Eighteen Vintage Fashion Images by French Photographer Jeanloup Sieff
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
“Marvelous,” said Sonia Sieff, when asked about her childhood with the late Jeanloup Sieff, her father and one of France’s great fashion photographers. “Marvelous, because he took good care of my brother and me … He taught us about the beauty in the world.” Long before Sonia’s birth, Jeanloup made his first fashion photo in 1952, and he spent the next two decades working for French Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Queen, Jardin des Modes, and Vogue, producing some of the iconic images for which he’s now known — like Astrid Heeren, cigarillo-in-mouth, in Palm Beach.
By the seventies, Jeanloup’s studio doubled as a salon for Paris’s boldface names. “My father was really close with Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, and a handful of other people in their group — Loulou de la Falaise, Betty and François Catroux, Hélène Rochas, Thadée Klossowski, Fernando Sánchez, and Paloma Picasso — whom they saw regularly over the course of a few years,” Sonia told us. “They were all really, really creative. Everyone had a place — Yves was the designer, my father was the photographer, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne were the sculptors, François-Marie Banier, the writer. They had big dinners, they would film each other, they all did projects together — my father took that very famous image of Yves Saint Laurent nude. They did it all so easily and with humor, without taking it so seriously. Maybe that’s why everything turned out so well.”
The nuit blanches fizzled as Jeanloup started a family with his wife Barbara, but Sonia, now 33, remembers being integrated into her father’s routine. “Like many photographers during that time, the studio and the apartment were in the same place, so we were always living photography,” Sonia said. “I think I really got to know the trade in the most artisan manner possible. And then, there was a glamorous side — meeting actors, actresses, writers, and singers that passed through the house. Usually, my dad would ask me to make them a coffee and I would be so happy to do it, to meet them. I was 6 years old.” Sonia eventually grew up to be a photographer, remarking, “I never felt the weight of a heritage, but more the richness of it.”
This week, Prestel released Sieff Fashion with Sonia’s help — a survey of 40 years of Jeanloup’s fashion images, from 1960 until his death in 2000. Colette is also hosting an exhibition of the Sieffs’ work (Jeanloup’s, Sonia’s, and mom Barbara is a photographer, too) through November 3, and a fete in their honor (where brother Sacha will play music) tonight. Click ahead to see some of the photos from the tome accompanied by Sonia’s commentary, and the 1971 portrait of Yves Saint Laurent nude, which isn’t included in Sieff Fashion, but we couldn’t leave out.
Yves Saint Laurent, YSL Pour Homme, 1971. "This image isn't in the book because it’s a nude image. We’d said fashion only, so we took it out...
Yves Saint Laurent, YSL Pour Homme, 1971. "This image isn't in the book because it’s a nude image. We’d said fashion only, so we took it out, but it’s one of the most iconic images of Yves Saint Laurent. And this was taken in the studio by my father and I think they discussed the idea together. Yves probably asked him, 'What can we do? I have this perfume. What ideas do you have?' They came up with the idea to go nude, which amused Yves, and they did the shoot within several hours. It was really simple. There were no clients, no noisy artistic directors — it was just my father and Yves Saint Laurent. It was another time. There's a lot of sadness in this image, but I know that they were having fun."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
China Machado, Jimmy Moore, Hiro and her children, fashion L'Aiglon, New York,
Harper's Bazaar, 1964. "I like how my father uses both the f...
China Machado, Jimmy Moore, Hiro and her children, fashion L'Aiglon, New York,
Harper's Bazaar, 1964. "I like how my father uses both the foreground and the background, creating perspective — how he uses the full frame for the fashion. Today, with fashion pictures and clothing, everything has to be close together and the framing is tight, because we have the impression that we’ll be able to see the clothes better. I think, sometimes, a silhouette of a woman in a robe can be as good of an image as a page in a catalog. And you wouldn't call this a fashion photograph; it's more reportage and fashion simultaneously. That's what I love."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Fashion Maxwell Croft,
Queen, London, 1964. "My father took great care of the models. Like every great photographer, he knew everything was...
