Paris 1963 / Paris 1965

Melvin Sokolsky

Leafcar Publications, Los Angeles, 2011. 160 pp., 74 portfolio images, 11½x13".

When Melvin Sokolsky, all of 25 years old and already a regular contributor to Harper's Bazaar, shot the 1963 Paris collection, he forecast a change of language in fashion photography. Diana Vreeland, asking for something original, found herself in a spontaneous and unique collaboration that combined the surrealist cinematics of the avant garde 60s, aspects of the burgeoning egalitarian street photography movement, and the astringency of high fashion. Brought to life by his favorite photographic subject, Simone d'Aillencourt, Sokolsky's "Bubble" series set a new standard in fashion photography. More than a re-evaluated interpretation of popular culture movements, the grace and elegance that defines the potential of fashion becomes the syntax for Sokolsky's experimental reveries. It is no coincidence that Salvador Dali, some years later, found Sokolsky's studio an irresistible destination. By 1965, Sokolsky was an established name in the world of fashion photography, and his follow-up project, "Fly" with model Dorothea McGowan, broadened the scope of his vision and the breadth of his artistic statement. From the gentle floating of the bubble to the whimsical flights of fashion, Paris 1963 / Paris 1965 showcases these two industry-defining projects along with a retrospective of the artist's process and development, including a critical assessment of Sokolsky's achievement by renowned art historian Raphaelle Stopin and reflections on both projects by Sokolsky and Ali MacGraw.

This limited edition book collects all 74 of Sokolsky’s printed images from the Bubble and Fly series, including more than a dozen previously unreleased and alternate visions of his iconic series, behind the scenes documentary photos, and outtakes, and an intimate insight into Sokolsky’s process and inspiration as he developed his incomparable Fly vision. Each copy is signed and numbered by the artist and is delivered with an etched Lucite slipcase designed by Sokolsky himself.

Paris 1965 / Paris 1965 is a limited run book of 1,000 copies, printed in three editions.

Limited to 100 copies, the Bubble Edition includes a 12.5” x 11” Gelatin- Silver photograph of “Bouquet Seine."

Limited to 100 copies, the Fly Edition includes a 12.5” x 11” Gelatin- Silver photograph of “Dior Wings."

The final 800 copies comprise the Signature Edition book, each signed and numbered by the artist.

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