If you’ve ever watched the memorable movie “The Devil Wears Prada”, you may remember Miranda Priestly’s iconic line – “Get me Demarchelier!”, answered by her assistant Emily, who says – “I have Patrick”. But who is this Patrick Demarchelier? Well, one thing is for sure: if the personality was mentioned in a movie as important as this one, it’s because we’re talking about an icon. Besides, there’s no way you haven’t seen the work of this renowned photographer at least once in your life.
Album and magazine covers, themed photo essays are some pillars of Patrick’s curriculum. But until you see them and get a sense of the photographer’s talent, you can’t imagine how fantastic and passionate his work is. Do you have any doubts about this? Well, I’ll give you another cinematographic reference! He was responsible for Carrie Bradshaw’s unforgettable wedding dress shoot for Vogue. And we cannot deny that after this scene, the desire to try on countless wedding dresses, pose with the widest smile possible and live a princess romance, was uncontrollable. Get ready because this Frenchman’s story is inspiring!
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Patrick was born in Le Havre on August 28, 1943. Self-taught, he picked up his first camera at age 17, a gift from his stepfather, Eastman Kodak. His first jobs involved passport and wedding photos. He then acted as a photography assistant at the studio of Henri Cartier-Bresser, who he regarded as his great master. At the age of 20, the young man moved to Paris, and got a job with Hans Feurer, a Swiss photographer and contributor to Vogue.
In 1975, together with his girlfriend at the time, Demarchelier moved to New York, where he began to work in the fashion area, starting with the creation of his own studio. His presence in the fashion world was consolidated in 1975, when he started his partnership with American Vogue.
With its soaring success, the 90s act as the high point of Patrick’s career (and wait, things are only going to get better). After being hired by Elle and Marie Claire, the photographer developed essays for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. One of the highlights was the photograph for the cover, commemorating the 100 years of the latter.
From that point on, “Patrick Demarchelier” is already a name universally known, for his creation of images for the renowned magazines mentioned and for the photography of important brands such as Dior, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Tommy Hilfiger, Carolina Herrera, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and so on. His portraits focused on the model’s beauty and personality, captured in impeccable, classic light, have become his trademark.
The highlight was so great that in 1989 he was hired as a personal photographer for our dear and memorable Lady Di. That’s right! Patrick took pictures of Princess Diana for years, becoming the first non-British in history to become an official royal photographer. That same year, he also gained fame for his work featured in the American Photographer Master Series, whose model was none other than the exceptional Madonna.
And it wasn’t just these two extraordinary women that Patrick captured on camera. The list of names is so long, it becomes incapable of fitting into a single article! Models like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bündchen, Carol Trentini, Adut Akech, Kate Moss, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrósio and Christy Turlington are just a few of the many privileged to have been captured by Demarchelier’s lens. Actors like Uma Thurman, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Emma Stone, Alicia Vikander, Cara Delevigne, Robert Deniro, Anthony Hopkins, Scarlet Johansson and Susan Sarandon are some more names on the list.
In addition to magazine essays, music album covers were important highlights of the photographer’s career. Among the main ones, we can mention “I’m Breathless”, by Madonna; “A new day has come”, by Céline Dion; “I Will Always Love You: The Best Of Whitney Houston”, by Whitney Houston; “In the zone” and “Circus” by Britney Spears; and others by Elton John, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey.
his remarkable work
In his career years, Demarchelier had his photographs compiled into albums that were successful sales. In 1995, “Patrick Demarchelier: Photos” was released, yielding more than 17,000 albums circulated. Two years later, in 1997, it was the turn of “The Opening of Elegance”, followed by “Forms”, in 1998. In 2008, with the same title as the first, “Patrick Demarchelier: photos”, there was an edition with new images and even more success than the first. It is worth mentioning that these albums had their production quantities increased several times, due to the numerous demand for the Frenchman’s work.
But not everything is rosy, and proof of that is the article published in 2018 by the Boston Globe. In parallel with the outbreak of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, several professionals were accused of harassment in the publication, and one of them is Patrick, who received such a complaint from 7 models. He denied the allegations, but was still banned from the publishing house Condé-Nast, which runs Vogue. Along with this punishment came the moment of Demarchelier’s retirement.
Despite his career not having ended in the most solemn way possible, Patrick left a trail of incomparable and impeccable essays, whose material is spread to this day on social networks and in the magazines themselves. His gaze that aimed to focus on the shapes of clothes and accessories, simplicity and unusual shapes in the movement and body of the models, took that boy with his camera taking wedding photos to the covers of world-renowned magazines, becoming a global phenomenon.The sophistication of light, the restricted use of filters and digital modification, the naturalness and spontaneity of the paintings, and the emphasis on emotion served as tenets of photography for those who were inspired and admired his work. The way he created a lively immediacy in order to let the look come to life and make the models bring out their best side was unique and inspiring.
Patrick passed away at the age of 78 on March 31 of this year, 2022, from cancer. Outside the studios, he left three children from his marriage to Mia Demarchelier. One of them, Victor Demarchelier, is following in his father’s footsteps, working in the field of photography.
To this day, his legacy strikes the eyes of anyone who comes across the vivid nuances of his photographs. From the black and white effects to the color, Patrick’s work remains alive and as an important point in the stories of countless brands and magazines, being recognized as one of the most memorable and iconic photographers in history.
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The article above was edited by Marina Ponchio.
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