Comme Des Garcons by the Sea No. 2

Comme Des Garcons by the Sea No. 2

This photograph was taken on the coast of Tuscany in 1999 using Kodak Plus-K film. The series features the natural elements of direct sunlight, sky and rock as a backdrop to the Rei Kawakubo's sensual white summer dress.  

Paul Westlake

"I was born in England and I started my career as a professional photographer in 1985 in Sydney, Australia entering the field of fashion and beauty. In 1996 I moved to New York where I now reside.

During this time I have been honored to work for such prestigious publications as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Grazia & GQ.

I often say that a photograph can be like a postcard from a dream and I am truly enthralled by the process of capturing such moments on film. In my personal work I tend to favor black and white film because it suggests the visual landscape of dream. Ultimately what I am looking for when I take a photograph is connection with the subject, this allows a suggestion of intimacy and something deeper can shine through. A magical hidden dreamlike narrative.

I still love photography today as much as the day I first pressed the shutter of my old Zeis Ikon camera." 

“Paul Westlake’s clarity of vision guides his every image. There is a reverence for the organic in his work that permeates each composition - skin and fabric are shown as both visual and tactile, and the body is explored as shape and form. His work draws on a multitude of influences - from film and fashion histories - to create subtle, cinematic moments that suggest hidden narratives.  Photography’s emotional pull plays an equally significant part in Westlake’s appeal to the senses. He approaches his subjects with delicacy, allowing their feelings, as well as his own to guide the image’s formation. The connection between photographer and sitter is evident in his photography’s intimacy, its careful composition and the way he illuminates every scene, frequently cropping close to draw the viewer into the dreamscape he has created." 

- Dr Rebecca Arnold, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London

Archival Digital Print 
Limited Edition 
Hand signed and numbered by the photographer