Uncovered! The Reason Behind All Those Model Towel Selfies

Between the fittings, the hair and makeup sessions, and photography tweaks to check for lighting, angles, and color, fashion photo shoots are filled with tedious "hurry up and wait" moments — even for the biggest-name models and photographers. However, Mario Testino has found a way to use this extended downtime to his advantage and spark a mini Instagram trend.

For more than a year now, the iconic photographer has shot everyone from Kate Moss to Cara Delevingne to Miranda Kerr, all wearing nothing but a simple white towel. Aptly entitled “The Towel Series,” Testino’s project began quietly after he captured Moss backstage at a shoot. “When I first began using Instagram, I was at a shoot with Kate Moss and I saw her in her dressing room after a shower — she was in a robe and a towel on her head, and I just decided to capture that moment and post it,” Testino told Vogue about the inspiration behind these intimate portraits. He’s shot dozens of models since then — the latest, Anja Rubik, is number 60 — and picked up thousands of Instagram likes along the way.

In fact, a quick scroll through the #towelseries hashtag reveals that even non-models are posting their own twist on Testino’s idea, often without makeup or over-the-top styling. After all, the whole point is to keep it simple. As Testino put it, “I think girls and guys feel this freedom at being able to express themselves. There is no predetermined way of how you put the towel on.” Which, come to think of it, reminds us of another au naturel Instagram tag that invaded our feed in 2014. So will the #towelseries just become the new #wokeuplikethis? Check out the hashtag to see for yourself. (Fashion Gone Rogue)