PROFILE: Mr Cecil Beaton
“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against (...) the creatures of the commonplace.”
Words - Taj Hayer
There are few men in history more rakish than Cecil Beaton. He possessed so many of the qualities that we consider to be of central importance to a modern man - well connected, hard working, talented across a multitude of disciplines, supremely cultured and always impeccably dressed.
Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young People
Beaton is best known for his photography of course. As well as as countless shoots for Vogue across the world, he shot every leading man and lady of the time including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. He created some of the most enduring and visually arresting fashion photographs of all time and photographed the Royal Family - from the wedding of the Duke of Windsor in the South of France to the forever famous portraits of Queen Elizabeth on her Coronation. Showcasing an ability to shoot a range of material, he was even commissioned by Winston Churchill to shoot propaganda images during the Second World War.
Yul Brynner by Cecil Beaton
His wardrobe boasted items from the UK, India, Hong Kong and America. His fondness for tailoring saw him hold accounts with all of the major tailors of the day including Hunstman and Anderson & Sheppard for impeccably fitted suits which were perfect to be worn on those trips to Buckingham Palace.
One of Beaton’s war photographs
Clothes were incredibly important to Beaton and he showcased a passion for fashion from a young age. Born in 1904 in Hampstead, and educated at Cambridge University, it is a tale of urban legend that he arrived wearing a large cravat, black and white trousers, red shoes and an evening jacket (which was by no means, the style of the time). He grew up in a time that was conservative for men’s fashion. He bucked trends, was often mixing clothes from different periods and places and had a fondness for vintage pieces, wearing antique waistcoats, double-breasted jackets and tailored suits with flair. A keen and frequent traveller, for work and for pleasure, Beaton was known to collect pieces from wherever he went.
Aldous Huxley by Cecil Beaton
Over the course of his life his wardrobe, as much as his photography, went through many changes. Whatever he was wearing, at whatever age, he always wore it with style and confidence, ensuring that whatever he wore was distinctive and supremely well made.
Cecil Beaton’s love of fashion, as it does for so many young men that are now in the industry, led to him creating costumes for film, theatre, ballet and opera. The costumes that he created for the film Gigi in 1958 lead to him winning his first Oscar. He would win a further Oscar in 1964 for the costumes designed for the musical My Fair Lady in 1964.
He may have passed away in 1980, but Beaton’s influence on fashion and on the arts has been incredible. His photography has influenced the work of so many that now shoot fashion photography and he was perhaps the first truly great fashion photographer. His personal style and incredible visual catalogue of work has influences designers like Erdem, Giles Deacon and Dries van Noten.
