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Models of Influence: 50 Women Who Reset the Course of Fashion
Nigel Barker—fashion authority, photographer, and host of Oxygen’s The Face—presents 50 of the most influential models from the 1940s to today through a wealth of full-color photographs from the world’s most renowned fashion photographers and an anecdotal text that reveals each woman’s indelible place in the pantheons of fashion and popular culture
Interweaving 200 gorgeous photographs and informative and entertaining anecdotes, Models of Influence profiles 50 women who have made an unforgettable impression on fashion, the modeling industry, and our notions of beauty. Eight chronological chapters, each of which spotlight an era, feature the stories and images of women who made their mark.
These include Lisa Fonssagrives Penn, Dovima, and Dorian Leigh, who reigned during modeling’s golden age in the 1950s;, Twiggy, Veruschka, and Jean Shrimpton, who embodied the free spirit of the 1960s; and Lauren Hutton, Iman, and Janice Dickinson, models who revolutionized the notion of beauty in the 1970s. Barker profiles those who’ve become the million-dollar faces of their time, such as Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson; revisits the age of the supermodel, when Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell rose to global stardom; and spotlights eternal chameleons Kate Moss, Stella Tennant, and Amber Valletta, among others. Also included are models who brought us into the twenty-first century, and those who are leading the way into the future, from Gisele Bündchen, Daria Werbowy, and Heidi Klum to Cara Delevigne, Karlie Kloss, Coco Rocha, Lara Stone, Lea T, and Kate Upton.
Nigel Barker showcases each model's incandescent style—that special something that sets her apart, whether it’s her unique physicality, a daring approach to image-making, or a particular energy that reflects the zeitgeist. Here, too, are models who broke the mold in their respective eras and turned the standard notion of beauty on its head.
Stunning in its breadth and beauty, comprising some of the finest fashion images over the last 70 years, Models of Influence is a celebration of fashion and a group of unforgettable women who have helped shape and change modern culture.
Interweaving 200 gorgeous photographs and informative and entertaining anecdotes, Models of Influence profiles 50 women who have made an unforgettable impression on fashion, the modeling industry, and our notions of beauty. Eight chronological chapters, each of which spotlight an era, feature the stories and images of women who made their mark.
These include Lisa Fonssagrives Penn, Dovima, and Dorian Leigh, who reigned during modeling’s golden age in the 1950s;, Twiggy, Veruschka, and Jean Shrimpton, who embodied the free spirit of the 1960s; and Lauren Hutton, Iman, and Janice Dickinson, models who revolutionized the notion of beauty in the 1970s. Barker profiles those who’ve become the million-dollar faces of their time, such as Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson; revisits the age of the supermodel, when Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell rose to global stardom; and spotlights eternal chameleons Kate Moss, Stella Tennant, and Amber Valletta, among others. Also included are models who brought us into the twenty-first century, and those who are leading the way into the future, from Gisele Bündchen, Daria Werbowy, and Heidi Klum to Cara Delevigne, Karlie Kloss, Coco Rocha, Lara Stone, Lea T, and Kate Upton.
Nigel Barker showcases each model's incandescent style—that special something that sets her apart, whether it’s her unique physicality, a daring approach to image-making, or a particular energy that reflects the zeitgeist. Here, too, are models who broke the mold in their respective eras and turned the standard notion of beauty on its head.
Stunning in its breadth and beauty, comprising some of the finest fashion images over the last 70 years, Models of Influence is a celebration of fashion and a group of unforgettable women who have helped shape and change modern culture.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 10, 2015
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165 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 1, 2015
I didn't read all the text to this title, but I found the Introduction thought provoking, especially these quotes from pages 10 and 11: "Of course the fashion industry is not without its own problems. It is part of a flawed larger world, and sometimes it replicates that world's intolerance and closed-mindedness. In its endless search for inspiration and novelty, fashion can be predatory and ruthless, chewing up and spitting out those who don't have the stamina and self-possession to withstand an extremely demanding environment. But when fashion and the fashion media sensationalize what most people consider scandalous, they help to highlight larger social issues. With every whitewashed runway presentation, every controversial advertising campaign, and every time a designer is accused of glorifying disordered eating or drug use, fashion becomes an arena for us all to confront the demons that continue to plague us as a society. Because its messages circulate so widely, fashion has a unique power, whether by good intention or insensitive misstep, to get people talking about the things that matter to them. That's why fashion is never entirely frivolous and certainly never "just clothes."
