The more I look at the cover, the more magical it becomes for me. I’m sure others are dismissing it as gaudy, ostentatious, loud etc and that’s all good— and I hope VA embraces all these qualities in all their vibrant flashiness proudly; it’s very much a part of the wealthy ME aesthetic.
Besides Gigi being the perfect, achingly gorgeous figurehead to launch Vogue Arabia like some siren heroine from an Arabian Nights fable, just the sound of “Vogue Arabia” is so deliciously, wickedly decadent, like YSL’s Opium, or Calvin Klein’s Obsession: Everything that is appropriately decadent, indulgent about high fashion.
The shimmering black and gold of the cover’s color-palette— along with the saturated jeweltones of the Yasmine edit, already has me so excited for a Vogue that’s so specific to their readership’s identity and branding. Of course, things can easily, and furiously fall apart by mid-year, and they could just be headed into expensive high-end department-store catalogue aesthetic. I’d like to hope they won’t fall into that pattern like so many other Vogues. The warning sign of mediocrity is already rearing its department-store head in that Kadel edit. Not good.
As for SWJ finger-wagging at the supposed culture appropriation… Give it a rest. These people should realize they’re further segregating rather than uniting people and cultures. The sheer ignorance is so overwhelming. Go criticize, protest the ME’s treatment of gays, women and immigrant labourers rather than such petty, non-issue.
Gigi is appropriate for the debut issue (huge social media following, high fashion credibility, Palestinian roots) and that image is sublime. Strong debut cover for Vogue Arabia.
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Vogue Arabia is off to a great start, hope they can keep it up!
