Column: Taschen to publish fashion photog Testino’s works on Kate Moss

One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do is walk away from a hefty stack of coffee table books I had accumulated during my summer abroad in London. I left them in hope they would find love with the next flat tenant.

There is a particular aesthetic about coffee table books, and it’s a shame they don’t easily fit in suitcases.

I appreciate them, and not just because they distract my guy friend from how long I’m taking in the dressing room at Urban Outfitters. It’s because they are fashioned for the content. Whether it’s an oversized book with Modigliani’s portraits or a book that takes the shape of whatever it’s about, they’re an art form of their own.

So, when I found out my favorite art publisher, Taschen, was going to publish a book over the famous fashion duo Kate Moss and Mario Testino, it made perfect sense.

The fashion photographer has selected Taschen for previous books such as his “Let Me In,” “Private View” and other books that highlight his work with some of pop culture’s favorites, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Brad Pitt to the British royal family to a list that continues for days.

Testino is an established man on the inside. He has shot for clients like Burberry, Versace and Michael Kors.

He even played cover man himself for a 2011 cover of British GQ, which tagged him as famous as the stars he shoots, placing him on their Men of the Year list.

And little by little, Testino has let us outsiders into a world of glamour and even illicit fashion through his work. However, looking at his Kate Moss release coming in March, I think we’re going to reach a whole new level of intimacy in the most genuine of ways.

Moss has become a household name. As iconic top girl for designers like Calvin Klein, Chanel and more, Moss has branded herself as one of the industry’s most prestigious models. With this reputation and additional titles like one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2007, she has crossed to a respected, untouchable status.
However, she wasn’t always so.

Testino says he first met Moss early in her career before the covers and titles. Testino fell for not only her beauty, but her humor and her spirit right away, according to the book’s Taschen profile page.

The 232-page book shows more than 100 images that catch not only her iconic shots but the backstage, private shots that exemplify the personality that sparked a lifelong friendship between Testino and Moss.

With never-released images, the limited edition version has already sold out at $2,000 a pop. However, the new edition will be available to you for a modest $39.99 come March. Every fashionista needs a little inspiration — let it be what Testino saw in Moss, claiming her his greatest muse.

Plus, the cover is a shaded white and contrasts perfectly with any classic wooden coffee table. So buy up, and of course thank me if it becomes your muse, too.

­— kcollisi@indiana.edu

Follow columnist Kel Collisi on Twitter @KelCollisi.