Harper's Bazaar to celebrate 150th anniversary with Empire State Building photo projection

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Apr 19, 2017

The Empire State Building illuminates the Manhattan skyline every night with a bright white light or a specific light scheme for a special occasion. The iconic tower on Wednesday will feature a ‘fashion takeover’; with 500-foot tall and 186-foot wide projections of Harper’s Bazaar cover images.

 
In celebration of the magazine’s 150th anniversary, Harper's Bazaar covers from the early 1900s to present day will be projected on the north side of the building from 8:30pm to midnight. Cover images by Andy Warhol, Alexi Lubormirski, Stephanie Seymour and Terry Richardson that feature stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Witherspoon will span 42 floors of the Empire State Building and light up the evening sky.
 
Harper’s Bazaar Editor in Chief Glenda Bailey said in an interview, “What I really want is to allow New Yorkers to enjoy the greatest fashion show in the world. It will be the greatest light show that has ever been.”

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In 2012, the Empire State Building installed an LED lighting system that could generate 12 million colors. Since then, artwork from the Whitney Museum and photos of endangered animals were projected on the building.
 
According to the New York Times, the project from Harper’s Bazaar and Tiffany & Co. began two years ago and needed approval from the building and the city. The companies refrained from sharing the cost of the project, but it is believed to be upwards of $1 million since the cost of projecting animal photos on the Empire State Building was in that ballpark.
 
Bailey and Jennifer De Winter, Tiffany & Co. SVP of Americas, will present the show on Wednesday, and it will be live streamed on the Harper’s Bazaar Facebook page for those that cannot attend.