Roxanne will be celebrating in high style (of course) with an invitation-only party at the exclusive Parlor club in New York City. As style.com reports, Parlor has mounted an installation of 26 of Roxanne’s iconic photographs from the heyday of Studio 54, as well as from her critically acclaimed book Backstage Dior.

In honor of her birthday, New York magazine’s The Cut blog is featuring a slideshow of Roxanne’s work. Click here or on the image below to view it.

.

.

UPDATE: The Bill Farrell Agency has posted lots of terrific photos from Roxanne’s party, whose guest list included Mick Rock, Catherine Malandrino, Amanda Lepore, Kenny Kenny, Princess Alexandra of Greece, and Giovanna Mastroianni…

.

Click to view images at the Bill Farrell Agency website.

Roxanne Lowit, age 27. Courtesy of Roxanne Lowit Photo Blog/roxannelowit.tumblr.com.

Click to read an interview with Roxanne at Fashion Etc.

Click to view a slideshow of party photos at Vogue Italia's website.

.

Roxanne Lowit in front of a banner for a 2011 exhibition of her work in Moscow.

Carrying her camera everywhere she goes, Roxanne Lowit has been an omniscient observer in the worlds of fashion, art, theater, film, and society for three decades, granting the rest of us access to even the most exclusive events and personalities by way of her photographs. Her visual style is at once celebratory, spontaneous-feeling, and uber-glamorous, a combination that has appealed to advertising and editorial clients at the highest level, including the Pierre Hotel, De Beers, Coca-Cola, Kate Spade, and Moet & Chandon.

“Famed photographer Roxanne Lowit has shot everything from ad campaigns…to editorials for Vogue and Vanity Fair, snapping celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Johnny Depp in between,” noted New York magazine in 2009.

Roxanne began, however, not in photography but in textile design. This was in New York in the ’70s. “I’d take photos of my textiles backstage at the fashion shows, and eventually I realized that backstage was the place I wanted to be,” she says, “and photography was what I wanted to do.”

Roxanne’s photos have been collected in a number of monographs, including Moments (Assouline, 1993), People (Assouline, 2001), and the widely praised Backstage Dior (teNeues, 2009), which The New York Times called “the ultimate insider’s glimpse at some of John Galliano’s most exuberant ready-to-wear and couture shows for the French fashion house.”

Her work has also been exhibited in galleries, festivals, and museums around the world, including the Gagosian Gallery in New York, Art Basel Miami Beach, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Despite the recognition she has received for her photographs, and in contrast to the glamorous settings she readily inhabits, Roxanne is actually quite unassuming and quiet in person. She lets her work speak for her, and the stories it tells are of an effervescent world that invites us to celebrate.

Here are some highlights from Roxanne’s portfolio. To see more, visit stocklandmartel.com/talent/roxanne-lowit/photography.

.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from her book "Backstage Dior."

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from a campaign for the Pierre Hotel.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from her book "Backstage Dior."

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from a campaign for Kate Spade.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from a campaign for Wynn Las Vegas.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from a campaign for Moet & Chandon.

Kate Moss. Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit, from a campaign for Barneys.

Amanda Lepore. Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

Photo by Roxanne Lowit.

.

.

Marc Jacobs fashion show. Photo by Roxanne Lowit for Barneys New York.

.

Barneys New York has launched a new campaign for spring that’s themed “Backstage,” and Roxanne Lowit—the queen of backstage fashion photography—is among the photographers who was commissioned to contribute images.

“Backstage,” which is entirely black & white, takes us to New York, London, Paris, and Milan, behind the scenes of fashion shows by designers including Lanvin, Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Marc Jacobs, whose show Roxanne photographed in NYC. “Marc Jacobs is so talented,” she says, “the girls look as good from the back as they do from the front!”

From the press release announcing the campaign:

.

“The campaign features unique black and white images taken backstage at the world’s most prestigious fashion shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Some of the celebrated photographers whose work is featured in the campaign include Nan Goldin, William Klein, Roxanne Lowit, Raymond Meier, Collier Schorr, Stephane Sednaoui and Juergen Teller. Additionally, Barneys New York commissioned backstage images from a select group of young and emerging photographers including Anna Bauer, JH Engstrom, Jason Lloyd Evans, Robert Fairer, Boo George, Nick Haymes, Leigh Ledare and Andrea Spotorno.

Due to the cinematic nature of the backstage experience, the photographs reveal the collections in their purest form: as the designers intended them. Each photograph offers an original insight into the world of celebrated fashion houses including, among others, Celine, Fendi, Jil Sander, L’Wren Scott, Proenza Schouler and The Row. In addition, selected designers are quoted in describing what the backstage experience means to them. The campaign features the words of Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, and Junya Watanabe, among others.

.

Click above to view the "Backstage" slideshow.

.

The black and white theme will be carried across all Barneys channels including Co-op for several weeks of the Spring 2011 season. … National print ads will appear in March issues of select fashion and lifestyle magazines. Barneys has deployed QR codes into both traditional and interactive media to add another dimension to the backstage experience. The QR code will take users directly to a content-rich experience on the Barneys website.”

.

.

.

Simon Doonan and Roxanne Lowit at Milk Gallery, October 21, 2010. Click on image to view video.

.

.

