the times | Wednesday June 8 2022 5fashion
F
orget look at the birdie —
direct your attention instead
to the picture credit on Lilibet
Sussex’s winsome first
birthday portrait. Misan
Harriman is the 45-year-old Nigerian-
born, Bradfield College-educated
British photographer who, in 2020,
became the first black man to shoot a
cover for UK Vogue — its prestigious
September issue, no less.
Yet Harriman’s connection to the
Sussexes is more than the simple
relationship between object and
viewfinder: he is rumoured to have
formed part of the link that set the
couple up together in the first place.
A celebrity photographer already
working with Cate Blanchett, Rihanna
and the like, Harriman was allegedly
the person who introduced Meghan
Markle to the anonymous and much-
speculated-upon friend of a friend.
The rest, as they say, is history.
As, in fact, is Harriman’s photograph
of Lilibet — the first taken since a
Christmas card showed her, squashy,
smiling and still newborn grub-like at
about six months old. In the shot,
shared at the weekend, Lilibet’s pale
blue linen dress and matching
hairband, not to mention her natural
and happy pose (never a given), on the
lawns of Frogmore Cottage, might
finally inspire family photographers
across the nation to chuck out their
fluffy rugs and galaxy-print backdrop.
Certainly the accompanying picture
of Meghan with Lilibet and Harriman’s
wife, Camilla Holmstroem, and the
couple’s two daughters provides a
template for every future “relaxed,
informal group shot” — and the open
secret to nice pictures when looking
after kids: always set the filter to black
and white. Holmstroem, a former
banker with an interest in global
development, is said to have persuaded
her husband to focus on
photography rather than the
media agency he set up in 2016.
When it comes to the kids,
however, the shots are in much
the same vein as those the
Cambridges have released
publicly of the next-generation
royals: less posed than in decades
gone by, but rather more — and
every millennial bride will know
this word — “reportagey”. Call
this shift in taste the modern
era’s version of the move-on
from Giotto painting all babies
simply as pint-sized middle-
aged men on their mothers’
laps, to the fleshy, cheeky
realness of Raphael’s cherubs.
All royal children used to look
like small, squinting men in
jumpers; these days they could
pass for a Boden catalogue.
Not for social media-savvy parents
are toddlers forced into country club
clothes, with sticky hands folded
unnaturally on their knees.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s
decision to take all her own shots of
her kids is a sensibly spontaneous one,
the inevitability of doing anything
with small children being a bonfire of
everybody else’s best-laid plans. Just
look at Prince Louis’ infinitely shared
array of gurns from various ringside
seats at the jubilee festivities.Asceno does good straight-cut suits in
slightly thicker fabrics — try the
Palma, reduced from £215 to £108 on
the Outnet (theoutnet.com).
A halter neck, or straps that cross at
the back, are good light-support
options. Boden has both, also with
hidden fixed cups, and is one of the
few brands on the high street that does
prints well. Try the Seventies pink,
orange and green abstract swirl cross-
strap suit or one of two chic paisley
halternecks — the pink and red
Levanzo has a ruched waist and the
navy Elba a tied wrap waist, so they’re
good round the middle too (£80, £70,
and £75 respectively, boden.co.uk). An
underwire will give you the best
support on top — I love the
psychedelic print of WeWoreWhat’s
blue paradise suit (£195,
beachflamingo.com), which is higher
cut in the leg for if you want support
on top but don’t want total bum
coverage. Beach Cafe has a great edit
of brands and a specific section of its
website is for D cups and larger
(beachcafe.com). Deakin & Blue’s
X-back swimsuit with wide straps
comes in bust sizes C-E and will
withstand any feats of athleticism
(£120, deakinandblue.com).
If you want to shop in person your
first stop should be Marks & Spencer.
It’s the UK leader for bra sales
(37.5 per cent of the market), so itsdesigners know how to fit our bits. Its
swimwear range has padding and
underwires, long sleeves, big knickers
and tummy control, from £9.50
(marksandspencer.com). If you want a
rash guard I’d layer a simple one on
top of a bikini or swimsuit so you have
proper support. Cossie+Co’s no-frills
Leigh comes in blue and pink, and the
rest of the range comes in great block
colours too (£100, cossieandco.com).
Sometimes you need a glam
swimsuit. I was once invited to a
wedding abroad that had a pool
element. I went to Zimmermann for a
well-cut, cinched-in-everywhere
designer swimsuit that made me feel
properly dressed in a pool full of
strangers. There are one-pieces from
£54 on the Outnet, in metallics and
leopard prints or with matching belts.
Norma Kamali’s clever cut and
ruching could make anyone feel like
Farrah Fawcett in her red Kamali suit;
try Net-a-Porter’s sale for reductions,
from £56 (net-a-porter.com).
Now you just have to make it
through the airport. I’m off to
Yorkshire instead, visiting friends
who’ve been in touch to warn me that
they had to turn the central heating
back on this week. So I may spend
what I’ve saved on airfares on a towel-
lined Dryrobe (£160, dryrobe.com) and
stock up on fake tan.
Instagram: @charliegowansIt’s also a reaction to the expectation
that one’s tiny children must be shared
on the world stage. Modern parents do
a similar thing every time they post
theirs on Instagram, of course, only
most of us have rather fewer followers
than @sussexroyal’s 9.6 million.
Crucially, none of our children are
yet old enough to tell us they hate us
for it either.
Prince Harry’s own childhood
portraits were taken by the late
Patrick Demarchelier and his
21st birthday snaps by Mario
Testino. Both names have long
been on Anna Wintour’s speed
dial; the latter’s Prince Harry
birthday series ran in Vanity Fair.
For Harriman, though, son of
the Nigerian businessman and
politician Chief Hope Harriman,
this is not his first experience of
going viral — and his subjects
usually have rather more to say
than a one-year-old girl. During
the London Black Lives Matter
protests in June 2020, Harriman
snapped activists outside the US
Embassy and became one of the
most-shared image-capturers of a
movement that continues to
dominate global conversation. His
portraits of protesters were sent
around the world after being reposted
by Gigi Hadid, the rapper P Diddy —
even Martin Luther King III.
This alone takes him beyond society
photographer and into the realm of
chronicler. But with the addition
of the royal family’s youngest star to
his camera roll, Harriman joins an
even more exclusive club — although,
given his role as matchmaker to
the 0.01 per cent, he seems to have
been firmly ensconced in the
establishment already.p P 2 T b d b t p t g u t t p s E m m dportMisan Harriman.
Below: his photograph
of Meghan and her
daughter, Lilibet, with
his wife, Camilla
Holmstroem, and their
two daughtersDYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS; MISAN HARRIMAN£60, Figleaves;
next.co.ukA nodoesgoodstraight-cure al women
Meet Misan Harriman, the hottest
royal photographer Harriet Walker