Fashion photo show focuses on portrayal of women

Photos taken by Erwin Blumenfeld is among shown images at Coming into Fashion, an exhibition reviewing fashion and fashion photography over the past century. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Fashion photos advertise what a trendy wardrobe looks like. And decades after they are taken, these photos become historical records. So, when you go through them, you understand why "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) once said, "Fashion passes, style remains".

Coming into Fashion, an exhibition organized by the international nonprofit Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, is now on show at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing's 798 art zone.

The display of 160 images, which reviews the evolution of fashion over the past century, features Broadway actresses and iconic faces from the catwalk. It also celebrates the creativity of some 75 photographers who influenced the fashion history. They include Horst P. Horst and Peter Lindbergh.

Exhibition curator Nathalie Herschdorfer selected the works from Conde Nast's image archives in New York, Paris, Milan and London. There are several million photos in the collection.

Conde Nast, the New York-headquartered media company founded in 1909, owns many magazines including Vanity Fair, Vogue and The New Yorker.

The exhibition also showcases dozens of fashion magazines from Condé Nast's stable.

Launched in 2012, the Coming into Fashion exhibition has traveled to 12 cities including Berlin, Edinburgh, Moscow and Tokyo. Its last leg in Taipei attracted some 65,000 visitors, says FEP's website.