10 Women

Published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition, this collection of photographs by fashion photographer Lindbergh is devoted to 10 famous supermodels--Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Kristen McMenamy, Kate Moss, Tatjana Patitz, Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington and Amber Valletta. For each model, Lindbergh presents a portfolio of pictures showing her in various moods and dramatic poses and includes a brief statement in which he attempts to define what makes her a memorable subject. Because he concentrates on the women, not the clothes, his work has unusual intensity and depth. At the same time, he shows the models in suggestive poses and various states of undress and includes a nude centerfold (the only color plate in the book), thus capturing the pornographic quality that characterizes much contemporary fashion photography. The technically sophisticated photographs are beautifully reproduced, but the layout of the text detracts from the appeal of the book; Lagerfeld's preface, for example, is printed in large capital letters that extend to the edges of the page, making it difficult to read. (Sept.)