Irving Penn Regards the Work of Issey Miyake: Photographs, 1975-1998

Bullfinch Press, 160 pp., $75

This gorgeous book — legendary fashion photographer Irving Penn riffing on the exquisitely tactile fabrics and designs of Japanese designer Issey Miyake — is just one step removed from the breathtaking experience of seeing these colorful, finely pleated clothes on a store rack. The book is the result of a collaboration lasting more than 10 years, which provided the designer a fresh look at his work and gave Penn a chance to engage with texture, the folds and hang of cloth, and the drama of Eastern culture. Penn claimed he had to “defashionize” the head in order to photograph fashion and then add in the element of fantasy. This he does so well here that one comes away with the feeling that these clothes were designed more to be photographed than to be worn.

This article appears in December 24 • 1999.

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