Yet, he does not have to be in the photo to feel his presence, because Wunderkind, the German word for “Miracle Child” has Wolfgang Joop’s DNA written all over it.

Speaking of photographs, his Spring /Summer 2006 collection that will be presented next week was inspired by the works of Louise Dahl-Wolfe, the photographer at Harper’s Bazaar who revolutionized fashion photography during the 1930s and 1940s by using natural light and shooting on location.

So, in reference to his muse, who captured the moment via film, FW asked Joop what is his equivalent for fashion, and his answer, “a sense of modernity.”

Expanding on it, Joop said, “A respectful expression of modernity in order to achieve a quintessential sense of beauty, a notion which has long been taboo. Modern beauty is back.”

It almost sounds philosophical, but since it is coming from Wolfgang Joop, it is not surprising. A man of multi-faceted talents, Joop was an honorary professor of life drawing and design at the University of Art in Berlin.

His resume keeps on getting longer, with titles such as fashion designer, illustrator, sculptor, book author and of course, college professor.

Always a trendsetter, he seldom follows the accepted ‘norm’ of the time. Usually at the cutting edge, Joop’s vision is a precursor of things to come more often than not.

That’s why when he makes predictions, fashion journalists listen, because there is a very big chance that we are seeing fashion history unfold in front of our very own eyes.

Like when asked what is the next directional change for womenswear, the German designer answered confidently, “Streetwear and hip-hop trends in fashion with blown-up logos are [going to be] replaced by a sensibility and sense of romance.”

And although, New York kicks off the international fashion season, and no one has shown their collections as of yet, the previews coming out of the fashion houses are within the parameters of what Joop says.

Still, if we look at the menswear season that was held this summer in Paris and Milan, with ‘back to elegance’ as one of the biggest trends, Joop has the pulse of fashion right on the mark.

And his predictions for the Spring / Summer 2006 womenswear season: “The influence of the « high-vulgarity » and street trends in fashion is dissipating. Brash effects and loud colours become passé and demodé where a sense of freshness and frivolity is always a Spring/Summer contemporary and desired affect.”

With coolness and poise, he added, “I am a protagonist of the revival of cultural values and romance in clothes.”

With that said, it makes sense that Joop’s favorite city in the U.S. is San Francisco, which according to him has an “atmosphere of genteel chic combined with offbeat innovation and a refreshingly unpretentious attitude.”

But he did not leave his heart in San Francisco because it always stays in New York, where he maintains a home.