marc-ing spring

masha kirsanova and caroline brasch neilson for marc jacobs' ss/11 ad campaign, shot by juergen teller.

image: fashion copious

sasha the artist

i was so delighted by the ny time's recent feature on sasha pivovarova, and her artistic tendencies. she's an incredible model, but i had no idea that she was such a talented artist. it's always lovely to discover new talents in someone, especially when they're someone whose work you admire.

the lady is a doll maker! she made the one on the left.

she draws as well. these are her sketches in leather bound books her husband has gifted her.

images: ny times

man hair

i love this image of these male models on break. but mostly, i love their hair. super clean-shaven at the nape of their neck, and then slicked back with a gorgeous sense of weight and volume. it's fabulous both textured and sleek, though i'm most struck by the gentlemen on the far right. such structure! i love it.

image: jak and jil

a sizable soapbox

mind if i take a hearty step onto my soapbox on this bright, blustery sunday morning? okay, here's the thing: yes, models are getting smaller. yes, eating disorders are not a good a thing. and i get that some people don't want to look at a woman who looks like she's dying of starvation. and althought i appreciate v magazine's new size issue, featuring plus-sized models (and some along industry-sized models in the same outfits) does it make sense to promote this in the opposite direction by featuring women who are actually overweight - representing a health issue of equal importance?

this is coco a go go for v magazine, shot by karl lagerfeld. a pretty woman, yes, but is it sensible to say that a woman of her size represents a legitimate size for high fashion/couture modeling?

i think the women in the v shoot are beautiful. that's not my issue. i just wish that people would stop approaching this issue by taking it to the very extreme - throwing larger women in their editorials for shock value, rather than as a legitimate approach to show off and market clothing. that is a model's job - to exhibit clothing in a way that makes what designers have created look good. to do anything else is to belie the nature of the job.

i agree with the london stylist who's telegraph comment was featured on the cut a while back:

“It’s such an extreme response to the size-zero hoopla.

“I think all women want to see images of healthy girls, not women who are emaciated. But, realistically I don't think many women aspire to be a size 18, either. I don't think using outsize models is really the way to change perceptions — it's just an extreme volt-face.Read more: Debating V’s Size Issue -- The Cut http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/01/debating_vs_size_issue.html#ixzz0cDbrgcOC

all i'm asking is that if these people want to change the industry, that they actually work to create change, not to shock, and back the fashion industry into a corner.

other images from the controversial v magazine shoot:

image source: models.com, nytimes

photomagic

if you've experienced an actual editorial shoot, then you understand the power of a photographer. a pretty model, good styling, and a fabulous locale mean very little without some creativity behind the lens. again, searching through cool hunter (can you tell that i find a blog and then go craaazy looking through past posts? my endearing passion, we'll call it.), i was struck by robert jaso's vibrant and evocatively saturated fashion photography. discovering that he works primarily for italian vogue made complete sense, and i was again struck by a longing for the brilliance of all things european vogue. can you imagine if these were the pages we opened up to each month, rather than over-styled celebrities?

it's september

i absolutely love this poster, and can't wait to see the film when it wide releases on sept 11. apparently la wintour stood in line with the rest of the commonfolk during its ny premiere in this adorable little 'fit:


what a fierce, unyielding personality packed into such a spritely little figure.

...although, i'm starting to develop an increasing beef with us vogue. after perusing the sept vogue italia covers, and then perusing vogue uk at barnes and noble this afternoon (which has free wi-fi now...score!), i'm just so disappointed with the stagnant, non-conceptual, aged aesthetic that has become us vogue. anna wintour is such a brilliant mind, and her eye for design and fashion is truly impeccable...yet us vogue just doesn't seem to be moving forward. not in its layout, not in its editorials, and, for the love of god, not with its covers. i'm so tired of these celebrity beauty shots that continually grace each cover...and i don't think that it's just me being a 20-something, wanting some edge. i want fashion! i want models, and designers, and beautiful, styled coverage of fashion's key players. not jennifer aniston, not charlize theron. i'll, of course, always love vogue. it's vogue. it's the visual and literary staple of every ardent fashion lover, and it's an unwavering and legendary institution. i just wish that anna wintour would transfer some of the brilliant energy she's put into "the september issue," and her collaboration with fashion's night out into keeping vogue us fresh, exciting and new.

agree? disagree? let's start a revolution.