Results tagged “vogue” from Styleblog

Laksmi Menon is a gorgeous woman. But I don't really understand why Vogue Paris decided to put Laksmi - who is Bangalore - in an afro and cast her in a shoot called "Afro Disiaque." I mean, that just seems culturally insensitive on many levels. If you put a white woman in a wig like this, and then styled her up like some Donna Summer disco diva from Detroit, you would never get away with it. So just because she's from Bangalore, and her skin is a darker shade, makes this okay? Um, no.

Oh, and that fedora is hideous. As are the bag, the ridiculous pink bandana in the front pocket, and those awful mom jeans. I won't even get into the shoes. Vogue Paris is so rarely wrong, it's weird how far they've missed the mark with this particular shoot.

The photo above ran in the August issue of Vogue India. A toothless, shoeless, and impoverished Indian man models a $200 Burberry umbrella. This photo was a part of a 16-page spread in Vogue India which featured average Indian people modeling expensive luxury accessories, of which the average Indian person would never be able to afford, as nearly half of the entire nation lives on less than $1.25 a day, according to recent figures by the World Bank. When much of the population is struggling for survival, what is the significance of an Hermes bag that costs $2,000? Vogue is not targeted toward people in this condition, so why exploit them or use the expensiveness of these clothes as a way to draw more attention - via disparity - to the poverty of these subjects? The magazine doesn't even bother to identify the subjects of the photos. Instead of identifying the people, the magazine identifies the brands of the clothing. The models are entirely anonymous, as well as forgotten.

Vogue Hommes Japan is out today, but sadly only in Japan. Can someone tell me when I can find an issue in the States?? Hedi Slimane did the cover plus 24 pages inside the periodical, so obviously I'm on pins and needles to see it. Male models plus high fashion plus Slimane's photography, does it get better? The cover model is Ash Stymest, who channels Jesus Christ in this stunningly shot photo.

Keira Knightly is on the cover of US Vogue's September Issue. And you know what pops into my mind? What is she wearing??? WHO did her hair and makeup? With hair that plastered (and still, inexplicably, frizzly), she looks like she just got done with soccer practice! What's going on in the background? Is she wearing two belts? Is it really necessary to coordinate both your bracelets AND your necklace? Why is the Vogue cover letting us know you can "Lose Inches in Minutes"? This cover is not acceptable. I mean, this is Vogue. I, for one, am questioning the continued use of actresses rather than models on the covers of Vogue. But my argument is one that has been hashed and rehashed more times than the question of why MTV stopped playing music videos.

New York Ranger Sean Avery is guest editing Men's Vogue this week. While on break from hockey, Avery fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams of working in fashion by interning at Vogue magazine. Despite already making millions of dollars every year playing professional sports, Avery spent his summer making minimum wage at Vogue,  doing tasks like printing copies for his bosses and assisting photographers and stylists at fashion shoots.

Says Avery, "I like clothes. Always have. What started innocently enough with my first tie-dyed Chip & Pepper shirt at age 12 has evolved over a decade and a half into a closet full of Dries Van Noten, YSL, Dior, and Costume National, to name just a few."

"I don't watch sports. I don't read about sports. Generally, other than spending a lot of time in dressing rooms both at home and on the road, I don't hang out with other athletes. Over breakfast in hotels when the Rangers are on the road, I read the Style section in The New York Times."

Avery cautions people about teasing him for his unconventional interests. "If you feel like teasing this hockey player about an obsession of his that you might think is a little unusual, go right ahead. Just know that you may get your ass kicked by a very expensive pair of shoes -- and that they'll probably match both my belt and my shirt."

Sean Avery makes $2 million dollars a year playing for the Rangers. Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief at Vogue, makes the same amount each year, heading the Fashion Bible of the World.

In Italian Vogue's July issue, photographer Stephen Meisel was given 100 pages of photos to fill, and chose fill them using only photographs of black models. This is a reversal of most fashion magazines, who routinely feature only white models in their spreads. The new issue of Vogue Italia hits American and European newsstands later this month. The four beautiful models that grace the fold out cover are, from left to right: Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, and Naomi Campbell.

Cathy Horyn, fashion editor of the New York Times, states: "The irony in fashion is that it loves change but it can't actually change anything. It can only reflect a change in the air. But what changes fashion? What would finally move American designers to include more black models on their runways? That 30 percent of the country is nonwhite? That black women spend $20 billion a year on clothes? That an African-American is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party?"

Hopefully, this new Stephen Meisel spread will help change some of fashion's ingrained prejudices and allow us all to recognize that beauty is an international concept and comes in every color, shape, and size.

Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large at Vogue, wants to take Michelle Obama under his figurative fashion wing. He has been steadily watching her style and recounted to the Times earlier this month, "A black Camelot moment is the right moment for the Obamas, and so the faux pearls, the A-line dresses, the Jackie flip are obviously all part of how her image strategy has evolved."

The last time Andre styled someone, it was Jennifer Hudson for the Oscars. He persuaded her to wear an enormous gold Bolero jacket, and it was universally hated by every fashion critic on the planet. Page Six has this to say: "Some Dems fear that in the months ahead, Talley, a huge fan of Oscar de la Renta, will steer Michelle into a Bolero jacket or an outfit even more ill-advised."

I think Michelle Obama is a fabulous dresser as it is and doesn't need Andre's help. But do you really think if she were to wear a gold Bolero, it'd be the end of the Obama campaign? I sort of liked the gold Bolero...