Unseen photographs of the former model and current longstanding creative director of US Vogue, Grace Coddington, will go on show for the first time next month.

The photographs had long been forgotten about, hidden away in the photobooks of her photographer former husband Willie Christie, who chanced upon them one day as he was rifling through his stuff.

The photographer, who has taken pictures of stars like Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger and David Bowie, said that as he was browsing through the various photobooks he noticed that there was a "certain look behind the images".

After speaking to a friend about the pictures, he decided to get to work on arranging an exhibition.

Taken when she in her 30s, the images reveal a side to Ms Coddington many people in the fashion and magazine industry have never seen before.

She had, after all, long left behind her own modelling days in her mid-twenties after badly damaging an eyelid in a car accident.

That didn't put her off working in an industry where perfection is often demanded as she landed a junior position at British Vogue, where she began her steady ascent to the top.

When these images were taken by Mr Christie, she had already become something of a creative star at the fashion bible.

She joined US Vogue in 1988 and is as respected as its editor Anna Wintour.

Mr Christie, who has put the show together, spoke with affection of his wife of nearly 40 years.

He said: "For me she was still photographic heaven. She was so brilliant as a model because she had an appreciation and understanding of art in all its forms; mimicry; gentleness and serenity.

"She understood everything that the clothes were trying to do. She became the image. She had then and still has, an absolute passion for all that she does."

He added that she was everything he was looking for professionally and personally.

The exhibition will be on at the luxurious Ivy Club from September 16th to 19th.