I’ve always appreciated the dual experience of images when commissioning photography. Creative conversations are developed, logistical hurdles are cleared, and the shoot happens. Then a magic link arrives in my inbox. It’s the first rush, there’s trepidation and excitement. I envy photo editors of the past, receiving envelopes overstuffed with contact sheets - the joy of receiving that physical gift would make more sense. Unzipping a file can lack ceremony, but I still love it.
Then, usually weeks later, the new issue lands on my desk, and I get to experience our photographers' incredible work all over again. This time it’s finally real in my hands, and I instantly forget whatever complexities were navigated to get us there, and it’s the joy all over again as it’s sent out to our contributors and audience.
So now in the pursuit of a third round, I’ve looked back at stories from our 2024 issues, and curated twenty-four by-no-means-comprehensive highlights. It’s a moment to thank all those incredible creatives who have collaborated with us in such surprising and delightful ways.
For our November issue, Frederike Helwig shoots Choreographer Wayne McGregor and composer Max Richter on their turning of a post-apocalyptic trilogy by Margaret Atwood into a three-act ballet.
@frederikehelwig
For September, Nicole Maria Winkler shoots tactile ensembles with a hint of cheek. Fashion by Jason Hughes. Coat, £7,900, by McQueen by Seán McGirr ‘Marcel’ armchair, £1,750, by Kazuhide Takahama, for Gavina, from Monument
@nicolemariawinkler
For April, Alex Majoli shoots Daniel Lalonde, CEO of luxury interiors group Design Holding, at the Milan showroom of B&B Italia, one of its nine brands, with a ‘Superloon’ floor lamp by Jasper Morrison for Flos.
@alexmajoliphoto
For October, Melanie + Ramon depict the latest high jewellery collections, dripping with drama, fantasy and flamboyance, drawing on a wealth of influences, from a Chopin composition and César Ritz to crocodiles and colour refraction. Fashion/set stylist Lune Kuipers. Platinum bracelet with diamonds, 1923, part of the ‘Heritage’ collection, price on request, by Van Cleef & Arpels. Dress, price on request, by Courrèges.
@melanie_ramon
For September, photographer Cédrine Scheidig took an exclusive tour of Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris bookshop and library, which is keeping his vision alive with a scintillating programme of cultural events.
@cscheidig
For February, Adrien Dubost shoots ‘Best Sculptural Sensation’, Prada brushed leather pumps with floral appliqués, Fashion Jason Hughes.
@adrien_dubost
For November, Kalpesh Lathigra shot JW Anderson’s latest collection, a fantastical collaboration with artist Christiane Kubrick, at the Childwickbury estate. With thanks to the Kubrick family. Fashion by Jason Hughes.
@kalpeshlathigra
For April, Stefan Giftthaler shared his take on Giovanni Michelucci’s concrete church in the Italian Dolomites.
@stefangiftthaler
For October, X-Ray artist Hugh Turvey, photographer Richard Foster and Head of Interiors Olly Mason created a blended medium as traditional images met X-ray processes to shine a light on our edit of lamps, exploring the from inside and out.
@hughturvey and @richardfosterstudio
For June, Jin Jia Ji visited Ho Chi Minh City for ‘The Trip’. Here, a group of visitors in front of the Ho Chi Minh Museum, after taking photographs next to a statue representing Ho Chi Minh as a young man.
@jinjiaji
For September, photographer Andrea Urbez with stylist Nicola Neri captured strong tailoring momentum in the A/W season menswear.
@andreaurbez
For May, Federico Ciamei shot Atelier Biagetti’s cat, Birba, on a ‘Tatamu’ sofa, in the designers’ studio in Milan following their collaboration with MCM.
@federicociamei
For August, Tina Tyrell took Artist Olivia Erlanger's portrait ahead of her dystopian exploration of suburban America exhibition at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
@tinatyrell
For March, Lorenzo Meloni documented the vast new Saint Laurent flagship store on Paris’ Champs-Élysées.
@lorenzo.meloni/
For September, Gabriele Rosati shot Kim Jones’ couture collection for Dior Men, which pirouettes around the public and private life of flamboyant ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. Fashion by Jason Hughes. Dior silk top with floral embroideries, wool twill trousers with integrated scarf belt.
@gabrielerosati_
For November, Mattia Parodi and set stylists Stilema Studio shot Massimo Giorgetti’s new rug collection for CC-Tapis, which takes Milan’s 1960s metro system as inspiration.
@mattiaparodi and @stilema_studio
For August, Nicolas Alan Cope shot renowned set designer Stefan Beckmans dream American house, with Head of Interiors Olly Mason. ‘Corrugated’ chair, $5,500; side table, $2,600, both by Hanneke Lourens. ‘Extruded’ screen, price on request, by Office of Tangible Space. ‘Aquarama 1957’ laminate, price on request, by Abet Laminati. ‘Bright Grid’ fabric in Scuba, price on request, by Scholten & Baijings, for Maharam.
@nicholasalancope
For December, Karolina Burlikowska both shot and created the background artwork for a series of striking timepieces looking on the bright side of the season with an injection of colour. Iced Sea Automatic Date watch with burgundy-tone dial, £2,965, by Montblanc.
@karolinaburlikowska
For November, Bastian Thiery visited Elmgreen & Dragset’s Berlin studio ahead of their subversive take on the classical form at Paris’ Musée d’Orsay exploring contemporary masculinities in a heteronormative world. The Drawing, Fig. 3 (2024) in front of Les Romains de la Décadence (1847) by Thomas Couture.
@bastianthiery
For December, Mathilde Hiley reflected on interior decoration with Head of Interiors Olly Mason. ‘Intoo’ mirror, price on request, by Anne Boysen, for Georg Jensen. ‘Nova’ fabric, price on request, by Sander Lak, for Maharam
@mathildehiley
For December, Theresa Marx shot this beauty moment as part of a fashion story on decadent dressing and sartorial swagger for social butterflies.
@theresamarx
For July, Subject Verb rendered our Design Directory of the most exciting new launches spotted at Salone del Mobile and beyond, from snug seating and sculptural tables to space-age lighting and dreamy beds. Interiors by Olly Mason. Table, by Michael Anastassiades, for Tacchini. ‘Montparnasse’ table, by Charlotte Perriand, for Cassina. ‘JG’ coffee table, by Jørgen Gammelgaard, for Fredericia. ‘Comet’ console, by Jean-Baptiste Fastrez, for Galerie Kreo.
@subjectverb
For September, Jean-Marie Binet with stylist Lune Kuipers shot Hedi Slimane’s fluent translation of the organic sculptures of artist Jean Arp into jewellery pieces for the Celine Bijoux d’Artistes Project.
@jimbiners
For March, Melanie + Ramon captured Demna’s couture collection, taking centre stage at Balenciaga’s newly renovated couture salons in Paris. Fashion Jason Hughes
@melanie_ramon
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'I want to get into these images and perfume them': Linder's retrospective opens at the Hayward Gallery'Linder: Danger Came Smiling' gathers fifty years of the artist's work at the Hayward Gallery. We meet the punk provocateur ahead of her first retrospective
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The new Riva Iseo Super continues the Italian manufacturer’s mastery of motorboat designA sleek 27-foot runabout, the Riva Iseo Super showcases the factors that make Riva synonymous with waterborne elegance and style
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New York restaurant Manuela masters the art of contemporary diningThe latest restaurant from Hauser & Wirth’s hospitality arm, Manuela offers a masterclass in nourishing connections
