Close Up

My interest in the way in which motherhood is portrayed in fashion photography is always alive. As you know, I have a particular passion for the British photographer Miles Aldridge, who never fails to present interesting takes on the subject in his works. I think he’s the only one who has been able to give Daisy Lowe, the British sexy kitten par excellence, the role of a mother in a photoshoot: the result is complex and unpredictable.

Close Up was published on Vogue Italia in September 2009: it was set in Essex at the Bancroft’s School, a preparatory and senior school founded in 1737. The stately main building of the school serves as backdrop for Mommy Daisy and her son, who arrive with a luxury car, driven by a handsome and young chaffeur. This first shot is important for the rest of the photoshoot, because it introduces the protagonist (the mother) and other minor characters of the story, her son included. She’s wearing red, the colour of passion, and all the eyes of the male characters are focused on her. It’s curious to see how this image plays with the concept of sight: the men watch Daisy, but one of her eyes is hidden under her black hat.