Among the nominees at the event, which are like the photo world’s version of the Oscars, minus the choreographed dance numbers, were Roxanne Lowit (an IPA nominee for her book Backstage Dior) and Nadav Kander, who was nominated in the Print Advertising Campaign of the Year category for a Hyundai campaign featuring stock images that agency Innocean purchased from Stockland Martel Archives.

.

Photo by Nadav Kander for Hyundai.

Photo by Nadav Kander for Hyundai.

.

To see all of this year’s honorees, go here.

And now for the event photos, courtesy of Robert Leslie and of Roxanne Lowit…

.

Art Streiber, who was in town to speak at PhotoPlus Expo, presented the Picture Editor of the Year award, which went to Jody Quon.

Houssein Farmani, cofounder of the Lucies, with Roxanne Lowit and Bruce Davidson at the Best in Show party on October 23 at Splashlight Studios. Photo by Robert Leslie.

Lauren Greenfield and Bill Stockland. Photo by Robert Leslie.

John Granito, Roxanne Lowit, and Bill Stockland. Photo by Robert Leslie.

Houssein Farmani and Lucies co-chair Susan Baraz at the Best in Show party. Photo by Robert Leslie.

Lauren Greenfield. Photo by Robert Leslie.

Robert Leslie and Roxanne Lowit.

Joanne Artese and Roxanne Lowit. Photo courtesy Roxanne Lowit.

Bob Schieffer of CBS' "Face the Nation." Photo courtesy Roxanne Lowit.

Gerd Ludwig and Lauren Greenfield. Photo courtesy Roxanne Lowit.

.

.

The conversation was videotaped, and I’ll be posting it soon, but for now, here are some of the highlights from their chat, which was both entertaining and inspiring.

By the way, Roxanne’s “orgasmically gorgeous” photographs, as Simon described them, are on view at Milk through October 30.

.

Simon Doonan and Roxanne Lowit at Milk Gallery, October 21, 2010. Event photos by Kristina Feliciano.

.

Referring to Susan Sontag’s famous “On Photography” essay, in which she characterizes photography as a predatory act, Simon looked at Roxanne and asked, “Roxanne, are you a predator?” After waiting patiently for the laughter to die down, she replied, “No, I’m a coconspirator, collaborator, and participant.”

Roxanne told a story of being at an event and taking a photo of Irving Penn, and how he hated having his photo taken. (She took it with his permission; in fact, she says she never takes someone’s photo if they tell her not to.) Penn later sent her a note that began as follows: “Dear Photo Rapist…” But then he went on to praise her book Moments, which she had sent him.

Simon, after declaring Roxanne “the undisputed queen of the backstage,” asked Roxanne what makes the backstage at Dior different? “You can’t take a bad picture there,” she answered.

.

.

Asked about her influences, Roxanne noted that when she was starting out, she studiously avoided looking at photography books and exhibitions. She wanted to develop her own style. But when she did begin looking at others’ work, she saw a show by Weegee and thought, “That’s what I do.” It’s not that her work is the same as his, but there’s an affinity there that she instantly identified.

A man in the audience asked what inspires Roxanne, and Pat Field piped up and said, “It’s so hard to dissect creativity,” an observation with which Roxanne readily agreed.

I understand why that man asked that question, though—everyone there wanted to know how Roxanne does what she does. She came as close to an explanation as we can hope for by quoting something Karl Lagerfeld once said of her: “When she’s there, she’s not noticed. And when she’s not there, she’s missed.”

.

.

Hope to see you there!

.

.

.

Below are some of the photos of the night that Roxanne posted at her Facebook page. And here’s a link to some great pics by Elizabeth Lippman published at Italian Vogue‘s website.

.

Simon Doonan and Roxanne. All photos courtesy Roxanne Lowit.

Patricia Field.

Roxanne with Robert Verdi.

Eric White and Amanda Lepore.

.

Related:

“Roxanne Lowit: Backstage Dior” Oct. 14th-31st, MilkMade.com

.

.

.

Roxanne Lowit has been photographing the brightest, most fascinating personalities in fashion, art, and Hollywood for three decades, taking us all behind the velvet rope at the most exclusive of events. Yet she herself has always remained something of a mystery. All that has changed with Roxanne Lowit: Backstage Dior, though. The bestselling book has made it increasingly difficult for Roxanne, who is as soft-spoken as her photos are celebratory, to stay out of the spotlight.

And starting this week, Milk Gallery in New York will be hosting an exhibition celebrating the legendary photographer’s vivid monograph, which chronicles a decade of fashion by John Galliano. “Roxanne Lowit: Backstage Dior,” which will feature large-scale reproductions of Roxanne’s work, will be on view through October 31. Please join us in celebrating Roxanne and her work at the opening reception on Thursday, October 14, from 7 to 10 pm, at Milk Gallery, 450 W. 15th St.

.

Nadav Kander
1st Place, Editorial: Personality
“Giovanni Soldini II” for GQ Italia

……………………..

Jim Fiscus
1st Place, Special Effects
“Shot 8″ (from his digital novella The Unfortunate Moment of Misunderstanding)

……………………..

Roxanne Lowit
1st Place in 2 categories: Book: Fine Art and Book Finalist
Backstage Dior

Click on image to see more.

.

Photographers Achim Lippoth, the Wade Brothers, Jason Florio, Matt Hoyle, Jeff Sheng, Zed Nelson, and Edmund Clark are also among this year’s IPA honorees. Click here to view the complete Winners’ Gallery.

.

.