Ellen von Unwerth's photo of Melania Trump highlights the enduring power of the 90s fashion aesthetic

Melania, a documentary about America's First Lady, is currently causing controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. And normally, I'm the first person to jump headlong into a political fight. But actually, the first time I saw Ellen von Unwerth's promo shot, it made me think of something else entirely.

I started my journalism career, you see, in 1990s London on women's magazines such as Company and CosmoGirl. And so when I first saw the Melania Trump photo, my eye went instantly to the stark black-and-white contrast. The power suit. The crossed legs and sky-high heels. The direct, unflinching gaze.

For a few seconds, I was transported back to 1997, sitting in a cramped magazine office in W1, surrounded by contact sheets and lightboxes, arguing with fashion editors about which image captured that ineffable "90s fashion" thing that would make the next issue fly off the shelves.

A great time to be alive

Yes, I was the token man on some of the 90s' biggest women's magazines; and looking back, it was an extraordinary time to be alive. The supermodel era was at its peak, and the aesthetic was everything. Bold, unapologetic, and dripping with a particular kind of empowered sexuality that felt world-changing at the time.

This was before Instagram and "authenticity"; before everyone and their pet became a content creator. Back then, fashion photography still had mystique, still had edge. And these were the days when you'd see Ellen von Unwerth's work in every one of the print magazines that defined British taste back then: The Face, Arena, i-D, and of course, Vogue.

Von Unwerth's photographs had a playful, provocative quality that set them apart from the glacial perfection of some of her contemporaries. While others were shooting in sterile studios with military precision, these images pulsed with life. They felt spontaneous, even when they were meticulously constructed. Her women weren't just beautiful objects; they were in on the joke, complicit in their own portrayal.

The signature style of the German photographer – who'd previously been a model herself – was unmistakable. High contrast black-and-white, strong graphic lines; women who looked directly at you, rather than past you. She had a way of making her subjects look simultaneously powerful and playful (including Melania Trump, then Knavs, in her own modelling days). It's a delicate balance that many photographers attempt, but few achieve.

Which brings me back to that 2026 Melania poster. The moment I saw it, I recognized the von Unwerth aesthetic immediately.

It's pure 90s supermodel energy: the kind of image that could have sat comfortably next to Christy Turlington for Versace or Linda Evangelista for Chanel in the pages of Vogue circa 1995. The black-and-white treatment isn't just a stylistic choice; it's a deliberate callback to an era when fashion photography embraced drama and contrast over the softer, more naturalistic approaches that would dominate the 2000s.

Yes, I'm acutely aware that fixating on photographic technique and 90s nostalgia might seem like a bizarrely niche perspective, given that the documentary itself is generating such heated political debate. But that's precisely my point.

If three decades later, the aesthetic of 1990s fashion photography can still grab your attention, stop you in your tracks – regardless of the subject – then surely there's something photographers can still learn from that era; whatever generation you come from.