Michele Quan, photo by Guzman

Michele Quan, photo by Guzman

Fashion designer Geoffrey Beene was an American pioneer, challenging the industry at every turn. He had his own way of doing things, breaking and rewriting the rules. He created new seasons, Summer/Winter, and designed brilliantly crafted pieces accordingly. “Design is a revelation to me. It’s like taking something that is not alive and giving it form, shape, substance, and life,” Mr. Beene observed.

.

While his clothes reflected his intuitive understanding for women’s desire to be comfortable and glamorous at the same time, Mr. Beene also understood the power of the photograph to communicate this understanding to consumers. Mr. Beene observed, “Clothes should look as if a woman was born into them. It is a form of possession, this belonging to another.” And if the clothes belong to the woman, the photograph is the perfect invitation to the viewer to participate.

.

From 1988–1995, Mr. Beene partnered with Guzman, the husband/wife photography team of Russell Peacock and Connie Hanson, to produce a series of photographs of Michele Quan modeling the clothes. As Guzman recalls, “Mr. Beene introduced us to Michele. She was a good choice for his designs during that period. Both were elegantly streamline! Mr. Beene always played with contrasts. He would juxtapose an androgynous jumpsuit with a provocative layer of sheer lace. He would mix refined fabrics with quotidian materials like cashmere with metallic lame. He was thinking about the approaching millennium (2000) and what women should wear. For the modern woman comfort and simplicity were essential. Michele represented the modern woman in that not to distant future. Her personality matched his objectives. Elegant yet understated, feminine but powerful.”
.

Read the Full Story at Crave Online

Michele Quan, photo by Guzman

Michele Quan, photo by Guzman

(Visited 216 times, 1 visits today)