Fashion photography is having a moment. In the midst of a chaotic world, filling our walls with resplendent haute couture imagery makes everyday life feel more glamorous. That’s why buyers from around the world recently took part in two landmark auctions at Christie’s in Paris, where sartorial splendor was on full view.

But why now? Why are glossy style photos so in vogue? Surely recent blockbuster museum exhibitions have helped frame the conversation. This year’s Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the Louvre in Paris, the 2019 Christian Dior retrospective at London’s V&A Museum and the 2011 Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City have all contributed to our passion for fashion.

Although it’s often the designers themselves who spark the greatest interest, fashion photographers have garnered star status as well. In the early years, these creatives were simply responding to a commercial need. But starting in the 1950s, icons like Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Irving Penn began to insert their own artistry into their work, creating striking and sublime images.

Models, meanwhile, have always brought their own bravura. Collectors are keen to snap up portraits with familiar faces from their youth. “People who once dreamt in front of Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington or Kate Moss are now willing to afford one of the famous…