PARIS, March 26, 2008 (AFP) - Celebrated French couturier Christian Lacroix will offer a different look at fashion in his role as guest curator of this year's Arles photo show in southern France, he said Wednesday March 26th.

François Hébel and Christian Lacroix - Photo : AFP

Some 60 photo exhibitions are planned in the picturesque French city between July 8 and September 14, many of them programmed by Lacroix, who was himself born in Arles.

Speaking to reporters, Lacroix said that after not setting foot in his hometown for nine years, he aimed "to give the city back what it gave me, to include fashion, but not bling-bling fashion on glossy paper".

Some 55,000 people visited the city last year for the annual photo event.

Describing himself as an amateur photographer, Lacroix said images were a vital part of his creative work.

"Behind every one of my dresses there is an image," he said.

Apart from a homage to the late Richard Avedon, who notably worked for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, Lacroix has scheduled some 20 exhibits -- some focusing on fashion, others not.

Peter Lindbergh will show images of Arles, Vanessa Winship will highlight Turkish schoolchildren and Cameroon's Samuel Fosso will show pictures of himself.

Lacroix meanwhile plans to exhibit his fashion house's Polaroids as well as shots of behind-the-scenes works-in-progress, while programming a whole section on the fashion industry itself, including old shots of models, Vogue accessories and catalogues and videos.

This year's 39th edition of the summer photo show, known as the "Rencontres de Photographie d'Arles", will also feature exhibitions by Mimmo Jodice, Jane Evelyn Atwood and Paolo Pellegrin.