Natasha Gilbert in FHM

Natasha Gilbert features in FHM, one of the best-known international men's magazines of its day.

FHM occupied a particular place in the men's magazine market. It was a monthly with editions in many countries, and it pitched itself a notch above the weeklies: more lifestyle, more celebrity, and glamour photography that often borrowed from fashion and advertising rather than the bright studio look of a weekly feature.

An appearance in FHM therefore carried a certain weight. The magazine's shoots tended to have bigger production budgets, more considered locations and a stronger emphasis on mood and styling. Swimwear, lingerie and evening wear were all common, and the finished pages were laid out with a magazine-cover polish that the weeklies rarely attempted.

The monthly rhythm

Working to a monthly schedule changed the way a shoot was planned. There was time to scout locations, to build a set around a single idea, and to choose a handful of strong images rather than run as many pictures as possible. Readers, in turn, tended to spend longer with a monthly; it sat on the coffee table for weeks rather than days.

Natasha Gilbert's feature belongs to that tradition: a glamour set made to be looked at slowly, presented in one of the titles that defined the genre internationally.

The original photographs belong to their publisher and are not reproduced here.

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