It is my humble opinion that we use contemporary fashion magazines as modern day storybooks for grown up little girls; an instrument of escapism, aspiration and imagination.
The photographic stories found within the glossy pages are the narratives that weave fashion into my daily life. Not that I’m saying inspiration seeps from the bright white of your standard issue studio shoots. No, think instead of Tim Walker whose photographs are the stuff that fashion dreams are made of.
The subject of a new exhibition and book, now seems as good a time as any to sing the praises of the talented man. A regular contributor to Vogue, his are some of the most whimsical photographs seen in mainstream fashion. One of the rare keepers to the keys of childlike wonderment in the industry, the beautiful clothes are always secondary props to the secret worlds they inhabit.
These sets, complete with fantastical props and casts of characters, are aspirational in the most deep-rooted, emotive way. They are nostalgic for a simpler time, for an English eccentricity, for magic. He paints models just the way I like them – as characters on which to mould a future vision of myself. The quickest way to get there? Why, to fall into the story book and dream myself into the clothes of course…..
Tim Walker is at the Design Museum until Sept 7th
