I must admit, I do not dabble in the Italian fashion world quite as much as I should. I daresay this is due in part to the lack of distribution of Italian fashion magazines around here, but I must also ruefully place the blame upon myself for not exploring much beyond what comes out on the runways in Milan. Perhaps Paris leaves me swooning so heavily that Milan regrettably falls victim to the recency effect.
Over the last while, there appears to have been growing malcontent with Vogue Italia, which has unfortunately resulted in an overall loss of popularity among fashion readers. (Please forgive me, I am generalizing for the sake of simplicity, I'm aware there are many who still avidly follow the magazine!) When I heard the news that Tyra Banks had managed a deal with Vogue Italia that would see the next winner of 'America's Next Top Model' feature in editorials and on the cover of the Beauty in Vogue supplement, I thought: "One giant leap for ANTM, one step down the ladder for Vogue Italia". What it signaled for me was that the Italians were losing sales, and looking to capitalize on a bankable production (excuse the pun) overseas in America. While I applaud the efforts of Franca Sozzani to increase the magazine's fanbase, I regret that it must come via this avenue. However, let fans of VI, fashion, and art, past, present, and future rejoice, because in the November issue, Steven Meisel has produced a fashion photographic masterclass (as is his wont, I know, but seriously, he's quite outdone himself here):
The cover, which I came across via tFS and my daily haunts a week or so ago, is simply stunning. Pure. Raw. Luxe. I'm having immense difficulty encapsulating the essence of it in one word, and wondering if I should resort to different languages that are more appropriate to poetic description than English (which is severely lacking, as is often the case). In the absence of the colour red, I am hesitant to break open the Russian for these and describe them as красивы, but I feel it is necessary: Как гений чистой красоты. (Read yourselves some Pushkin my friends, I daresay Russian poetry is a lesson in the art of word choice.)
'Venus In Furs' features the two cover models, Iselin Steiro and Freja Beha Erichsen (I know, I know, FBE has been all over my posts thus far, but the girl has basically taken fashion by storm in the last few months, so I really have no choice. You think I'm exaggerating, but you haven't seen my inbox lately. Of course, that only makes the 'no choice' defence half justified. And good luck getting me to admit to favoritism.), as well as Iris Strubegger, Alla Kostromichova, Andrej Pejic, Tomek Szczukiecki, and Michael Tintiuc. As the title indicates, fur is one of the focuses of the shoot, but what initially stands out (for me, at least) is that 'Venus In Furs' is an alluring study in androgyny. And not the oh-hey-we're-decked-in-studs-and-Dr-Martens androgyny, but the genuine are-you-a-boy-or-a-girl? androgyny.
There seems to be a current misunderstanding of what is actually epicene. By it's very definition, androgyny is about ambiguity, walking the line between male and female to such an extent that neither label can appropriately be attached to you. It's rare that fashion explores the true nature of the word; androgyny is often misinterpreted as a girl who might else be labelled a 'tomboy', or a boy who dresses in a feminine way, the former perhaps being most common. The focus is always on the clothing. Seeing as we're talking about a business that sells clothes, this is in no way surprising. But from an artistic perspective, androgyny is not dependent upon what a person wears, but in the person's natural physical features: their face, their body, etc. Clothing and adornment is secondary to this, if even to be considered at all. Thus, the decision to have the models largely unclothed and unmade-up is one of immense artistic significance. It allows for a true appreciation of the similarities of the bodies at the most basic of levels.
Something that should also be noted is that for the most part, the nudity is depicted absent of any particularly sexual nature. Importantly, any sexuality that is expressed is done so in a way that is gentle and natural, as opposed to vulgar or erotic - at least when taking it at immediate face value. This contributes to the sense of sexlessness (joyous news, Watson, I daresay I've invented a new word) that the shoot is embodying.
There's a very Renaissance feel to the photos in the way it's all presented, with the long hair, the pale skin, and the pervasive sense of modesty in spite of the abundant nudity. Of course, the most obvious comparison I can draw (especially based on the title chosen for the editorial) is to Boticelli's The Birth of Venus. As with many representations of Venus (or Aphrodite, as she was known before the Romans stole her from Hellas...), Boticelli's is nude, but employing the most direct of options in an attempt to preserve decency. However, modesty is achieved through the most modest and natural of means: by the use of hand and hair. Compare this to Meisel's photos, where the trend continues, incorporating not only protection with the skin and hair of humans, but also of animals, i.e., the leather and fur pieces.
Overall, this is a stunning editorial, pure and simple. Fashion photography is an art, no doubt, but because shoots like this one are so rare in coming about, this can be easy to forget. When they do though, it forces you to reevaluate the shoots you've seen before in relation. Does Iselin's last editorial still look as good as it did before you saw this one? Do you have higher respect for Vogue Italia now that you know this is the sort of content they publish? Perhaps you have renewed faith in Meisel's talent behind the camera?
The thing that is both exciting and anxiety provoking about excellence is that it sets a bar. Everything that comes after is expected to meet that bar, and eventually surpass it as skill increases through practice. So why should we be excited? 'Venus In Furs' is a pièce de résistance, and all involved will be compelled to improve upon it in future projects to maintain the expectation of quality. The problem with bars though, is that they can be set too high. Will we be seeing something as good as this from Vogue Italia and Steven Meisel anytime soon? Only time will tell. But given Meisel's impressive track record, I'd put money on it.
