HOLIDAY, CELEBRATION

You must be my lucky star. ‘Cause you shine on me wherever you are.
Happy Birthday, Madonna!

VIVA VERSACE

In 1995 Gianni Versace asked Madonna to appear in a series of portraits wearing his winter couture collection. Madonna was the first major star to specify Testino as her photographer of choice and this was to be the first set of his fashion photographs to cross the frontier into portraiture of an established icon.

Known as an artist who constantly re-invents herself the Madonna commission proved to be a new kind of challenge. “I could not just walk in and tell her what I wanted to do. She had always controlled her own image. But I thought that if she had asked for me she wanted my way of seeing her. This gave me the confidence to convince her that she should appear very naturally. I had got to the point in my work where I could only really like a photograph of someone if I could feel that the image had an intense reality; that you actually sense the real life of the person. The first time I met Madonna I was struck by how beautiful she was in herself, not relying on the theatricality of her stage persona. It has been the longest collaboration that I have had with an artist of her standing. I was told that it would change my life to photograph Madonna. I did not realize to what extent.”

It made quite an impact. “I was a no one. Who is this Testino? Until then the only photographers known only by their surnames were Newton, Avedon and Bailey. It did change the way people saw me. I became a brand.”

Versace headlined the pictures. Versace presents Madonna by Testino. Until that point Testino’s work had only been recognized within the fashion world. The Madonna pictures changed that overnight.

LONDON TOWN

Burberry Spring/Summer 2011
Photographer: Mario Testino
Models: Cara Delevingne, Jacob Young, Jourdan Dunn and Sacha M’Baye

THIRSTY

Noah Mills
Magazine: V Magazine, Summer 2009
Photographer: Mario Testino

BELLO

Charles Devoe
Magazine: V Magazine, Summer 2009
Photographer: Mario Testino

EXCUSEZ-MOI

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell
Magazine: Vogue Paris, February 2008
Photographer: Mario Testino

DON’T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA

Evita is the 1996 American film adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of the same name based on the life of Eva Perón. It was directed by Alan Parker and starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce. It was released on December 25, 1996 by Hollywood Pictures and Cinergi Pictures.

The film received a warm reception from many critics. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and won the award for “Best Original Song” – “You Must Love Me”. Evita had five Golden Globe nominations and three wins (Best Picture – Comedy or Musical; Best Original Song, “You Must Love Me”; and Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, Madonna) and was one of the National Board of Review’s Top Ten Films of the Year.

The film earned Madonna a Guinness World Record title, “Most costume changes in a film”. The record was previously held by Elizabeth Taylor for the 1963 film Cleopatra (65 costume changes). In Evita, Madonna changed costumes 85 times (which included 39 hats, 45 pairs of shoes and 56 pairs of earrings).

SANTA ANGELINA

Photographed by Mario Testino, Angelina Jolie strikes a pose on the cover of Vogue’s December 2010 issue. In the magazine, the 35-year-old actress opens up about raising six kids and her upcoming movie with Johnny Depp, The Tourist.

On wearing black: “As Brad’ll tell you—and my kids—apparently Mommy only wears black,” she says. Because she was a Goth, right? No, she says, it’s utilitarian, it’s practical: “I like to get up so every pair of pants goes with every top, every dress goes with every shoe. I’ve a very tiny closet. Brad’s always laughing at me. Some days, yes, I have the nightgown that looks like a dress that I can sleep in and pick the kids up at school. And maybe take a meeting if I switch into heels.”

Visit vogue.com to read the complete article from the December issue and a slideshow of Angelina Jolie throughout the years in Vogue.