Au Revoir Patrick Demarchelier

Another great talent has left us. French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier (21 August 1943 – 31 March 2022) has passed away today. His imagery helped write the history of 1990s fashion.

Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, Demarchelier spent his childhood in Le Havre, Normandy, with his mother and four brothers. His profession was self-taught. For his seventeenth birthday, his stepfather bought him his first camera. Demarchelier learned how to develop film, retouch negatives and began photographing friends and weddings.

In 1975, Demarchelier left Paris for New York City, United States to follow his girlfriend. He discovered fashion photography by working as a freelance photographer learning from, and working with photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Terry King, and Jacque Guilbert. Since the late 1970s he shot the covers for nearly every major fashion magazine including American, British and Paris Vogue, as well as Harper’s Bazaar. 

He also shot international advertising campaigns for Chanel, Celine, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Carolina Herrera, Giorgio Armani, Moschino, Vera Wang, Elizabeth Arden, H&M, Sam Edelman, Zara, Max Azria, Express, Longchamp, Blumarine, Lacoste, Ann Taylor and TAG Heuer.

Princess Diana by Patrick Demarchelier

During his career, Patrick managed to shoot many Hollywood celebrities and even Princess Diana herself. The works of Patrick Demarchelier showed the most famous people of history and the present. Through their natural expressiveness and immediacy they are lifted from their podium of untouchability. Through his individual style he manages to make the intimacy of personalities tangible and also to integrate ambivalent ideas of them. In his photographs he celebrates the beauty of the models without suffocating them in an atmosphere of constructed artificiality. Demarchelier’s works are characterized by their perfection. The suggestion, which is not superimposed by reflexion and calculus is a central element of his works.

In 2007, Christine Albanel, French Minister of Culture, honoured Demarchelier as an Officer in ‘l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ (Order of Arts and Literature), the same year that he received the CFDA Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert. Demarchelier also appeared in the film ‘The September Issue’ and can be glimpsed in ‘The Sex & the City’ movie.

Of course, the allegations of 2018 and the breakup from Conde Nast have to be mentioned, but I will leave it at that, this is not the time and place. And the many who knew him know where they stand.

Demarchelier is survived by his wife Mia, his three sons Gustav, Arthur, Victor, and three grandchildren.

Au revoir Patrick…

The photographers: Patrick Demarchelier

Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, he spent his childhood in Le Havre with his mother and four brothers. For his seventeenth birthday, his stepfather bought him his first Eastman Kodak camera. Patrick Demarchelier learned how to develop film, retouch negatives and began shooting friends and weddings.

In 1975, he left Paris for New York to follow his girlfriend. He discovered fashion photograpy by working as a freelance photographer and learning and working with photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Terry King, and Jacgue Guilbert.

Patrick Demarchelier has lived in New York City since 1975. He is married to Mia and they have twins. Since the late 1970’s he has shot the covers for nearly every major fashion magazine including American, British and Paris Vogue. He has also shot covers for Rolling Stone, Life, Newsweek, Elle, Glamour and Mademoiselle. He has photographed many advertising campaigns, including Farrah Fawcett shampoo in 1978, the Brooke Shields doll in 1982, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Cutty Sark, and a Calvin Klein ad with Talisa Soto and did iconic ad campaigns for Giorgio Armani, Celine, Chanel, Christian Dior, Gap, Gian Franco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme,  L’Oréal, Yves Saint Laurent, Revlon, TAG Heuer and Louis Vuitton. He was also the primary photographer for the book On Your Own, a beauty/lifestyle guide written for young women by Brooke Shields Since 1992 he has worked with Harper’s Bazaar, becoming its premier photographer.

Patrick Demarchelier was the first non-British photographer to click the British Royal Family.  In 1989 Patrick Demarchelier became, by request, Her Royal Highness Princess Diana’s official photographer. This relationship lasted until her untimely death in 1997. Patrick Demarchelier shot four beautiful covers of Diana for the British Vogue published in 1991, 1994 and 1997.

