A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTO OF PRINCE BY STEVEN KLEIN COVERS 'CR MEN'S BOOK'

Prince for CR Men's Book. Photo: Steven Klein

It appears that fashion has hit peak '90s, folks. Case in point? The latest edition of Carine Roitfeld's CR Fashion Book is guided by the theme "1999," which Roitfeld sees as "the last moment when fashion felt naïve and innocent and free," according to a press release sent on Tuesday. In order to communicate that spirit, Roitfeld recruited a host of models who fit her vision, from Lily-Rose Depp (who was born in 1999, and whose father is actual '90s icon Johnny Depp) to Lara Stone (who entered the Elite Model Look competition that year).

But the most iconic cover star in the bunch is the late, great Prince, whose song "1999" makes him a bittersweet fit for the nostalgia-tinged issue. A never-before-seen photo of the music icon is featured on the cover of Issue 5 of CR Men's Book; the black-and-white image was shot by Steven Klein in 1989 at Prince's Minnesota estate Paisley Park.

Klein also shot the Lily-Rose Depp and Lara Stone covers for Issue 11 of CR Fashion Book, which will be released in tandem with Issue 5 of CR Men's. Klein's images are joined by covers starring Alek Wek and Cara Taylor shot by Mario Sorrenti. Other photographers whose work is featured in the issue include Sebastian Faena, Bruce Weber, Terry Richardson and Petra Collins.

"1999 is about a spirit of independence, and there are very few independent thinkers left today," Roitfeld said of the inspiration for the issue in a release. "I think right now a lot of people are looking back to this period of time. Not only to find references or get ideas, but to see who they were — how good they were — and hopefully see who they can be again."

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