Know your Fashion Gods: Steven Meisel, The Imagist

image courtesy of Penelope!! on Flickr

WHO Steven Meisel
WHAT legendary fashion photographer
WHEN born 1954
WHERE The Americas
HOW through focused inspiration: model obsession and high society

image courtesy of jckonline.com

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MEISEL (condensed from Wikipedia)

1. Steven Meisel’s success was attributed to his works for both US and Italian Vogue covers for 2 decades. Perhaps his most memorable piece was shooting Madonna for the 1992 highly-coveted book, Sex, designed by Fabian Baron.

2. He’s notorious for rarely giving interviews/ being photographed.

3. He graduated at Parsons The New School for Design.

4. His model and high society obsession were eminent in his younger years where he would draw women all the time, taking inspiration from the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

5. One of his first jobs was working as an illustrator for Halston (he also taught illustration at Parsons).

6. Meisel was one of the few photographers who doesn’t have a “proper book” solely dedicated to his work

7. Meisel has been a protégé of both reigning queens of the fashion press, editors-in-chief Franca Sozzani (Italian Vogue) and Anna Wintour (US Vogue)

8. He is an advocate of social/political reform (using his connections with the fashion elite to elevate his cause). Some noteworthy examples:

1. for September 2006 issue of Vogue Italia, he played with the concept of restricted liberties post-September 11th America
2. for the July 2008 issue of Vogue, he conceptualized an issue showing  only black models to bring attention to the racial discrimination in the fashion industry

9. Meisel has been “the force” behind the careers of world-renowned hairstylists (Garren, Orlando Pita i.e.), make-up artists (Kevyn Aucoin, Laura Mercier i.e.) and models (Iris Strubegger, Lisa Cant i.e.).

10. You can stalk him at his New York Studio at 64 Wooster Street. (or the rented studio at Pier 59 in NY or Smashbox Studios in LA).

For More of Steven Meisel, Check out the following links:

Image Archive for Steven Meisel, courtesy of  Art + Commerce
Steven Meisel | 400 Photos