They usually take the photo. This time, they struck a pose. On March 20, the American photographer Annie Leibovitz, 74, was installed as a foreign associate member of the Academy of Fine Arts, taking the place left vacant by the American architect of Chinese origin I. M. Pei, designer of the Pyramid of Louvre, which disappeared in 2019. For the occasion, the photographers from the Academy were mobilized. Annie Leibovitz was surrounded, from left to right, by Jean Gaumy, Dominique Issermann, Valérie Belin, the Brazilian Sebastião Salgado and Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
As expected, Annie Leibovitz had worn the only outfit for the occasion. But where does it come from? This emblematic ensemble was born at the instigation of Napoléon Bonaparte, who designed, in 1801, a “uniform and distinguished” outfit for the members of the Academy. Nicknamed “the green coat” because of its embroidered olive leaves, a symbol of wisdom, the garment has changed very little over time. Note that it was originally associated with breeches and silk stockings and that Victor Hugo was the very first to allow himself to wear it with pants.
In pants, Annie Leibovitz surprisingly chose to wear a pair of black shoes with a double buckle. Invented by the venerable English house John Lobb in the 1940s, this model, as essential as it is unclassifiable in the world of classic shoes, bears the name double monk (“double monk”, in French). Why such a name ? Quite simply because, historically, monks were fond of shoes with buckles and in particular the well-known Franciscan sandals.
Even more surprising, Yann Arthus-Bertrand had chosen that day to walk around the Institut de France wearing a pair of sneakers, Nike Revolution 6 with a white sole and black comma, sold at a price of 74.90 euros. Would Napoleon have validated? Well, it cannot be ruled out that the ultra-soft cushioning of the model as well as its eco-responsible design incorporating at least 20% of its weight in recycled materials would have had a small effect on it...
In the non-academic genre, how can we not stop, finally, on the outfit of the photographer Dominique Issermann, and in particular on the spectacular skull bandana that she wore like a biker keen to protect the inner lining of his helmet from sweat and hair gel? If you wish to do the same, know that using a square bandana measuring 55 centimeters on a side is recommended by specialists.
