2008-03-01 | Society Femmes
In Manhattan, one can never be too rich, too privileged, or too beautiful. The same seems to go for Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Paris, London, and Milan. Those are just some of the cities photographer Roger Moenks traveled to on his mission to photograph high-society women from all over the world for a new book called Inheriting Beauty. "These are women who have an incredible influence on their own society, many of whom come from fairly well-known families," Moenks said. "This is a very liberated woman."
The book, due out in March, will run nearly 250 pages and feature 90 portraits of bold-faced fashion plates including Londoners Nadja Swarovski and Allegra Hicks, Delphine Arnault and Mathilde Agostinelli from Paris, and, in Milan, Roberta Armani, whose photo graces the cover (a quote from Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter is featured on the back cover). It should come as no surprise that New York boasted the largest number of names, including Tory Burch, Samantha Boardman, Patricia Lansing, Olivia Chantecaille, Celerie Kemble, Amanda Hearst, Margherita Missoni, and Marjorie Gubelmann. Additional coverage includes women from South America and Asia.
The subjects are shown at home while accompanying text details how each uniquely contributes to society. "It's capturing a moment where the high-society women are taking some of the attention normally bestowed upon supermodels and celebrities," Moenks said. "It's a way to know them more personally."