The Hit Factory

As America’s longest running fashion publication, Harper’s Bazaar, under the direction of editor in chief Glenda Bailey, has maintained its relevance and importance since its first issue. Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits is a collection of stunning cutting edge photographs that have managed to frame fashion photography in the context of pop culture. Here, a selection of our favorite images, as well as a word with Bailey about the challenges of editing a decade down to 300 photographs.

Life+Times: Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits encompasses some highlights throughout your tenure as EIC at one of the world’s most globally recognized publications. What challenges did you face while editing the book? What did you want to convey with every image that was chosen?
Glenda Bailey: Our challenge was that we had too many images and too much copy, but our publisher, Abrams, loved it so much that they gave us extra pages. At Harper’s Bazaar, we aim to be timely, but also timeless, so I wanted to feature images that are representative of the moment and that reflect our culture. Most of all, they had to be iconic.