CR Fashion Book #18 S/S 2021

[MulletProof]

^ I won't bore this thread with my whole essay on that subject you're touching on but no! I don't think a person that has no input, craft, vocabulary, etc., just enough money to buy an expensive camera and free time to consider himself a "photographer", should be celebrated just for being published in a sea of people who have been published repeatedly. No way. I refuse to reduce my expectations to mere charity. These are sad times for fashion stories but they're not that sad!

I don't think the problem was ever that Mikael Jansson or Sims were on their 700th assignment, but the repetitive work, the way virtually anyone stepping into these corporations like CN (from Sims to Vanderperre) were quickly reduced to pure commercial photography with nothing to say and their aesthetic was exploited, diluted and eroded until they became a cliché of themselves, so naturally readers will quickly get fed up and who could blame them. But I think people still want to be moved by fashion imagery that is extraordinary in every sense of the word and that is able to communicate something about either the era we're in or what floats above that (timelessness) in a way that is inviting, that at the very least makes the garments they feature mildly desirable and in the best case, makes you want to daydream or renew your love for sartorial expression with each story. What I see above is the opposite, I honestly want nothing to do with any of these clothes and if the dilemma is same ol' + suffocated by conventions versus new + too thirsty to bother getting around conventions... the reader could do himself a favor by looking elsewhere.

 

[Benn98]

^ I won't bore this thread with my whole essay on that subject you're touching on but no! I don't think a person that has no input, craft, vocabulary, etc., just enough money to buy an expensive camera and free time to consider himself a "photographer", should be celebrated just for being published in a sea of people who have been published repeatedly. No way. I refuse to reduce my expectations to mere charity. These are sad times for fashion stories but they're not that sad!

I don't think the problem was ever that Mikael Jansson or Sims were on their 700th assignment, but the repetitive work, the way virtually anyone stepping into these corporations like CN (from Sims to Vanderperre) were quickly reduced to pure commercial photography with nothing to say and their aesthetic was exploited, diluted and eroded until they became a cliché of themselves, so naturally readers will quickly get fed up and who could blame them. But I think people still want to be moved by fashion imagery that is extraordinary in every sense of the word and that is able to communicate something about either the era we're in or what floats above that (timelessness) in a way that is inviting, that at the very least makes the garments they feature mildly desirable and in the best case, makes you want to daydream or renew your love for sartorial expression with each story. What I see above is the opposite, I honestly want nothing to do with any of these clothes and if the dilemma is same ol' + suffocated by conventions versus new + too thirsty to bother getting around conventions... the reader could do himself a favor by looking elsewhere.

You're taking it to the extreme when you reference the Theo Wenner type of photographer, because that's certainly not the type I was referring to. And in most cases they are actually a minority anyway.

Regarding established photographers, the problem is that they're on their 700th assignment. And they are on the 700th assignment because the pool of talent isn't big enough. If it were much larger, then there'd be less likelihood of creative burnout.
I don't have much sympathy for the likes of Vanderperre and his ilk whose creativity got stifled by a commercial system because for every one of them, there is a Meisel, Collins, Wales or Sciavovelli out there who enjoy both mainstream and niche clients, but who for some reason are not compromising on their visual identity. So yes, the system is definitely flawed but I don't think it's the ultimate excuse for Vanderperre's awful work.
And I actually think Sims is doing okay, considering. His work is at least hit or miss, not consistently sleep-inducing like Vanderperre's.

You're right though, readers do still want aspirational and or fantasy content. And especially in the digital age it's even more important because magazines must make a strong enough case for readers to buy a hard copy. Can't do that with tired, referential photography that brings nothing new to the table.

 

[MulletProof]

^ I absolutely agree with your second paragraph. I do think that 700th assignment is problematic, same for the same 3-4 ones being always on rotation, it's just not the problem, the problem probably has a name and face in all of these cases, it's the people dictating and creating such monopoly within the field.

I guess what I'm saying is: pick well. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is a photographer or a stylist in this time and age. It's one of the most recurrent post-tumblr/lookbook/blogspot occupations when people have no direction or anything to say but lots of desperation to accumulate 'connections', they will take the most mediocre pictures and disguise it as 'activism' (that Dorian Ulises guy in Vogue), let their d*ck take the photograph (sorry to put it bluntly) or think they can truly create solid photography out of whatever they concluded about their own taste based on the look of their instagram grid. Picking any of these scammers is hardly commendable just because 'at least it's not Sgura'. There IS talent out there, there always is and if your job is to search through the trash in order to find that one gem no one's heard of, and if on top of that you pride yourself on gambling on new talents 'before anyone else', then prove it. All of what's featured here is the same, recycled, phony s*it for woke sheep that every single magazine out there is doing. I wish I could be happy that at least the 400 dollars from the assignment (or whatever they're paid lol) are going to some young photographer's rent, instead of Sgura's bottle of champagne lol, but again.. I guess I'm just not that kind of activist. This is a product, the reader should still get something out of the transaction.