A radiant Princess Diana in a rare portrait taken by photographer Patrick Demarchelier, 1990

Janet Jackson by Patrick Demarchelier, 1993

Alaïa, bustier dress, couture Spring Summer 2003 by Patrick Demarchelier

In 2005, he was awarded the contract for the Pirelli calendar. Demarchelier is referenced in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, when the ‘dragon lady’, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), asks Andy (Anne Hathaway), on her very first day on the job, “Did Demarchelier confirm?”, leaving her utterly confused. The first assistant Emily calmly jumps into action and calls his office, replying, “I have Patrick!” He also appears in the documentary The September Issue which is about Anne Wintour and American Vogue.

He continues to be a force in fashion photography and has interestingly been referenced in The Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the City, and America’s Next Top Model.

In 2007, Christine Albanel, French Minister of Culture, honoured Demarchelier as an Officer in l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature), the same year that he received the CFDA Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert.

Demarchelier also appeared in the film ‘The September Issue’ and can be glimpsed in ‘The Sex & the City movie’; he can be seen taking pictures during Carrie Bradshaw’s fashion shoot for Vogue magazine. He was featured prominently in the sixth episode of Cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model. He was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by the Guardian in March 2013.

Gisele Bündchen by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue Australia, January 2015

Gigi Hadid by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue UK, January 2016

Chanel N°5 and Gisele Bundchen

 Gisele Bundchen for Chanel N°5 (Click photo to enlarge).

From 30 October, Chanel will be retailing a special limited edition of its iconic Chanel No. 5 eau de parfum in 35ml size, perfect for the gifting season as we come to the end of the year.

• Model: Gisele Bundchen
• Photographer: Patrick Demarchelier
• Styling: Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele
• Hair: Didier Malige
• Make Up: Fulvia Farolfi
• Nails: Gina Viviano

Fifty of a jumbo 900ml version are also available, and these come in crystal bottles, hand-sealed with baudruche film and numbered (Click photo to enlarge).

by Jean Amr

ALAÏA PARIS, first perfume by Azzedine Alaïa

Fashionista’s beware:

Fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa has launghed, after more then 30 years , his first fragrance: Alaïa Paris. The long waiting is rewarded: during the exclusive launch in Paris, ‘tout les journalistes’ were very excited!

He is known as the ‘King of Cling’ for his adventurous body-con designs, Azzedine Alaïa, Paris-based couturier and shoe designer debuts his first ever fragrance, Alaïa Paris. Taking his brand to new fashion heights, Azzedine’s scent, created by Marie Salamagne, is created to go on like a sexy, second skin containing notes of freesia, peony, musk, animalic, and a hint of violet.

Azzedine Alaïa has operated his magic again with his new Alaïa Paris, Eau de Parfum, a tribute to eternal beauty and radiant women, this perfume means a new adventure for the House that already accustomed us to breathtaking perfection trough fashion collections. As an ode to women and their delicacy, Alaïa Paris spreads a delicate dream, the one of infinite secret and elegance. Azzedine Alaïa created this fragrance as the origin of feelings and emotions, struggling in women’s heart. Inspired by every single encounter the designer has made over the years, day and night, this perfume offers paradoxical scents.

Pink pepper, peony, and musk are the magical ingredients to celebrate feminine beauty. No wonder women are constantly falling in love with Alaïa’s work: with such an olfactory pyramid, an open door on new senses and feelings, we’re taking a journey through time. But this new experience is also the fruit of an intimate and inalienable partnership with Carla Sozzani, who has been guiding Alaïa’s creative process for a few years now. Accompanied by an expert team, the designer thought of every single detail to produce this fragrance, in order to tell the story of an ideal dream to all women.

Azzedine Alaïa © Patrick Demarchelier

Creating a perfume is to confide in a woman, to steal her thoughts of tomorrow and run away with her before she ever looks back. My perfume springs from the union of all my present moments, from a time that I could not myself identify, expressed only in the feelings that its creation revealed to me.

Azzedine Alaïa

The Alaïa Paris Fragrance collection is availble in Alaïa boutiques, and will be exclusively sold at Galeries Lafayettes Haussman, Podium Central, from 22th June; and from 6th July everywhere in France. The collection includes the Eau de Parfum Spray, Body Lotion, and Shower Gel.