Vogue Italia August 2010 : Kristen McMenamy by Steven Meisel

[Mchunu]

The editorial is everything. Each photograph is unique, beautiful, & melancholic. A depiction of a poetic defeat against mankind. It had to be really difficult to photograph such a story. Meisel is such a fine art photojournalist. Exactly what Italian Vogue has been missing.

I cry..

[tentalicious]

No words!

[testinofan]

Yes the concept and the ecologic idea are so great loveeeed

[avantgarde]

AMAZING.
Kristen is my favorite

[Tigertonio]

THE editorial of the year. I salute Meisel, McMenamy and the folks at Vogue Italia.

[mikel]

I love that Meisel is doing something topical and so spot on again. It's thought provoking, stunningly executed and Kristen is to die for. Meisel is pushing the bar again with his social commentary on the 'real world' like in his war, terrorism, rehab and dogging eds, but there's one difference with this ed: there's no fine line between glamour and the 'real world'. This ed just feels like social commentary and nothing more. The war, terrorism, rehab and dogging eds had a certain degree and sense of glamour in them. In those eds Meisel managed to make it more than just social commentary on the 'real world' by elevating the fashion and glamour part. It's difficult to see something glamorous in war, terrorism, rehab and dogging, but Meisel managed to do just that and that's why he's such a genius. But here it's different. In this ed there's no sense of fashion or even a hint of glamour. Most pics are just gross, no matter how well executed, no matter how appropriately styled, no matter how good Kristen is. You may find me shallow perhaps, but in the end I don't like it. If I want to see or know how bad and distrubing the oil disaster is, I'll open up a newspaper, not Italian Vogue.

[Spiral1532]

Originally Posted by mikel

I love that Meisel is doing something topical and so spot on again. It's thought provoking, stunningly executed and Kristen is to die for. Meisel is pushing the bar again with his social commentary on the 'real world' like in his war, terrorism, rehab and dogging eds, but there's one difference with this ed: there's no fine line between glamour and the 'real world'. This ed just feels like social commentary and nothing more. The war, terrorism, rehab and dogging eds had a certain degree and sense of glamour in them. In those eds Meisel managed to make it more than just social commentary on the 'real world' by elevating the fashion and glamour part. It's difficult to see something glamorous in war, terrorism, rehab and dogging, but Meisel managed to do just that and that's why he's such a genius. But here it's different. In this ed there's no sense of fashion or even a hint of glamour. Most pics are just gross, no matter how well executed, no matter how appropriately styled, no matter how good Kristen is. You may find me shallow perhaps, but in the end I don't like it. If I want to see or know how bad and distrubing the oil disaster is, I'll open up a newspaper, not Italian Vogue.

Thank you! I didn't want to say anything negative so as to not "rain on the parade", so to speak. But, I don't like this ed either. You can barely even see the clothes.

Don't really understand why some people are acting like we're all gonna hold hands and sing Kumbaya after seeing this ed.

[dizzytacks]

environmental commentary finally! i could cry!

[Faith Akiyama]

Originally Posted by mikel

If I want to see or know how bad and distrubing the oil disaster is, I'll open up a newspaper, not Italian Vogue.

But would newspaper articles or AP photos even provoke as much thought into the depth of the disaster as these images, especially in today's media world where there is an oversaturation of media controversy and bias? Especially when so many who are not close to/dependent on the gulf cannot fathom the consequences?

For me these photos tell it like it is - no statistical numbers, no back-and-forth uncertainties. The creatures of the sea, which Kristen represents, undergo a harsh struggle that was uncontrollable by them and devastating to them. Glamour is an unnecessary association to what they've gone through...it's on a somewhat different playing field than the previous, human topics that Meisel's explored before, in my opinion.

[honeycombchild]

I think it's a great editorial, I really do. I admit that perhaps it does lack of a sense of underlying glamour or beauty, but I'm perfectly okay with that in this context. I don't really feel it needs it here. Certainly one of VI's best editorials in a long time.

I can't help but have a very shallow concern about the clothes however. Drenched in oil. Something tells me those samples never got returned.

[Dark Noire]

Spot on!

[Royal-Galliano]

im sick of it. they nailed it. i love it. so sad...

[eneroenero]

great! woooowwwww the meisel i love!

[gossiping]

i'm sorry but i do not get the hype for this kind of thing

the styling is terrible

[iluvjeisa]

There are some shots here that remind me of McQueen's aesthetic - the sick fascination with death and destruction. Obviously there is nothing new with that....but there is an unusual nerve in this. One shot with the oil on the water really reminds me of a McQueen/Poe take on Monet.

But there are a few shots that are ugly, and that detracts a bit from it because I think they are there to not make the editorial as sick as it is - showing the beauty in death and destruction.