"Politics, war, and social movements have profound impacts on our world - but it is individuals who breathe life into mass events. Like world leaders, activists, and entertainers, models have stood as personifications and symbols of their times, avatars of the zeitgeist in which they work. Sometimes they have been the shapers of it too."
And then from the last paragraph of the Introduction: "Above all, models have moved us over the years to think and see the world differently. They hold up a mirror to society and show us where we are and where we still have room to grow. What is considered beautiful evolves, but it's very often through models and fashion that we come to understand beauty in the context of our time and, by extension, within ourselves."
I thought that was a very expansive Introduction and the author's perspective could certainly be seen as controversial. I'm not sure I agree with everything he writes in those quotes, but I come closer to agreeing with it if I see fashion and modeling as primarily an art form, rather than a business totally committed to making money, a business that occasionally and accidently does something original and artistic, which is probably the way I have usually viewed fashion. Although I have for years, because of my interest in photography, been aware that there have been fashion photographers who were and are fine artists in their field.
It's possible that in the future I will look at fashion ads from a somewhat different perspective as a result of this book. Seeing things from a new or different perspective is probably a good change. I'll be checking to see if fashion lives up to the author's perception.
"Politics, war, and social movements have profound impacts on our world - but it is individuals who breathe life into mass events. Like world leaders, activists, and entertainers, models have stood as personifications and symbols of their times, avatars of the zeitgeist in which they work. Sometimes they have been the shapers of it too."
And then from the last paragraph of the Introduction: "Above all, models have moved us over the years to think and see the world differently. They hold up a mirror to society and show us where we are and where we still have room to grow. What is considered beautiful evolves, but it's very often through models and fashion that we come to understand beauty in the context of our time and, by extension, within ourselves."
I thought that was a very expansive Introduction and the author's perspective could certainly be seen as controversial. I'm not sure I agree with everything he writes in those quotes, but I come closer to agreeing with it if I see fashion and modeling as primarily an art form, rather than a business totally committed to making money, a business that occasionally and accidently does something original and artistic, which is probably the way I have usually viewed fashion. Although I have for years, because of my interest in photography, been aware that there have been fashion photographers who were and are fine artists in their field.
It's possible that in the future I will look at fashion ads from a somewhat different perspective as a result of this book. Seeing things from a new or different perspective is probably a good change. I'll be checking to see if fashion lives up to the author's perception.
May 21, 2020
A nice overview
I’ve never kept up with fashion so this book was a nice overview of the influential fashion models of the last 70 years or so. It’s made up of sort readable bios of the models. Each model comes with just two photos which really isn’t enough to cover their careers but it would take a coffee table book to really do them justice. Overall I liked the writing and the insight into fashion models and their influence on the world.
I’ve never kept up with fashion so this book was a nice overview of the influential fashion models of the last 70 years or so. It’s made up of sort readable bios of the models. Each model comes with just two photos which really isn’t enough to cover their careers but it would take a coffee table book to really do them justice. Overall I liked the writing and the insight into fashion models and their influence on the world.
June 2, 2018
I know it’s only supposed to be a coffee table book, but the information the book lended was too surface and all became repetitive. Also, how does Marilyn Monroe not count as a model of the ‘50s? However I enjoyed learning about the most influential models of the last few decades.
July 17, 2025
Good gloss of all the major names in fashion over the rise of the industry. Does a good job of providing brief bios and highlighting the multifaceted careers these women took. Less helpful if looking for nitty gritty details or career insights but plenty of photos to demonstrate the changing standards and looks of the time.
August 4, 2025
Beautiful essays. How hard to write a short essay and pack it all in. Beautiful pictures. A great book to learn about models and fashion. One thing remiss - where is Heidi klum? Do her and Nigel have beef?
January 21, 2018
Interesting Perspective.
Well written and gives you background d to each model. Shows them as more than another pretty face. I read through to the end.
Well written and gives you background d to each model. Shows them as more than another pretty face. I read through to the end.
June 1, 2019
Am so craving to read this book...Too bad i don't know how to open it.Am new to good read.Can i get any helpful tips.Thanks
December 13, 2020
If you’re big on supermodels, from Jean Shrimpton to Gisele, and the history of said pop culture icons, this is a decent general overview written by model turned photographer.
