Renowned fashion photographer Steven Klein has gathered 20 years of his most striking work for Vogue magazine into a comprehensive new book titled "Steven Klein: Vogue," set for release by Abrams on December 2. The collection showcases Klein's distinctive photographic style, characterized by vivid colors, compelling compositions, and an otherworldly quality that has made his images instantly recognizable to longtime Vogue readers.
The book spans Klein's work from 2000 to 2019, featuring images commissioned by Vogue's global editorial director Anna Wintour and styled by the magazine's most celebrated fashion editors, including Phyllis Posnick, Grace Coddington, Tonne Goodman, and Camilla Nickerson. The collection represents what Klein and his collaborators consider the finest examples of his fashion editorials, portraits, and beauty photography during this period.
Klein's subjects read like a who's who of fashion and entertainment, featuring supermodels such as Gisele Bündchen, Karen Elson, Linda Evangelista, Karlie Kloss, Angela Lindvall, Carolyn Murphy, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone, Caroline Trentini, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, and Daria Werbowy. The book also includes portraits of pop culture icons like Nicki Minaj and Dita von Teese, demonstrating the breadth of Klein's work for the magazine.
In the book's introduction, Klein reflects on his unique approach to fashion photography, acknowledging that his work initially challenged conventional expectations. "I remember early on, people didn't quite know what to do with my work," Klein writes. "It didn't fit into the polished, high-gloss fantasy that fashion magazines typically sell. My work had blood in it. Bruises. Power games. Isolation. It had the feel of surveillance footage or a scene from a film you weren't supposed to watch."
Klein credits Anna Wintour with understanding and supporting his unconventional vision from the beginning. "Anna Wintour got it," he continues in his introduction. "She understood that fashion, at its best, should disturb the surface. It should challenge the way we see, the way we define taste." This support allowed Klein to develop his signature style within the pages of one of fashion's most influential publications.
Wintour herself provides insight into Klein's creative process in the book, describing his ability to transform simple concepts into complex visual narratives. "With Steven Klein, you'll give him a dress, and he'll give you a girl with a dress with a robot in a garden," Wintour explains. "It's clever, conceptual, and ultimately lyrical." This quote captures the essence of Klein's approach to fashion photography, where clothing becomes part of larger storytelling.
The photographer's work was previously featured prominently in "Stoppers," a 2016 book by Vogue editor Phyllis Posnick that celebrated memorable fashion photography. As Posnick noted at the time, "I really think Steven's an artist—he wants to make pictures that last." This new volume serves as validation of that artistic vision, demonstrating the lasting impact and relevance of Klein's photography.
"Steven Klein: Vogue" includes several of the photographer's most memorable series, with evocative titles like "Domestic Woman," "The Last Femme on Earth," "The Final Frontier," "Toxic Bloom," and "Free Falling." These series showcase Klein's ability to create cohesive visual narratives that blend fashion with elements of science fiction, horror, and avant-garde art. The book's cover features model Karlie Kloss in an image styled by Phyllis Posnick, setting the tone for the dramatic content within.
The publication of "Steven Klein: Vogue" represents more than just a retrospective of one photographer's work; it documents a significant period in fashion photography when boundaries between commercial and artistic photography became increasingly blurred. Klein's images demonstrate how fashion photography evolved during the first two decades of the 21st century, moving beyond simple product presentation to become a form of visual storytelling that could address themes of power, identity, and transformation.
