SISTERS

n 1976, Jim Britt photographed his two daughters at their home in Los Angeles. Shot in black and white, one resulting image – which would later be known as ‘Sisters’ – captured 12-year old Jody and 11-year old ‘Mimi’ Melendy in an ecstatic fit of laughter, both proudly baring their matching braces. Twelve years later, in 1988, a representative from Comme des Garçons discovered the ‘Sisters’ image in People magazine and asked to licence it for a campaign. Published for AW88, this unassuming family photograph quickly became immortalised in fashion history: unstaged, joyful and flawed, everything fashion advertising normally wasn‘t. SISTERS by Jim Britt, 1976 – which sold out in the month of release – tells the unknown story behind its creation and showcases the never-before-seen images taken during the same photo session. Edited and published by Isabella Burley with art direction by Jamie Andrew Reid.

This special selection for Heaven was curated by Isabella Burley and CLIMAX BOOKS, an online distributor of specialist materials she founded in 2020. CLIMAX BOOKS (www.climaxbooks.com) focuses on hard-to-find cultural ephemera, periodicals, erotica, VHS tapes, anthologies and books on art, photography and counterculture that have often been overlooked. Enjoy!

To purchase, please email our LA store: [email protected]. Orders will be taken in accordance with time received. There are more books and magazines at the store than available online so please email to see the full collection