Vanity Fair April 2018 : Lena Waithe by Annie Leibovitz

[TaylorBinque]

So happy for Lena. While the layout is a miss, I really applaud the decision to put her on the cover here. It's not a glam-up shot but it doesn't have to be one. I can't wait to read her feature.

 

[Benn98]

The editorial shots are up on Instagram. Quite a snoozefest, it doesn't even look like it was shot by Leibovitz as there's very little production value involved. It's just too 'real' for my liking. Not directed at anyone in particular, but my issue with the cover and edit isn't about 'fashion' so much. WSJ magazine often cover people of the same stature yet it still looks chic and modern. Just a touch of refinement would make a huge difference.

Anyway, doesn't Queen Latifah have an upcoming project or something to promote? She fits the same bracket and contributed quite a bit to music and movies, and she developed her own show, didn't she? Could be nice to see her get her due.

 

[mikel]

She got her due when she got nominated for an Oscar in 2002, and besides it may seem that Queen Latifah fits the same bracket but she is technically not out of the closet.

 

[mepps]

I don't love her expression, but I like that she's on the cover. The new editor is getting tons of praise from the usual suspects, but this will probably be one of the lowest selling issues of VF ever.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Maybe stop saying "I have no idea who this is", and google her and do some reading/interview watching and then tell me she isn't a refreshing and inspiring choice -- the lack of styling is a bummer, but she looks gorgeous.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

The photos from her spread are easily one of the best, and most honest portraits from VF & AL in a (damn) long time! The shot with her girlfriend is just beautiful.

 

[Deleted member 45369]

Maybe stop saying "I have no idea who this is", and google her and do some reading/interview watching and then tell me she isn't a refreshing and inspiring choice -- the lack of styling is a bummer, but she looks gorgeous.

This is the main problem with the cover though. It doesn’t make me want to google her much less pick up a copy.

Maybe they could of done something inspired by the Harlem Renaissance with a group of artists creating diversity in arts.

 

[tigerrouge]

A cover like this makes me wonder whether Vanity Fair has decided they're going to disregard newsstand sales in favour of going straight to their subscriber base with content that's never going to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but is worth the time to read about and will garner them acclaim.

 

[tigerrouge]

While a lot of content is probably available on the Vanity Fair site itself, in the UK, this issue is sold with one of its usual supplements, and is plastic-wrapped on the newsstand. Here's a few snaps of my subscription issue so that people can get a feel of what the UK version looks like inside... I include the Kaia ad as a random personal choice, because to me, she's never looked lovelier than in that ad.

 

[tigerrouge]

You can see from the articles that the essential DNA of the magazine hasn't changed much at the moment - but what DOES annoy me is the way the writing has been thinned out to the point where articles look more like advertorials, with that suspiciously spaced-out text that implies there's not much of substance going on with the words.

Also, why on earth did we end up with that cover image of Lena, when that opening shot of her with the hat would have been so much more compelling? You can just imagine that hat-shot, with the right art direction, becoming one of Vanity Fair's classic covers. That shot is a gift.

 

[Benn98]

Agreed about the Lena shot!! Would've been way better than thethe odd mouth pose she's making on the cover. This shot didn't show on VFs website, and I'm only back home in a week so thanks for the previews!
I can't believe how much like Vogue this magazine looks. It's ridiculous. Love the Jane Fonda shot (she should've had a month on her own but the demographic of this magazine would be all up in arms over that, lol), and it goes without saying that Priyanka or Mindy will end up on the cover at some stage, so it's a nice pretext.

 

[Luxx]

she's made an historic win - first black woman ever to win an emmy for comedy writing - stars in and writes for one of the most critically acclaimed tv shows of recent years and just created her own show that's going very well. She's an open lesbian of color and a very talented, interesting person. I'm so happy that she's on this cover.

Vanity fair is a cultural magazine - not a fashion mag, and it's so refreshing to see someone truly worthy of exposure getting attention vs yet another nepotism child whose biggest accomplishment is the art of the instagram selfie. I think it's bold that - even though she's got a Spielberg film to promote - they put her on the cover.

AMEN to everything you've said.

 

[ellastica]

Thanks tigerrouge for the snaps.

Looks like the aim of the new design team was to use as many circular theme design elements, on every page, of every spread.

They nearly did it. In their flurry of design "refreshing" they're subconsciously churning out what's already been circulating on social media sites for the past few years.

I miss when editorial designers were truly visionary, self-aware, purposeful, and pushing the envelope.

It astounds me how American publications have become such a slave to redundant design and journalistic homogenized writing patterns. Thank you social media.

 

[MerrisaV]

don't mind the new art direction of the cover, but the shoot is really too easy.

 

[YohjiAddict]

I don't consider myself to be as interested in layout design as some members appear to be but I have to agree, the circular elements seems so lazy and like they belong on a teeny bopper magazine.

 

[vogue28]

I just seen this issue in the supermarket earlier on, picked it up and was horrified over how such a bad quality shot it is of Lena! The image looks as though it has been zoomed in x20, decreasing the quality immensely and is all blurred. You can barely make out Lena's features - the problem magnified next to the cover text which is crystal clear.

Anyone else noticed this?