Melvin Sokolsky—the talented, prolific, and often underrated fashion photographer—has passed away at 88 years old. @sokolsky His seminal images for @harpersbazaarus in 1963, like his iconic "Bubble" series, also included two covers featuring the work of "America's Couturier" James Galanos for the July and November issues. Versions of those garments are in my collection, and for a story this month in San Francisco's @nobhillgazette I even reference Melvin. I had the great pleasure to strike up a friendship with him in 2017, when I emailed him about another of his images for Bazaar, also taken in 1963. It included yet another Galanos dress from my collection that was featured full-page in Bazaar that year. I'd come across an outtake of the image for sale through @faheykleingallery (who represented his work in LA). I was curious about the unusual title, "Iris on Vogue", so I reached out. He shared the most hilarious story about the shot featuring model Iris Bianchi, in the Galanos gown, standing on a chair with one of its legs on an issue of Vogue—a snippet of which I share here: "It was my snide way of saying Bazaar was stepping on Vogue. I was in my early twenties when the picture was taken. So the name of the image." He was such a brilliant artist and still shot for Bazaar through Glenda Bailey’s 15-year tenure as its editor-in-chief. Swipe ➡️ to see the detailed shot (and my dress). #melvinsokolsky #melvinsokolsky1963 #melvinsokolskyphotography #jamesgalanos #galanos #galanosarchive #harpersbazaar #bazaar #vogue #irisbianchi #irisonvogue #photography #photographer #fashionphotography #fashion #style #filmphotography #film