Simon Perry Talks Mario Testino, Tom Ford & Chicago as the Next Fashion Destination

He’s worked with fashion photography greats like Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchellier, Mert and Marcus and David Lachapelle. He’s shot exclusively for Tom Ford, when Tom Ford allowed only one photographer at his shows. And today, renowned fashion photographer Simon Perry lives in Chicago, almost incognito, and wants to make the Windy City your next fashion destination.

We can’t say we are complaining about that.

Perry unveiled a special fashion exhibit at Chicago’s Virgin Hotel last week — a series that was shot over one day in 20 locations throughout the hotel. Each photograph features a piece by a Chicago designer plus additional items sourced from local boutiques Ikram, Blake, and Neapolitan. The final selection of 12 images is suspended in the Shag Room through the end of the summer.

We caught up with the photographer and talked Chicago, working for Mario Testino and Tom Ford and why Carine Roitfeld is his dream cover girl.

FashionFiles: Tell us about the concept and thoughts behind your shoot and this exhibit?

Simon Perry: Well, the funny thing was the whole concept behind the shoot was that mainly people don’t realize I’m here in Chicago. My main thing was, everywhere I go or wherever I travel in the world, people always say, “Oh where are you from or where do you live” and I always say Chicago and the first thing I hear is they go, “Why”. It’s like shock. And I’m like, ‘It’s the most amazing city ever!’ And I’ve lived in London, I’ve lived in Paris, I’ve even lived in Ibiza randomly. But by far Chicago is the best, my favorite place I’ve lived.

I stumbled upon it by accident, if you like, because I met my wife in Los Angeles. We were together there and she’s from Chicago. She grew up in Chicago, and that’s how I got to know Chicago. So yeah, we moved here four years ago.

The whole point of this exhibition was to try and show the talent that Chicago has here within the city. We only used Chicago designs and Chicago boutiques. The two models are from Chicago, and all the hair, the makeup, the stylist, were all here in Chicago.

FF: What kind of message are you trying to convey with the exhibit?

SP: You know it was funny because we were trying to shoot this almost as a story, but then it got so complicated because we fell in love with so many locations, and we were trying to tie them all together, and it was almost impossible. With those 12 images on the wall we probably shot 20 images, which is a lot to shoot in a day. You know you are kind of running around, pulling things all over the place; it was hard. Then we ended up treating each shot as an individual. So even though it’s the same two girls repeated in the images, we actually treated them as if they were different characters of each image.

FF: It’s really funny you’re saying that because we didn’t realize at first those were only two girls, so good job with that.

SP: That’s nice to hear. That was definitely the plan; we were trying to do subtle changes without going too crazy.

FF: Let’s talk a little bit about your career, and the fact that you have worked with some of the biggest fashion photographers in the world, mainly Mario Testino. How did you start? How did you get there?

SP: I actually used to work for one of Mario’s biggest competitors – Mert and Marcus. Mario’s first assistant wanted to leave and it was like the first of August and I had just started my vacation and they called me and were like, ‘We’d really love you to come work for Mario.’ It was definitely very exciting to get that phone call. Obviously, I’ve idolized him.

FF: What did you learn from him?

SP: There was so much to learn from Mario. The main thing with him is his personality — it is what creates the images. Everyone feels so comfortable around him. When you go into a shoot, that person, whoever it is, it could be the biggest A-list celebrity, is excited that Mario is going to take that picture. So you get there, and people are giddy. It’s kind of funny to see. The hardest battle as a photographer is trying to make some kind of connection, and he’s got that before he even turns on the camera.

FF: After you spent some time with Mario Testino you went to work for Tom Ford, who was very exclusive with his runway photos for several season. Were you the guy that was taking photos? Lets talk about that.

SP: That was a great experience. I actually know Tom Ford from Mario because we used to shoot Gucci. And then when Tom left Gucci we didn’t work for him. I didn’t work for him for at least three or four years. And then he was bringing out his movie, A Single Man, and he called me out of the blue. It was very strange because he called me himself which is always an unusual voice to hear over the phone. And definitely at first I thought it was a friend of mine. At first, I was a little bit… not cold, but I was a bit unsure. I was like, I don’t trust this.

But it was great. I worked with him on A Single Man, and then he just had menswear, and the fragrances had already been out, and his cosmetics… and he was about to launch womenswear. So he had a lot going on. So when I went into to work with him we shot literally everything. I mean his shows at first were actually presentations, and they were all clothes.

FF: So were you the only photographer in there?

SP: Yeah. Which was kind of stressful actually because you know, you’re shooting a presentation and only a very small handful will see you, and you’re the only photographer. So if you don’t get it right, you’re in a bit of trouble. It’s not like a show where you’ve got like 100 photogs, you know. But the pace of it and the speed was like a show. At some of the presentations I was directing video, as well as shooting, so there were some stressful times, but it was fun.

FF: But hey, he’s still Tom Ford.

SP: Yeah exactly. And you know getting to work with someone like that, as closely as I did, was a life changing opportunity. It was amazing.

FF: So what’s next for you?

SP: I really want to try and push myself here in Chicago. No one really knows that I’m here, and it’s a great opportunity for me to have this exhibition because it makes me realize how much is here in Chicago.

FF: We’re so glad you’re here.

SP: Me too.

FF: Whom would you like to work with in the future?

SP: That’s a really good question. I mean the one person I always love working with is Carine Roitfeld. I’ve only ever worked with her as like either an assistant or an art director role in a shoot. I’ve never actually had a shoot where she was like the star, because she is mind blowing.

FF: What inspired you to get into the industry?

SP: Well, the funny thing is I actually got into photography because my dad was an art director. I was about 18 and the weird thing was I only wanted to be in the army. Random, I know. It was always like my childhood dream, and then I didn’t get it because there was this like pre-war situation and it was really hard. So I ended up kind of floating around not knowing what to do with my life. And then my dad, had some shoots in London and he needed like a runner to go between two studios. I literally rode a bike between the two with all the different garments. Then, I got on really well with the photographer, and I started helping him as an assistant. This was over like a three-week period, and then at the end of the three weeks he just said to me, ‘Do you want a job?’ And I said, ‘Yes’ and I never went home. And then I worked. He was the best person to work for because I was 18 and he was a lingerie photographer, which is pretty great when you’re 18. And he was super technical and he was so talented so he just taught me everything within a year. It was the most intense three years of college in a year. It was amazing.

FF: What advice would you give to up-and-coming photographers who are following your footsteps?

SP: I think the best advice is just to stick with it. It takes a long time. There’s the very rare gem, who just comes out of college and becomes a really big, successful photographer, but it’s so rare. You know, it’s like Mario Testino. Trust me, he did not start at the top, you know. A lot of photographers make the mistake at looking at what photographers are doing now and forget to actually look back 10 years. Because I tell you, Mario didn’t start shooting Vanity Fair. And that was the nice thing, we had access to his archives so I’ve seen all his test shoots from when he was in his 20s, and you know, they were not what he does now. It was very different, and you’ve got to appreciate that sometimes.

All photos by Simon Perry