Denis Piel: Moments

Famous for his hyper real, cinematic images, Piel's lens catches women offguard, engaged in sensual fleeting moments - which leave the viewers with a sense of magic and the imagination with curiosity. Designed by the renowned Ruth Ansel, this elegantly produced volume showcases the best of Piel's work taken from the late 1970s to the present day. The photographs portray women both dressed and in states of undress -- both natural and unnatural (in the artificial environment which is the nature of any fashion shoot). There is no attempt at separating those moments, whether the pictures are taken in the studio or on location. The sections flow freely throughout the book in a long portfolio and unfold provocatively through time and place. The meaning changes as the photos juxtapose, with a deliberate intermingling.

Denis Piel’s influence during the 1980s was significant, earning him an international reputation for his beauty, fashion, and celebrity spreads for magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ, and for brands such as Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, L'Oréal, Revlon, and Estée Lauder. His work has garnered many international awards. Piel’s photographs are in the permanent collection of The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and numerous private collections. Polly Allen Mellen has been a stylist and fashion editor for more than sixty years at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, and was the creative director of Allure. Donna Karan is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.