May 26, 2015
This review has been modified for Goodreads and you can find a full blog post here-->https://nerisaewaterman.wordpress.com...
And another full blog post here--> http://myohosisters.webs.com/apps/blo...
This book is more than just about the 50 women who reset the course of fashion. This book is a time capsule… This book transports us to the time of each model, giving us insight not only into the life of the model, but insight into the culture, the fashion, and the political and social world surrounding them.
Model of Influence being the definitive word, the book “Model of Influence: 50 Women Who Reset the Course of Fashion” definitely teaches us the definition of beauty…And it doesn’t start with clothes, makeup, a certain size, color, or shape. This book is without a doubt…A Must Read.
And another full blog post here--> http://myohosisters.webs.com/apps/blo...
This book is more than just about the 50 women who reset the course of fashion. This book is a time capsule… This book transports us to the time of each model, giving us insight not only into the life of the model, but insight into the culture, the fashion, and the political and social world surrounding them.
Model of Influence being the definitive word, the book “Model of Influence: 50 Women Who Reset the Course of Fashion” definitely teaches us the definition of beauty…And it doesn’t start with clothes, makeup, a certain size, color, or shape. This book is without a doubt…A Must Read.
April 17, 2024
We need a second volume! Nigel needs to write one every decade and then perhaps after 30 years or something, compile those into a single volume. Idk I just want more and I don't want him to get tired of the idea after waiting it out for decades.
Nigel Barker has the perfect voice for this series; his is eloquent, intelligent, insightful, respectful and honest. Nigel has also worked both infront of and behind the camera.
This book 100% delivered what I came for. It is a look at models who have steered the course of the fashion industry in one way or another, catalogued by their prime decades. Each model is thoughtfully written about and given about 2 full pages of individual, concise content coupled with at least 2 gorgeous full-page images of said model.
You can read this as you would a non-fiction novel or you could choose to refer to it now and then on your coffee table as an art book.
Nigel Barker has the perfect voice for this series; his is eloquent, intelligent, insightful, respectful and honest. Nigel has also worked both infront of and behind the camera.
This book 100% delivered what I came for. It is a look at models who have steered the course of the fashion industry in one way or another, catalogued by their prime decades. Each model is thoughtfully written about and given about 2 full pages of individual, concise content coupled with at least 2 gorgeous full-page images of said model.
You can read this as you would a non-fiction novel or you could choose to refer to it now and then on your coffee table as an art book.
April 3, 2015
Photographer and TV judge/host [also listed on the press release as “authority”] Nigel Barker profiles 50 models who he feels substantially shaped the modeling industry in one way or another from the 1940s to present day. I’ve watched America’s Next Top Model and The Face. Nigel Barker knows what works. His definition of supermodel also differs from that of Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell, models he works with on those programs. Barker explains: “Today, the term “supermodel” has become so overused that it’s lost all its meaning. The word should really only be employed in cases when a model has transcended the limitations of her field and crossed over into new territories, both in the business and at large, through her influence upon contemporary standards of beauty.”
read full review here: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2015/02...
read full review here: http://entertainmentrealm.com/2015/02...
August 7, 2015
Beautiful coffee table book of models that have influenced fashion from the 1950's to modern day times. Barker a former judge on America's Next Top Model (whom Tyra Banks made the biggest mistake of her life to fire him) and the host of the show The Face writes beautifully. Some of my favorites are in the book Dorian Leigh with her strong assertive presence and who would have known she designed wings for Eastern Airlines) Twiggy who at age 10 I begged my mother to let me have the pixie cut nad Peggy Moffitt with her geometric prints as a kid I adored!
August 10, 2015
Whether we are willing to admit it or not, everyone has been influenced by a model in mass media. This book is an interesting examination of the top fashion models of our time. It adds another dimension to the superficiality of models by detailing their backgrounds, history, and influence in fashion and social causes.
March 19, 2015
I love this book.Nigel Barker did an amazing job writing this book.It is interesting to see how fashion and modeling have changed throughout the decades.The photographs in this book are stunning.I couldn't put this book down.It's awesome.
April 9, 2015
Great book. I was really impressed with Mr. Barkers book. This work has always impressed with his work.
September 20, 2015
3.5 stars
March 4, 2016
An interesting book featuring the "50 Women Who Reset the Course of Fashion."
April 1, 2016
easy to read, sometimes surprisingly insightful
February 18, 2015
pretty every lady's book.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews