographs. Steichen's work was soon featured in the magazine Art et Décoration in april of 1911.  Edward Steichen was a genius and for me he is the one who paved the way for other fashion photographers.

We travel through the century with more photographs by famous photographers such as Herb Ritts, Hiro, Melanie Pullen, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Cecil Beaton, Man Ray, Horst P. Horst, Lusha Nelson, Viviane Sassen and so many more.
Over on my blog I've posted a few photographs by my favorite photographers

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A stunning homage to fashion photography by Paul Martineau, curator of many J. Paul Getty Museum exhibitions. 300+ sumptuous photos, magazine covers and illustrations for lovers of art and lavish beauty.

Grateful to NetGalley and Getty Publications for the early read. Opinions are mine.

#IconsOfStyle #NetGalley

This book beautifully captures fashion's historical timeline as well as being a testament to the artistic depth of the photographers involved - well curated.

This book is an excellent study of the history of fashion photographers and trends from the early 20th century. Martineau explains the transition from fashion drawings to photography and how the great photographers changed the world of fashion and art in each era. For example, Edward Steichen began his career photographing the lavish designs of Poiret but in the 20s he focused on his love of naturalness and simplicity and started taking outdoor shots. He also used chic, independent women models, such as Marion Morehouse and Lee Miller.



A useful book for anyone studying fashion or photography, this contains beautiful photos from each era.



I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

There were many beautiful photographs displaying the icons of style. As well as these photographs there was also plenty of information about style through the various eras, great read!