For decades
photographers had travelled to India and taken topographical images but
Parkinson, Vogue photographer, went to India with a different eye. His plan was to take Western
fashion and combine it with Indian style. And it worked, the clothes blended
beautifully with the surroundings. It was an ideal marriage- the dress, the
coat, the outfit, contrasted, yet complemented by, the richness of the Indian
architecture and landscape.
In November 1956 when British Vogue hit the
newsstands, the fashion world was stunned by Parkinson’s contemporary and fresh
look at India. Parkinson had travelled throughout India from the south of
Mahabalipuram to Kashmir, and he captured the mood, the ambience and above all
the colour. Diana Vreeland, the then editor of Harper’s Bazaar was entranced by
Parkinson’s Indian images famously proclaiming ‘How clever of you, Mr Parkinson
also to know that pink is the navy blue of India.’
Parkinson’s
masterful balance – particularly his use of colour and light it to observe.
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| Anne Gunning in a pink mohair coat outside the City Palace, Jaipur, India, Vogue. 1956 |
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| Anne Gunning wearing an evening dress in rose red chiffon by Susan Small, India, Vogue. 1956 |
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| Barbara Mullen at the Red Fort, Delhi, Vogue. 1956 |
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| Floating with flowers, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen floating in a cotton mousseline dress by Atrima. 1956 |
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| For coolness under the sun, India, Vogue. Anne Gunning in front of Nandi, the Sacred Bull, on Chamundi Hill above Mysore City A skirt and blouse that come together into a fragile blow-away dress by Christian Dior. 1956 |
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| Honeycomb marble st the Red Fort, Delhi, India, Vogue. Anne Gunning wearing an evening dress in rose red chiffon by Susan Small. 1956 |
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| Manifold umbrellas in Aurungabad market, India, Vogue. Anne Gunning wearing a camisole-sheath in white pique, with a navy and white spotted cummerbund by Horrockses at Chanelle, Knighstbridge. 1956 |
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| Mylapore Temple and its waterlilies, India, Vogue. Anne Gunning wearing a yellow Dorlinic dress with satin binding. 1956 |
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| Paddy Fields in the late summer, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen wearing a rose-printed cotton shirt by Digby Morton for Simpson and slacks in leaf-green linen by Daks. 1956 |
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| The Amber Palace, Jaipur, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen wearing a blue shantung shirt and skirt with a stylized willow pattern design both by Harvey Nichols. 1956 |
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| The pale cool of Kashmir, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen floating in a cotton mousseline dress by Atrima. 1956 |
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| The Pillars of Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque at dusk, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen wearing a gold lame Ball gown by Christian Dior. 1956 |
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| The Shore temple at Mahabalipuram, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen wearing a white organza dress with silver embroidery and moonstone-blue organza coat by Horrockses at Chanelle, Knighstbridge. 1956 |
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| The Taj Mahal seen across the swirling Jumna River, India, Vogue. Barbara Mullen wearing a bathing dress with orange, black and white design by Emilio of Capri. 1956 |
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| Winter sunshine wardrobe in India, Vogue. 1956 |
