In Pictures: The 1969 Issue of Vogue That Unveiled the Exotic Glamour of Pre-Revolutionary Iran
Fascinated by the exoticism of 1960’s Middle Eastern dress codes, Vogue Magazine made its pick to commission American Fashion photographer Henry Clarke to go for an exotic photoshoot spread at different historical locations around Iran, back in 1969. Clarke’s lens captured western female models including models like Marisa Berenson, Lauren Hutton and Cynthia Korman in colorful garments, posing against the walls of Iran’s holy mosques and other colorful palaces in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Persepolis; places where photoshoots with unveiled female figures can never be held anymore, which highlights the portfolio as a unique relic of pre-revolutionary Iran.
The December 1969 issue of Vogue, that was taken 10 years before Iran’s revolution, boasts a wealth of striking images, with models sophisticatedly posing among Iran’s antiques and landmarks, showing off their highly stylized hair, dramatic makeup, and daring accessories back at the time, preserving the glamour fashion history of Iran forever. The aesthetic value of Vogue’s photoshoot lies in the liveliness emerging from his photographs, where unconventionality and fashion have met. So feast your eyes on the vintage photoshoot by scrolling down!
