World War II effectively closed down the fashion industry. Paris became
isolated by the French Occupation in 1940 and photographers such as Man
Ray and Horst P. Horst emigrated to New York. The shift from Europe to
the U.S.A. was coupled with the emergence of a youthful and sporty American
look.
Readership of magazines soared during the war. Fashion became more practical
and realistic, rationing forcing everyone to make-do and mend. Erwin Blumenfeld
pioneered use of the new Hasselblad camera, the wide-angle lens providing
new opportunities in perspective and composition. Irvin Penn set new standards
with exquisite, elegant images. 1947 saw a revolution with the introduction
of Christian Dior's New Look. Austere utility clothes were replaced by
extravagant and feminine ensembles. Public demand was instantaneous and
the New Look quickly became a post war symbol of youth, hope and the future.
Glamour had returned.
The 1950's saw huge changes in society and the role of fashion. Years
of deprivation and rationing fuelled a new consumerism. A booming ready
to wear industry facilitated a huge shift from elitism to mass market
appeal. Fashions from Paris were transmitted to the general public through
the medium of magazines. Photographers such as Clifford Coffin, who adapted
the dentists Ring Light for fashion photography, covered the Paris Collections.
Newspapers also began to feature fashion. Models were beginning to attain
celebrity status as icons of beauty.
New, young photographers were vital. Injecting energy and redefining the
acceptable boundaries of taste and nudity. Richard Avedon pioneered a
semi documentary style, a shoot with a story. Irwing Penn's strong, graphic
images were instantly recognisable, often shot against a white background.
Norman Parkinson's career flourished, his natural and witty images having
timeless appeal.
Bert Sterns lavish lifestyle and photographs of women as sex objects heralded
the 1960's and the growing New York Art scene.