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Sighs and Whispers, lingerie catalog photographed by Guy Bourdin, 1976.

Sighs and Whispers, lingerie catalog photographed by Guy Bourdin, 1976.

4.5 (140) · $ 71.50 · In stock

Sighs and Whispers, 1976. The infamous Bloomingdale
Sighs and Whispers, 1976. The infamous Bloomingdale's lingerie catalog photographed entirely by Guy Bourdin. Features 36 full-page images by Bourdin of lingerie and sleepwear in his signature sensual and unsettling style. The catalog was described by Joan Kron in New York Magazine ahead of its release as "surrealistic and controversialambiguous vignettes, suggestive of je ne sais quoi—smoldering-satin-eroticism, triple-bedded double entendres, Stepford breathing, and Story of O-ismsof French cult-figure photographer Guy Bourdin." ("Bloomie's Catalog: What's Underneath It All?," September 13, 1976: 68.) Bourdin demanded six unknown models for the shoot, and one photo of a model "levitating" took so many times to capture that the model fainted. Even ahead of its release, Bloomingdale's "expect[ed] the catalog to become a collector's item," which it very much has become in the time since. As Rosetta Brooks noted in her 1982 essay on the catalog, it is considered to be Bourdin's first "book," as it was the first publication dedicated to the photographer's work alone. Photographs include intimates designed by Diane von Furstenburg, Rudi Gernreich, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, and more. 36 pages, softcover, measures approx. 7.1" H x 10" W x 0.15" D. Cover in good condition with wear, interior in very good condition. Some scratches and wear to covers, particulary to spine, and former owner's embossing pressed into bottom right of front cover. Light wear to a few interior pages. The catalog has been placed in a protective plastic cover. See images for reference, and feel free to email with any questions.