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80 AS GALLERIA DALLAS DEBUTS "AGE OF THE SUPERMODEL: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF DONNA DEMARI," WE YEARN FOR FASHION'S GLORY YEARS — A TIME WHEN LINDA, NAOMI, CHRISTY, AND CLAUDIA HELD COURT. I n 1991, American photographer Donna DeMari was thrown into fashion's brightest limelight. Call it baptism by fire. British Vogue and L'Officiel in Paris hired DeMari to capture b e h i n d - t h e - s c e n e s moments from more than 10 of the Fall/ Winter 1992 haute couture shows, from Chanel to Guy Laroche, Christian Lacroix to Valentino, Givenchy to Pierre Balmain. The resulting body of work stands as a brilliant depiction of the fashion industry at its height — an era when fashion was truly a rare-air world, one not dominated by quick-to-die trends, with runways streamed for the masses in real-time, and a saturated contingent of so-called influencers. "I was completely alone and, well, nervous," recalls DeMari of the Giorgio Armani show rehearsal in the exhibition catalog. "Was I at the right place? Where was everyone? Where were the girls? And then one by one they started to arrive. All the supermodel superstars. Christy, Linda, Naomi, Helena, Jasmine, Claudia, Giselle, Carla … They kept coming. Christy smiled gently, Naomi whirled by, Claudia floated in, Linda glared at me … but only Helena asked, 'Where would you like me to stand?' And so it began." What DeMari captured backstage with her Nikon F2 is a visual feast — one that is ethereal and raw, glamorous and imperfect. Naomi Campbell is rushed down a hallway, trailed by a dresser no doubt putting the final touches on her look. André Leon Talley and Kristen McMenamy are caught in a moment of lightness; they hold hands in what could be a high-five, the beginning of an embrace, or a quick dance. Linda Evangelista — grinning widely, her hair and makeup undone — haphazardly pulls on a pair of boots. All 50-plus images go on display Saturday, September 15, at Galleria Dallas Level One. Accompanying the photographs is rare video footage from the shows, as well as an exhibition of haute couture from the collections depicted in DeMari's work, culled from the University of North Texas Fashion Collection. "Age of the Supermodel: The Photographs of Donna DeMari," September 15 through October 28, at Galleria Dallas Level One. Donna DeMari and PaperCity Dallas editor in chief Christina Geyer discuss "The Lens of a Fashion Photographer" Wednesday, September 19; Wednesday, September 26, Annette Becker, director of the Texas Fashion Collection at UNT, discusses "Haute Couture in the Age of the Supermodel"; Wednesday, October 24, Jan Strimple discourses on modeling during fashion's heyday. BY CHRISTINA GEYER. PHOTOGRAPHY DONNA DEMARI. THE BEST OF TIMES "ONLY NOW, ALMOST 25 YEARS LATER, CAN I FULLY APPRECIATE THE TRUE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAVING PHOTOGRAPHED THE LEGENDARY BRAT PACK ALL TOGETHER AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR SUCCESS AND AT THE BEGINNING OF MINE." — Donna DeMari Christy Turlington, 1991