Rejecting the front row: Guy Marineau and the evolution of runway photography

Abstract

This paper is a review and discussion of the career of French runway photographer, Guy Marineau. It specifically explores his tenure at Fairchild Publications between the years 1975-1985, contextualized by his personal experience and the history of the fashion show. Prior to shooting the runway, Marineau photographed conflicts in Portugal and Israel. Traumatized by war, Marineau, decided to realign his career towards capturing beauty.

Fashion shows emerged around the turn of the century, and press coverage of them has been long fraught with complications due to the threat of copyists reproducing unlicensed designs. During the mid-1950s John Fairchild tirelessly challenged the strict embargo set by the Chambre Syndicale that restricted the immediate release of images taken at couture shows. Yet by the 1960s, the demise of the haute couture was imminent, and couturiers resorted to licensing to keep their houses afloat, which in turn, reestablished their relationship with the press.

Since his start at Fairchild Publications, Marineau approached runway photography through the eyes of a war photographer. Marineau's work improved vastly as he grasped how to shoot fashion shows and was one of the first to challenge the established protocol by leaving his editor for the end of the runway. His photographs kept pace alongside his continuously evolving subject, the fashion show, and with advancements to camera technology. Relatively unknown, Marineau's work remains an undiscovered wealth of fashion history. His photographs are a testament to the once-diverse genre of runway photography that is slowly being replaced by the standardized runway photographs now linked with fashion websites.