 

[RaisinBoy]

this magazine is still coming out?!?! Thought Carine started peddling perfumes ?!?!?! Please stop wasting paper. Go digital for a season, and then disappear lols

 

[Benn98]

Via Fashionweekdaily

CARINE ROITFELD REVEALS HER SECRETS TO A PERFECT IMAGE AND HER FAVORITE MODEL RIGHT NOW

written by Eddie Roche April 15, 2021

We’re crazy about CR Fashion Book’s stunning spring issue (out now). The aviation-themed edition is another revelation from founder and creative director CARINE ROITFELD, who tells THE DAILY how it took flight.

Travel and aviation play a big part in the issue. Why did you want to celebrate travel during a time when most of us can’t travel?
Because I’m a dreamer. I’ve never stayed that long in Paris for the past 10 years. On one hand, it felt relieving, I was given the chance to rediscover my own city and meet a lot of new people I didn’t even know lived here. On the other hand, I started dreaming about all those places I love and am unable to travel to. I wanted to make people dream with this issue because that’s what fashion is about.

You worked with Honey Dijon on this issue. How did you meet?
Honey’s name has been around in fashion for years, but she had never taken part in a magazine project. I knew Honey was doing soundtracks for Kim Jones’s men shows; she even played at a party we did in Paris. We met there a few years ago. I think Honey’s voice was necessary for this issue; she’s always in between flights, just like I used to be. Honey’s a creative person, she shared a lot of ideas and helped bring another energy to the magazine. What mattered to me was giving her a platform to share her own vision.

How did the collaboration work?
It has been seamless from end to end. I don’t think there could be a more relevant word than collaboration for our work together on this. She was a ray of light during every meeting that we did over the past months—always positive, full of energy, with a big smile on her face. She is an incredible speaker and always got the right word. She suggested a lot of talents that inspire her, ranging from designers to photographers to models. We also happened to shoot a lot in Berlin, where Honey’s based.

Who are some of the models in the issue?
I’ll start with Ceval because Honey introduced me to her. She is a transgender girl based in Oslo. We met on set, and her story moved me to the core. We decided to give her an interview within the pages of AIR CR. Also, I want to mention Steinberg, who is my favorite girl of the moment. She is stunning and moves incredibly well.

What were the challenges of putting the issue together during the pandemic?
We cannot let ourselves be discouraged. It’s the second issue that we produced during the pandemic, and I feel like we learned a lot from our Fall 2020 issue. To be honest, I’m not so much of a Zoom person, and I like to meet people in person. However, I had to accommodate. We shot in Berlin, Seoul, Los Angeles, and New York while being in Paris, and everyone shared images from set on WhatsApp. We did end up going to sleep very late for some of the shoots.

How do you do it? We can tell a Carine shoot without even looking at the credits, regardless of who is the photographer. What’s the magic ingredient list?|
First, I think that’s the greatest compliment that could ever be given to me. I feel like after all these years, I’ve developed a visual vocabulary and I’m happy that it has eventually translated this well. In my ingredient list, there’s definitely irreverence, a strong focus on body language—fashion shall never be primary. I always ask myself when editing the images: Would I want this as a print in my apartment?

Where would AIR CR go right now if you could go anywhere in the world?
AIR CR goes anywhere the party’s at.

Who are some of the new talents that have inspired you in the past year?
I discovered Korean photographer Cho Gi Seok’s work earlier this year on Instagram. I loved the oneirism and the radicality in his work. We shot together a beauty story in Seoul, and the pictures are fantastic.

What have you missed most this past year in fashion?
Everyone you get a chance to see twice a year at the [runway] shows. They’re not necessarily your closest friends, but after all these years, you happen to create a special bond.

What do you think the comeback of fashion will look like? How do you think people are going to be dressing?
I think there’s a major comeback of glamour. In a context of monotony, uncertainty, dullness, I think everyone needs to dream, to be amazed. Everyone has been fully covered, so we want to see skin, beauty.

What else is new at CR Fashion Book?
Along with the release of the magazine, we launched a series of merchandise—AIR CR T-shirts, which I will be wearing all summer. We’re already working on the next issue of the magazine, but we have a lot of new and exciting projects that I think are paving the way to the future of CR. We have a lot of ideas, now we need to make time to bring them to life.