Sunday 19 April 2009

Just like the good ol' days...

It's not often that we see women with more than an ounce of fat on their bodies in fashion magazines, these days...Every now and then, editors will include a curvy girl to appease their politically outspoken fan base, but usually in these situations, the model will most likely be airbrushed to resemble a much smaller version of herself, a la Vogue US Shape Issue 2009...

British singer Adele (before) after her Vogue "transformation".

Sometimes, editors are less transparent. Sometimes they get it so right with their choice of model and artistic view, it makes you hopeful that the future of fashion may not be more of the same skinny minnie's that we've been seeing these past few years...

Beth Ditto graces the cover of LOVE magazine's inaugral issue.

Sometimes editors take a huge risk and dedicate a few pages to a woman whose not just skin and bones. This so rare, it's almost taboo, but most often turns out beautifully. May 1997's issue of Elle Quebec (yes, that far back) is a unique example of this.

"A bouquet of sensuality, divine like a kiss...

"...for romantic beauties. Here is spring with all of its promises...

...and the curvy girls are given the honour."

Now the Harper's Bazaar Australia camp are jumping on the bandwagon, with this spread of plus-size model Crystal Renn.

Described as "sexy bustiers, strappy dresses, and sheer lingerie ... in an 80’s-inspired shoot that felt reminiscent of Terence Donovan..."

Photographed by Luis Sanchez and styled by Wayne Gross...

...the shoot has already made fashion headlines around the world.

While this far from solves the problem, it's definitely a huge step forward. At least it displays a level of maturity over at Harper's Bazaar Australia, and their willingness to change, to be a solution instead of an enforcer of the problem.
Personally, I think the shoot is gorgeous. The lighting of the bottom right photo is a little unfortunate, but really, I hope to be opening magazines and seeing more of this kind of thing in future.
What do you all think?

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of pipeline.refinery29.com, judgmentofparis.com, blackbookmag.com and jezebel.com]

Thursday 9 April 2009

Oyster: leaps and bounds above the rest...

Breathtaking photography from the latest issue of Oyster Magazine. I should really dedicate an entire category to this magazine, I blog about it enough...
Dark Tide
This is definitely my favourite photo shoot of this issue...
Photography:
Steven Chee
Model: Alina B at Chic






Strangle Hold
I guess this is not so much breathtaking as innovative.
Photography: Daniela Müller-Brunke
Model: Zenia Sevastyanova at FM Models



Satellite's Gone
This one simply feeds my David Lynch obsession.
Photography: Andy Tan
Model: Sabina at House of Orange




Happy Easter!
Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of oystermag.com]