Unveiled

Mysterious and dramatic - the addition of a veil to a fashion image instantly adds a degree of intrigue. It has been a visual trope used by imagemakers for years, from the days of fashion photography’s earliest innovators like Edward Steichen who draped Gloria Swanson in a veil of black lace and Irving Penn who used veiling to great effect in his technically perfect portraits. In 2009, the veil has become ubiquitous in fashion imagery. It's everywhere – on covers - Tasha Tilberg on i—D, Chanel Iman on Lula - and editorials. It has also hit the red carpet with a vengeance. Personally, I love seeing it in the right context- to heighten the drama in a black and white image such as this Linda Evangelista portrait by Steven Meisel from the Urban Decay shoot in August’s Italian Vogue. Other times it comes across as a lazy styling trick used to quickly capture the required mood. It you’re looking for dark and alluring, grab a piece of net and the job is done (Kylie in BlackBook). Similarly, if it's light-hearted and quirky you’re going for, a Luella-esque veiled headpiece is all you need. (see countless Teen Vogue editorials). I am guilty of it myself – at college, veils were everywhere in nearly all my styling and photography projects. Sometimes I carried it off, but more often than not, the model just looked like she had gotten lost in a dressing box. NOK