Fashion Maxwell Croft,
Queen, London, 1964. "My father took great care of the models. Like every great photographer, he knew everything was based on the close relationship between him and the subject. A good photographer is a good director. It’s someone who directs the actors, or in this case, the models. I saw him work, and he wasn’t passive; he would give instructions and indications."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, Paris, 1970. "This is very seventies — Serge with his ribbon in a knot and Jane Birkin's necklace. Th...
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, Paris, 1970. "This is very seventies — Serge with his ribbon in a knot and Jane Birkin's necklace. The haircuts. This fashion was very characteristic of the time; it's the fashion that was worn, not high fashion. My father shot a few images like this. He liked taking pictures of couples."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Jane Birkin, ensemble Forquet, Rome, Italy,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1966. "He and Jane went on a weekend, and they did a reportage in Rome for a f...
Jane Birkin, ensemble Forquet, Rome, Italy,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1966. "He and Jane went on a weekend, and they did a reportage in Rome for a few days. Like Catherine Deneuve, he saw her regularly, but with long time in between meetings. This image is really dated, even for the sixties, with the poncho and the hat. In terms of fashion, there's always an inherent analysis of the clothes — the cuts, the colors, the models loved wearing them."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Twiggy, fashion Lison for Refdress, Paris,
Elle, 1966. "I don't know in what context this was taken, but it's another surprising image for ...
Twiggy, fashion Lison for Refdress, Paris,
Elle, 1966. "I don't know in what context this was taken, but it's another surprising image for my father, and it’s emblematic because it’s Twiggy. And I think that she has a really strong presence and the use of the entire frame is pleasing. It also feels like a stolen moment, a moment you weren’t expecting. She’s not posing in a static way, and I like this sort of caught-in-action side to it."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Marina Schiano, dress Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, French
Vogue, 1970. "I think this photo is simple and perfect. It’s the end of the sixties...
Marina Schiano, dress Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, French
Vogue, 1970. "I think this photo is simple and perfect. It’s the end of the sixties, and you can see that we’re in a studio, but we’re in the midst of change. He's creating a real Jeanloup Sieff studio. He's off the streets, and done with reportage. This is the first time that we see a Sieff form, in a square. And it's more precise and modern – this image could have been taken anytime, it could have been taken yesterday. I think that’s what’s incredible — it’s very modern."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Paris,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1966. "He loved the mise-en-scene, and putting photos within photos. He experimented a lot in the sixties. With thi...
Paris,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1966. "He loved the mise-en-scene, and putting photos within photos. He experimented a lot in the sixties. With this, he shot a studio photo and he brought the images out to the street. It’s still a way to show the fashion, and there’s the reportage side. Today, there’s less creativity. We have the impression that we’ve learned everything there is to know about it all and we’re reusing someone else's ideas or signing up for something that’s already been done. It’s not a very creative time period for fashion or fashion photography. In the sixties, there really was a revolution in fashion photography and breaking codes."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Marisa Berenson, dress La Machinerie, hair Chardin,
Vogue, 1967. "She was really young, and magnificent ... My father did a lot of work for...
Marisa Berenson, dress La Machinerie, hair Chardin,
Vogue, 1967. "She was really young, and magnificent ... My father did a lot of work for Vogue. At the beginning for Elle, he was salaried, but my father couldn’t tolerate – it doesn’t exist today – having a contract with just one magazine. I think he needed to have the different editors-in-chief, with different requests. It was stimulating, but working for one magazine would kill your creativity. It’s very difficult to be salaried when you’re an artist, I think."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Jean Shrimpton,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1964. "I love the framing. He must have used Leica or Nikon formatting; in any case, it wasn’t taken in me...
Jean Shrimpton,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1964. "I love the framing. He must have used Leica or Nikon formatting; in any case, it wasn’t taken in medium format. And it’s that type of tight, tight portrait. I like that it’s a bit blurry, I think it’s really beautiful."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Coat and hat Lanvin; coat and hat Cardin; coat and fur Cardin; coat with belt and black hat, on stairs, Carven, Paris,
Jardin des Modes, 1961. &...
