From the Archives: Tehran in Vogue

In 1969 Vogue sent the photographer Henry Clarke to Iran to photograph models Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton amongst the historic monuments of Persepolis and Shiraz. But for Diana Vreeland, at the time Vogue’s Editor in Chief, a trip to Persia wasn’t simply about capturing the latest fashions in an exotic location, but an occasion to showcase its contemporary arts and fashion scene. Vogue first featured Iran in 1965, yet this time around the publication seemed to capture a youth quake movement which mirrored its counterparts in the West.

Vreeland’s cosmopolitan and sophisticated approach to showcasing Iran within Vogue’s pages included an interview with its Empress Farah Diba, photographed by Clarke wearing antique gold Persian jewelry and a dress “like those worn by women in the south of Persia.”

Flipping through the December 1969 issue one comes across a rare advertisement for Iran Air, promoting its flight service from London to Tehran. While it’s regular “Boutique” page (edited by a young Carrie Donovan) featured Vida Zahedi’s chic Tehran store “Number One Avenue Sanieddoleh.” 

Shahbanou Farah Diba photographed by Henri Clarke for Vogue, 1969.  

Tehran’s bright young things at “Number One Avenue Sanieddoleh,” Vogue, 1969.

Iran Air advertisement, Vogue, 1969.