Front Row Backstage

by Mario Testino

In Front Row/Backstage , Mario Testino's relaxed photos capture the fantasy of the high-fashion world. They take readers to recent fashion shows and are organized in an almost play-by-play manner. In the book's introduction, Vogue editor Anna Wintour reminds readers how Testino's signature style is clearly visible in his portraits of the late Princess "Although we had seen a million pictures of Diana, we had never seen her looking so relaxed, accessible and modern as when Mario photographed her." This accessible feeling is one that Testino projects onto all of his subjects. Here Testino shows the backstage preparation for the top designers' runway shows, the photographers preparing, the audience being seated, the models dressing, and the show itself. He has captured some of the most groundbreaking collections and innovative presentations, such as Alexander McQueen's flooded runway and his winter collection, during which snow poured down onto all of the models. Other noted shows include Yohji Yamamoto, Givenchy, Chloe, Christian Dior, and John Galliano. The moments Testino captures are they seem to hold so much beauty and effortless style that they feel current. Only a peek at the date of a show reveals that some images are from many collections ago. The action and movement of the shots give a whole new life to past and present visions of our fashion gurus and icons. --Amra Brooks

Genres: Fashion, Photography, Art and Photography

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Mario Testino (born on October 30, 1954 in Lima) is a Peruvian fashion photographer. His work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. His career highpoint came when he was chosen by Princess Diana for her Vanity Fair photoshoot in 1997. Testino has been regularly employed by the British royal family ever since.

Reviews

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much do I love a well put together fashion photography book? Let me count the ways! Okay, I’m not actually going to count, because doing maths is lame and I have a liberal arts degree for a reason… But this book was a glorious entré into the fashion world, as portrayed through Mario Testino’s lens. Like the title implies, Testino takes us from the front row (an enviable position to be in) of many of the world’s most important fashion shows to back stage (arguably an even better position to be in), capturing moments in time in his signature style of photography. Testino’s use of lighting, movement, and drama makes his work painterly in nature, and focuses more on evoking a feeling than portraying the clothing or people with any sense of accuracy – a technique that may annoy the fashion historian in me (who wants to see the clothing in overly accurate detail), but which my artistic side absolutely adores for their unexpected emotive quality. The resulting images are luscious, and even in their most blurred and frantic form tell far more of a story than expected from what should be simple depictions of people in clothing. But that’s the truth behind fashion, isn’t it? When done well, fashion is a performance; it’s a narrative; it’s an emotion; and most importantly: it’s art.