In an era when backstage photos from fashion week are as widely viewed as the collections themselves, the photographer Matt Lever’s behind-the-scenes images stand out. Lever has captured the energy at shows including Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Fendi, Balmain and Jean Paul Gaultier for the past 17 years, and his vibrant pictures are the subject of “Behind the Runway,” which reads as a glorious tribute to backstage chaos. “Ah! The crazy, high speed, on and off, dressing and undressing backstage! There are flashes of bare skin, frantic pulling of clothes, tucked in tops, floaty skirts, hands grabbing shoes, all at an incredible pace,” writes Suzy Menkes in the book’s introduction. Reflections and anecdotes from industry greats, including Karl Lagerfeld, André Leon Talley, Giorgio Armani and Michael Kors, are interspersed with photos of Naomi Campbell and Joan Smalls at Emilio Pucci, last minute fittings at Hussein Chalayan and shoes lined up and ready to go at Lanvin. Get your copy HERE