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When Monica Bellucci’s Cleopatra Became an Iconic Moment

December 4, 2025
Photo by Etienne George/Corbis via Getty Images

  Some fashion photographs are taken in studios, against clean backgrounds, with carefully chosen poses and glances, like how a single raised eyebrow can change the whole image.  But some of the most iconic fashion photos are the ones that feel natural; the ones that give a glimpse behind the scenes, much like how English supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell were often photographed simply walking down the street.  Those spontaneous street shots often outshone even the most polished magazine covers, and are credited with ushering in a new era of fashion photography, where the camera is not just focused on the model’s face, but follows them like a film director, capturing them wherever they are: on the street, in a car, or in the dressing room as they apply makeup and get dressed. A perfect example of this kind of fashion moment is when Italian actress Monica Bellucci was photographed testing her Cleopatra costume for the French film Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002).  Without makeup or styled hair, Bellucci appears in her most natural state, wearing the intricate costumes designed by French designer Phillip Guillotel and Italian designer…


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