Coat and hat Lanvin; coat and hat Cardin; coat and fur Cardin; coat with belt and black hat, on stairs, Carven, Paris,
Jardin des Modes, 1961. "I don’t know exactly where this is, but in Paris, for certain. And I find it magnificent because there is a strong background. I like how he photographed the jackets without lining them up one next to the other. It’s a real visual composition, but also dated at the same time."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
London,
Queen, 1964. "This was taken in a studio, but my father didn’t start in the studio. He made more pictures outside, on locations. At...
London,
Queen, 1964. "This was taken in a studio, but my father didn’t start in the studio. He made more pictures outside, on locations. At the end of the fifties, he spent a year or two with Magnum, and he wasn't trained per se, but he started to become a sort of reporter and always have his camera with him. And he started to rent a studio, and this was one of the first images he took in the studio."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Ina Balke, dress Jane Derby, and Alfred Hitchcock, Universal Studios, Hollywood,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1963. "Hitchcock arrived by plane, and sa...
Ina Balke, dress Jane Derby, and Alfred Hitchcock, Universal Studios, Hollywood,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1963. "Hitchcock arrived by plane, and said 'What do we have to do?' He let himself be completely directed by my father, he did his job, he got back on his plane, and he left. It was a lightning shoot — it happened so quickly — but they ended up with a good image."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Adriana Karembeu, fashion Dolce & Gabbana, Normandy, France,
Elle US, 1995. "My father had a passion for buttocks — he made a boo...
Adriana Karembeu, fashion Dolce & Gabbana, Normandy, France,
Elle US, 1995. "My father had a passion for buttocks — he made a book called Derrieres — I think it was his favorite female body part."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Adriana Karembeu, fashion Dolce & Gabbana, Normandy, France,
Elle US, 1995. "This is from the same series, and it was taken in Normandy...
Adriana Karembeu, fashion Dolce & Gabbana, Normandy, France,
Elle US, 1995. "This is from the same series, and it was taken in Normandy, because we had a house there. He loved the countryside ... he was someone who mixed private life and personal life. He mixed everything he had. That’s why for 40 years in fashion, he never faultered. Everything was inspired, but he kept one foot outside. I think the best way to live – and he told me this — is to take charge of your life, and have a forward-facing view and a way to look back, but don’t get too involved in something. You should always be able to observe your own life, be able to take a step back and have an outside perspective. Being detached, and leaving and coming back for 40 years must have been hard. But I think it’s the same thing with love and with everything. If you are too involved, you can’t really see."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Astrid Heeren, fashion Talmack, Palm Beach,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1964. "This is one of his most iconic photos, because there's a lot of subtle ...
Astrid Heeren, fashion Talmack, Palm Beach,
Harper’s Bazaar, 1964. "This is one of his most iconic photos, because there's a lot of subtle humor and a feeling of mischief, and at the same time, the image is really marked as being from the sixties — with the makeup, the big, fake eyelashes. And also it’s chic. If I’m not mistaken, the subject of the photo was 'Chic Is ... ' and it was left to my father to present his idea of chic. 'Chic is ... a woman smoking a cigarillo.' 'Chic is ...' and I think it's rather nice. The fashion editor, however, did not agree, but when Avedon saw the mock-ups, he said 'This picture is amazing,' and everyone followed."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Catherine Deneuve, dress Yves Saint Laurent, Paris,
Vogue Italia, 1969. "My father worked with Catherine Deneuve multiple times. They colla...
Catherine Deneuve, dress Yves Saint Laurent, Paris,
Vogue Italia, 1969. "My father worked with Catherine Deneuve multiple times. They collaborated regulary, but spread out in time, like they were living parallel lives. I don’t want to say that they were close, but they had a mutual respect. He was always happy to work with her. And again, I think there’s humor here. She’s a woman in prayer, but that isn't my father’s main message. He always wanted you to think again."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
Yves Saint Laurent wearing YSL, Paris,
Vogue Italia, 1969. "I think they were amused by making this image, like a character out of a roman ...
Yves Saint Laurent wearing YSL, Paris,
Vogue Italia, 1969. "I think they were amused by making this image, like a character out of a roman noir. I can imagine Yves Saint Laurent dropping by my father's studio and them agreeing to set up a shoot for the next day."
Photo: Jeanloup Sieff
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