David Bailey - King of cool

Shoot, 1967

The irreverent, irrepressible David Bailey features in a great article in UK Vogue June, 2010 to celebrate 50 years in which David Bailey has worked with Vogue.

David Bailey - known as 'Bailey' - is one the the most famous fashion photographers in the world. More fascinating is the fact that he was straight, rather attractive and wooed & wed a plethora of beautiful, fascinating and iconic women. He married actress Catherine Deneuve (on "a whim" - or some say, on a bet with fellow photog Brian Duffy), model Marie Helvin (1975), and in 1986 actress Catherine Dyer to whom he is still married. He romanced models Jean Shrimpton & Penelope Tree among arguable 100s of others. In the buttoned up Sixties, Bailey's sexually provocative images stirred up controversy and heralded the birth of 'Swinging London'. He loved women, they loved them, and it showed on celluloid.

Bailey & Catherine Deneuve

With Jean Shrimpton

Bailey & Marie Helvin

"A Bailey woman has a distinct look. A Bailey woman is a real woman of flesh and blood and sex...I always tried to make my fashion photographs more like Cole Porter songs in my mind, and my portraits more like the blues." The Times, August 2009

Jean ShrimptonMarianne Faithfull

Bailey's images of Marianne Faithfull, the Beatles, Twiggy, Mick Jagger & The Rolling Stones, Michael Caine and East End gangsters the Krays cemented his celebrity status. He was as rock & roll as the subjects he shot and became part of the "Black trinity', or the 'Terrible Trio', running riot in society circles with photographers Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy.

Mick Jagger, 1964

Also featured in The Independent, 28 February 2010 - I love the opening lines:"I was young and foolish...': The truth behind David Bailey's legendary way with women. As his iconic 1960s portraits go on sale at Bonhams, David Bailey, the man who made photography glamorous, reflects on five decades of louche living"

The film Blowup (1966), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni depicts a wayward young fashion photographer in Swinging London played by David Hemmings, who is largely based upon Bailey. Funnily enough, I've had the poster on my wall for years - but still not managed to watch the entire movie!