In past interviews, Mario Testino has alluded that his childhood in Peru was that of a misfit.In past interviews, Mario Testino has alluded that his childhood in Peru was that of a misfit. He was the fashion-crazed oddball in a traditional Catholic family, and by his early twenties, he had left his native Lima for London. So it would seem a touch ironic that Testino returned to Peru to shoot what are arguably some of the most fantastical fashions of his career. Alta Moda, on view at Manhattan's Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, is the culmination of five years' work photographing traditional costumes worn by the people of the mountain city of Cusco. All twenty-seven images on view are a window into a lush world rarely seen—particularly by Testino's usual audiences. The opulent outfits were shot against a traditional painted backdrop from the archives of Martin Chambi, Peru's seminal indigenous photographer. Below, Testino talks to cbamd.com about the couture-caliber costumes, his fascination with tradition, and the show's notable departure from his usual oeuvre.
POST: 2024-11-24