9/09 Vogue: Beverly Johnson Takes a Trip Down Memory Lane

In the new issue of Vogue, former top model Beverly Johnson recounts her experience as American Vogue's first black covergirl.

8/09 US Vogue - Worth a Look

Vogue's annual age issue, like the shape issue can be pretty hit or miss. This year's issue features a cover story on supermodel Christy Turlington which I still haven't gotten around to reading yet. The rest of the issue is filled with the typical Vogue editorials, beauty articles and profiles. Nothing to get too excited about but there are a few high points that make the issue worthwhile.

#1 Liya Kebede

She only gets a one photo and three paragraphs but the copy mentions her children's clothing line and her charitable work with the WHO and her recent honor by the Gordon Parks Foundation. The accompanying photo shows Kebede (her handsome husband in the background) wearing a stunning red Thakoon dress.

#2 Anna Cleveland

She may not make the same impact that her mother, 70s top model Pat Cleveland did in her heyday but Anna has been making an impression on the runway, booking shows with Zac Posen, Caroline Herrera and DVF.

#3 Pat McGrath

The always in-demand makeup artist shares her "must have" list of products and makeup tips. She keeps her own routine simple with a solid skin care regime, soft neutral colors and of course, mascara. She's worked behind the scenes on many makeup launches but I'm hoping that she launches her own line one of these days...or at least releases a makeup book.

#4 Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes

Shingai is as stunning as she is talented. When I got their first CD from the library a year ago, it was in constant rotation on my iPod. There was a time She and her band are currently promoting their second CD "Wild Young Hearts."

#5 Jenny Lumet

Vogue profiles the upper crust homemaker turned sought after screenwriter. Lumet, the black/Jewish daughter of Sidney Lumet and granddaughter of screen icon Lena Horne wrote last year's critically acclaimed "Rachel is Getting Married" and is currently working on a script about race at Brooklyn's International High School. Her own view on race, she shares, were influence heavily by her grandmother whose participation in the Civil Rights Movement nearly ended her career.

Arlenis - "Magic Black" - German Vogue

Vogue All Model Cover - Jourdan Dunn and Liya Kebede

source: TFS/Luxx

Shot by Steven Meisel. I'd read that Liya and Jourdan would be on the cover of this issue so I guessed that one of them would be on the cover while the other would be on the fold-out. That makes three issues in a row that Vogue has featured a black face on the cover of the magazine, which I never thought would have happened even a year ago. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a "Weekend at Bernie's" situation going on between at Condé Nast and ALT is really calling the shots these days. I don't like how pasted together all the heads look on this cover but Liya and Jourdan look beautiful.

Inside there is an article called "Sam's Club" on makeup artist Sam Fine with an accompanying editorial featuring Liya Kebede, Chanel Iman and Arlenis got snapped for the "Meet the Boyfriends" spread, while "Kicking It" and "The Godfather" spreads features Naomi Campbell among others.

I'm looking forward to getting this one in the mail. Your thoughts?

ETA: More photos

Vogue - April 2009 - Beyonce by Mario Testino

She's no Michelle Obama but love her or hate her, Beyonce is probably the top pop star in the world right now and certainly deserves to be on Vogue's cover more than some of the recent cover subjects. Her fashion choices aren't always my favorites but she has taken a few risks here and there that I can appreciate. I also have no complaints about this photo, she looks beautiful and is working that gorgeous blue gown.

I can't even comment on Anna having back to back covers with black women. My jaw, she is on the floor.


S: Rock the Trend, TFS, Lipstick Alley

Chanel and Jourdan in January 2009 Vogue

Most of you have probably seen this spread already but I felt like posting them anyway. I know some of your are tired of seeing black modeldom's chosen ones in fashion magazine but I like the editorial and think both women look great. Chanel shows a bit more range of facial expression and Jourdan's mature gaze suggests that she's been doing this for ages even though her career only really began a year ago.

As far as American Vogue shoots go, this one is pretty typical. Lots of shots of surprised looking models levitating against gray backdrops and segregated by race. While it does stand out that this is the longest editorial featuring black models that I can recall seeing in eons, Vogue's placing it in the "Change! Yes You Can" issue immediately after a feature on The Obamas is a bit heavy handed in my opinion. If Anna Wintour and Co. had just thought to perforate theses pages they could have billed it as a special "black" pull-out section on the cover.

