High Fashion, High Art

The relationship has always been tight, but when I see it in black and white, I always think "sell out." At some point, gallery-quality photographers usually take up a fashion shoot for that bread and butter money. As New York gears up for Fashion Week, I've recognized a few names attached to photo spreads in local publications. Tierney Gearon, whose Mother Project I really liked, got tapped for a whole spread in New York Magazine, featuring super pricey threads, while Tina Barney, whose travelogue photos didn't really grab me by the lapels, snapped some pix for Theory's ad campaign. Are these photos any more arty than your average fashion images? Nope, but at least the fashion industry is trying to make things a little bit more interesting. (Related: New York Sun on the overlap between fashion and art.)