Cecil Beaton Is Having A Moment
The fashion photographer is the subject of “Cecil Beaton: Portraits and Profiles,” a new anthology pairing some of his most iconic images with personal diary entries about his subjects, including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. His 1954 illustrated book, “The Glass of Fashion,” which focuses on designers such as Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior, was just reissued after many years out of print — and his 1948 Vogue shot of models clad in pastel gowns was the poster for the New York Costume Institute’s recent show “Charles James: Beyond Fashion.” Beaton had quite a life: he was a terrific war photographer, friends with the Queen Mum, lover of Garbo (though he was mostly gay otherwise), and the winner of three Oscars as a designer: one for the 1958 “Gigi,” and two for the 1964 “My Fair Lady,” which starred Audrey Hepburn. She is pictured in the Ascot scene from the latter movie, which inspired Truman Capote’s 1966 Black-And-White Ball at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