More photos at Studio Audience

Today's WTF? Moment

I saw this over at ONTD_fashinfags today. Apparently it is an outake video from a Vogue shoot from back in November 2006. I'd really like to know who on that shoot thought it would be a kick to put the three white models (Lily Donaldson, Hilary Rhoda, and Gemma Ward) in blackface and afro wigs and have them dance around in fur singing Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" into banana microphones. I can't believe I just typed that sentence. Maybe all of you have seen this already written about the a few years back but it sure is new to me.

Naomi Covers Russian Vogue - December 2008

Outside it's diamonds and fur, inside Mert & Marcus go for a "wilder" look.
source: ferry coal/TFS

The Williams Sisters in Vogue

 

Andre Leon Talley has been seen all over the place with his new BFF, Venus Williams. The athlete has popped up more than once on his page in Vogue Magazine (though not in an editorial, one would have to pick up Harper's Bazaar to see that.) 

While one cannot deny that both sisters have been looking more stylish lately but who knows if ALT is behind it. He worked some serious magic when he started working with Renee Zellweger but his helpful hints didn't do a lot of Jennifer Hudson or Mariah Carey. 

Vogue Praises Arlenis' Curves

At de la Renta’s collection…she scored top honors: opening and closing the show in a color-block maillot and a strapless silver evening dress...both of which showed off her jaw-dropping curves (yes, curves!) to spectacular effect.

Arlenis Sosa. Lovely girl. Slim but relatively healthy looking figure. I don't know anyone who would accuse the girl of being full-figured but I had to look again after reading this piece in Vogue Magazine.   Everyone knows that the fashion industry is a tad masochistic when it comes to women's bodies so I wonder if their praise of her "breathtaking" curves is really a backhanded compliment. We've already read fashion insider's complaints about black model's bodies so this comment just ads fuel to the fire. To me, Vogue is saying "Arlenis may hot be right now but lets be clear, she's not like our "regular" models!" I just hope that Arlenis (who appears to be very careful with what she eats) doesn't read this the same way and try to get that "unhealthy but employed" look.

Is Fashion Racist? Vogue Readers Say Yes.

Reader chimed in and responded to the article "Is Fashion Racist?" which appeared in the July issue of American Vogue. The "Talking Back" section printed four letters, three of which named Vogue magazine itself as part of the problem. Sandra Robbins from Memphis,TN wrote: "I am a black woman, and one of the reasons I refuse to purchase Vogue is that there are not many people who look like me in its pages...Wake up and smell the coffee." Reader Janna Pankey of Laurel, MD added: "...to whittle down diversity to simply a case of 'white and black' is not a step in the right direction. It marginalizes other ethnic groups, reducing their significance to something less than 'other.'

Damn. If these are the letters they printed, I would love to read the stuff that didn't make the cut!

Naomi from the book "Unseen Vogue" - 1988

This photograph of Naomi Campbell was taken by Steven Meisel in 1988 for Vogue magazine but was never used. Her face is so fresh in this pic, I can't believe that it was 20 years ago. Just look at that hairline! 

Vogue - August 2008

This month's Vogue is called  "The Age(less) Issue" and according to the cover text, is Vogue's guide to "looking amazing at every decade on every budget." I didn't see much inside that was devoted to budgets in the $60K salary range which is the average yearly salary of a Vogue reader but we can't be nitpicky right?

The cover model this month is Kate Moss, who to my eye looks every bit of her 34 years. The adjoining article covers her rise from supermodel to business tycoon. Yeah, she makes a lot of money and browsing the ads inside the magazine, she appears to still be getting a hell of a lot of work. Yet somehow, "tycoon" doesn't come to mind when I see her but whatever.

There isn't much that sets this issue apart from typical issues of Vogue but there are a few high points. For one, gorgeous Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, who always looks flawless on the red carpet, is also featured in a profile that includes a brief photo spread of her looking, well flawless. Why isn't she on the cover in place of Kate? Because this is American Vogue, get your head out of the sand. Covers are for people who don't sell issues like Gwenyth Paltrow.

Like the "shape" issue, this one is full of spreads of twenty something skinny models, only this time instead of the shape issue's lineup of short skinny models, pregnant skinny model and tall skinny model, Vogue has young skinny models modeling clothes for women in every age bracket. Why they're don't use women who are actually 50 to model the clothes for the fifty-something woman is never touched upon. There is a piece on former supermodels like Yasmin Le Bon which recovering Duran Duran fans like me will appreciate. John Taylor was always my boyfriend of the group but I was glad the Yasmin was featured instead of that wench Renee Simonsen who I'm still mad at for having the nerve to be engaged to him back when I was the one who needed a date to the prom. 