Peace, love, and floating,
Gill Ford
Photos are my scans
Over the last while, there appears to have been growing malcontent with Vogue Italia, which has unfortunately resulted in an overall loss of popularity among fashion readers. (Please forgive me, I am generalizing for the sake of simplicity, I'm aware there are many who still avidly follow the magazine!) When I heard the news that Tyra Banks had managed a deal with Vogue Italia that would see the next winner of 'America's Next Top Model' feature in editorials and on the cover of the Beauty in Vogue supplement, I thought: "One giant leap for ANTM, one step down the ladder for Vogue Italia". What it signaled for me was that the Italians were losing sales, and looking to capitalize on a bankable production (excuse the pun) overseas in America. While I applaud the efforts of Franca Sozzani to increase the magazine's fanbase, I regret that it must come via this avenue. However, let fans of VI, fashion, and art, past, present, and future rejoice, because in the November issue, Steven Meisel has produced a fashion photographic masterclass (as is his wont, I know, but seriously, he's quite outdone himself here):
 |
| Vogue Italia - November 2010 - Freja Beha Erichsen & Iselin Steiro |
The cover, which I came across via tFS and my daily haunts a week or so ago, is simply stunning. Pure. Raw. Luxe. I'm having immense difficulty encapsulating the essence of it in one word, and wondering if I should resort to different languages that are more appropriate to poetic description than English (which is severely lacking, as is often the case). In the absence of the colour red, I am hesitant to break open the Russian for these and describe them as красивы, but I feel it is necessary: Как гений чистой красоты. (Read yourselves some Pushkin my friends, I daresay Russian poetry is a lesson in the art of word choice.)
'Venus In Furs' features the two cover models, Iselin Steiro and Freja Beha Erichsen (I know, I know, FBE has been all over my posts thus far, but the girl has basically taken fashion by storm in the last few months, so I really have no choice. You think I'm exaggerating, but you haven't seen my inbox lately. Of course, that only makes the 'no choice' defence half justified. And good luck getting me to admit to favoritism.), as well as Iris Strubegger, Alla Kostromichova, Andrej Pejic, Tomek Szczukiecki, and Michael Tintiuc. As the title indicates, fur is one of the focuses of the shoot, but what initially stands out (for me, at least) is that 'Venus In Furs' is an alluring study in androgyny. And not the oh-hey-we're-decked-in-studs-and-Dr-Martens androgyny, but the genuine are-you-a-boy-or-a-girl? androgyny.
There seems to be a current misunderstanding of what is actually epicene. By it's very definition, androgyny is about ambiguity, walking the line between male and female to such an extent that neither label can appropriately be attached to you. It's rare that fashion explores the true nature of the word; androgyny is often misinterpreted as a girl who might else be labelled a 'tomboy', or a boy who dresses in a feminine way, the former perhaps being most common. The focus is always on the clothing. Seeing as we're talking about a business that sells clothes, this is in no way surprising. But from an artistic perspective, androgyny is not dependent upon what a person wears, but in the person's natural physical features: their face, their body, etc. Clothing and adornment is secondary to this, if even to be considered at all. Thus, the decision to have the models largely unclothed and unmade-up is one of immense artistic significance. It allows for a true appreciation of the similarities of the bodies at the most basic of levels.
Something that should also be noted is that for the most part, the nudity is depicted absent of any particularly sexual nature. Importantly, any sexuality that is expressed is done so in a way that is gentle and natural, as opposed to vulgar or erotic - at least when taking it at immediate face value. This contributes to the sense of sexlessness (joyous news, Watson, I daresay I've invented a new word) that the shoot is embodying.
There's a very Renaissance feel to the photos in the way it's all presented, with the long hair, the pale skin, and the pervasive sense of modesty in spite of the abundant nudity. Of course, the most obvious comparison I can draw (especially based on the title chosen for the editorial) is to Boticelli's The Birth of Venus. As with many representations of Venus (or Aphrodite, as she was known before the Romans stole her from Hellas...), Boticelli's is nude, but employing the most direct of options in an attempt to preserve decency. However, modesty is achieved through the most modest and natural of means: by the use of hand and hair. Compare this to Meisel's photos, where the trend continues, incorporating not only protection with the skin and hair of humans, but also of animals, i.e., the leather and fur pieces.
Overall, this is a stunning editorial, pure and simple. Fashion photography is an art, no doubt, but because shoots like this one are so rare in coming about, this can be easy to forget. When they do though, it forces you to reevaluate the shoots you've seen before in relation. Does Iselin's last editorial still look as good as it did before you saw this one? Do you have higher respect for Vogue Italia now that you know this is the sort of content they publish? Perhaps you have renewed faith in Meisel's talent behind the camera?
The thing that is both exciting and anxiety provoking about excellence is that it sets a bar. Everything that comes after is expected to meet that bar, and eventually surpass it as skill increases through practice. So why should we be excited? 'Venus In Furs' is a pièce de résistance, and all involved will be compelled to improve upon it in future projects to maintain the expectation of quality. The problem with bars though, is that they can be set too high. Will we be seeing something as good as this from Vogue Italia and Steven Meisel anytime soon? Only time will tell. But given Meisel's impressive track record, I'd put money on it.
Peace, love, and floating,
Gill Ford
Photos are my scans
4 comments:
great revuuuu... will you be doing more of other eds too??? it would be interesting to have analysis of a lot of the ones that have been comming out
*venus envy* ... that be a knee slapper if ever i saw one
I totally agree with your points here. Androgyny is always a girl dressed like a guy in fashion... it's exhausting. But like you said, it is a clothing industry, so that focus is expected.
The ties you made back to Botticelli and other representations of Venus in art was clever; I've not seen anyone do that yet in reviews of the editorial (which you have to say is a little strange with the title of it and all). I thought there was quite a bit of sexuality in the photos though? Especially with the picture of Freja and Iris. The hand placement seems a bit too sexual to me for it not to be considered as such. But maybe that's just because I have a bias when Freja's with other women ;)
i don't get it do you know Cat McNeil? If yes then why do you like Freja so much?
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