Wow. I didn't realize I was still so angry about that.

This is not to imply that the August issue has no redeeming value. There are actually a few other things worth checking out this month.

For one, in an effort to maybe quiet the comparisons to Essence Magazine's annual "black don't crack" issue, this one actually features a non-white woman in the line-up. 73 year old Diahann Carroll is profiled and looks fabulous. It's actually nice to see a woman of such sophistication and grace get props on the pages of this rag. My favorite quote from the article is from Diahann's upcoming memoir:

[In the 1970s her career took a downturn Carroll found herself driving a fancy car in need of repair. This was the] "worst message you could send." "Show business had already started to change... Around that time I remember quite clearly the sight of a bright yellow Bentley convertible coming at me on Coldwater Canyon Drive... Behind the wheel of this lurid yellow car was a tiny black woman with a huge head of hair flying around in the wind. As she drove past me, I recognized it was Diana Ross. 'There goes the neighborhood,' I muttered to myself'

Yeah, I've got to read that book.

Second, rags to riches socialite and jewelry designer Genevieve Jones contributed a few paragraphs about her recent trip to Thailand which no doubt will piss off people who think she has no right to be a socialite in the first place.

Lastly, there is a profile on one of my favorite new musical artists Janelle Monae whom I hope becomes really big really soon. I just love everything about this girl. Sadly, there is only one photo of her but it was enough to make me do a happy dance when I saw it.

So while this issue isn't perfect, I still think it's worth picking up or reading while you're waiting at the bookstore for that second shipment of Vogue Italia to come in.

More Italian Vogue Pics...

Seriously, the entire magazine is going to be online before anyone I know actually gets to buy it. These pics and several more are up at this site.

Instead of looking at models dressed up like Grace Jones, I would like to see Grace in the issue. I'm really hoping there is a group shot of the older and newer faces.

A few days ago I was hanging out in Borders and watched a highly irate sister asking the customer service clerk about the issue. She said she's already been to five stores and wanted an answer about when the issue would be in DAMMIT!

Lord, if white folks think Michelle Obama is scary they're not going to know what to do with several thousand black women that want their magazine fix yesterday! I don't know about you but I'm just about ready to start coloring in the faces of models in my other fashion magazines.

"Modern Luxe" - Italian Vogue - July 2008

The women, of course, are gorgeous and it's nice to see a mix of new models like Arlenis with some of the older supermodels like Karen Alexander and Gail O'Neil but this spread seems uneven to me. The clothes and styling don't particularly tie together and so from the fact that all the women are black, there's no real theme here. To be honest, these photos kind of look like high class mug shots. Also, I was willing to forgive the fur the animal print in Sessilee's beautiful black & white spread but there's a bit too much of it here in my opinion.

source:bwgreyscale

Vogue's King Kong Issue Fails to Scare Up Big Numbers

In spite of all the controversy surrounding the LeBron James/Gisele cover back in April of this year, the issue did not prove to be a winner at the newsstand for Vogue Magazine. According to Portfolio and ABC Rapid Report, the issue sold 350K copies at the newsstand compared to the 452K copy average for last year in this quarter.  The LeBron/Gisele cover was the worst selling April issue since 2001 (which featured Renee Zellweger on the cover.) That said, it is still not the worst selling issue of 2008, so far that honor belongs to the May issue which featured milk toast actress Gwenyth Paltrow.

In the words of Nelson Muntz, "HA-ha!"

From Youtube - More Pics from Italian Vogue

Sessilee Lopez for Italian Vogue - July 2008

I just love this spread. Black and white photos evoke such a vintage style and frankly, I never get tired of looking at Sessillee Lopez's face. She is a truly unique beauty. Enjoy!

Source: Major Models

Naomi Spread from July 2008 Italian Vogue

Yep, another Naomi post but at least this one is a provides a peak inside the July issue of Italian Vogue.  These pictures are pretty much what I'd expect from Steven Meisel (lush colors, lonely women and expensive lingerie.) I find it amusing that they managed to work Naomi's YSL Hammer pants into the spread. Does she ever take those things off?

Source: Style.it, 212DRESSINGROOM