Vogue Italia May 2011 : Kristen McMenamy by Steven Meisel

[agee]

Black Beauties

Photographer: Ellen von Unwerth
Stylist: Giulio Martinelli
Scans by me

http://zfashionblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/black-beauties01.jpg

I like this image in isolation, it is very cute and energetic, but with the text, it takes on a tacky and minstrel tinge. If VI is going to do eds with all black cast, then do it, they don't need screeching headlines. I am not trying to imply that their intentions are not good, as I also have an issue with the tackiness of the headlines on the last two main covers.

 

[agee]

I like the Beauty in Vogue cover even though it does look like a screen cap. I thought that the ed from a couple of months ago was hit and miss, but someone on another site did screencaps and some of them looked better than what was published.

maybe the cover is the same, but maybe the editorial content will be different.

Didn't Vincent Peters shoot her (images were posted on VI's website), that is what I was expecting to see this month?

I can't believe they couldn't shoot Ann again for the cover/ed. That's just so cheap and shady on VI's part.

From what I have seen thus far, given the choices between screen caps, what Vincent Peters shot and what Ellen von Unwerth shot, I think that the screen cap "roll" is the best. I think that Ann is better than the way that they've showcased her thus far but they really should have gone with the girl in your avatar, especially since they knew all along that what VI was going to publish would be in the supplement that has a beauty / commercial bent.

 

[thankyouhon]

I wish Vogue Italia wouldn't segregate black models to these "all black girls" stories anymore. At first it was interesting and even forward thinking with the iconic "Black Issue" back in 2007, but now it has just become forced diversity at this point. Vogue Italia should feature black girls with models of other ethnic backgrounds or *gasp* even have solo black girl stories now. That would be real diversity in my opinion.

 

[AD011620]

I wish Vogue Italia wouldn't segregate black models to these "all black girls" stories anymore. At first it was interesting and even forward thinking with the iconic "Black Issue" back in 2007, but now it has just become forced diversity at this point. Vogue Italia should feature black girls with models of other ethnic backgrounds or *gasp* even have solo black girl stories now. That would be real diversity in my opinion.

Agree 100%... it reached the level of segregation now... sort of ‘black models can be good too’… which is another problem when it comes to the racial aspect of this problem... they should use them equally and stop emphasizing this fact endlessly… what they could do is a positive discrimination and sometimes give them more space than to white models…

 

[mariemaud]

Chelsea Hotel is awesome

 

[tarsha]

Tribute to black beauties
by Ellen von Unwerth



vogue.it

 

[Style Savvy]

Models: Jeneil Williams, Kelly Moreira, Ubah Hassan, Gaye McDonald, Jae Childs, R'el Dade, Jasmine Tookes, Ariel Meredith, Cici Ali, Lily Taylor

 

[lucy92]

I wish Vogue Italia wouldn't segregate black models to these "all black girls" stories anymore. At first it was interesting and even forward thinking with the iconic "Black Issue" back in 2007, but now it has just become forced diversity at this point. Vogue Italia should feature black girls with models of other ethnic backgrounds or *gasp* even have solo black girl stories now. That would be real diversity in my opinion.

Teen Vogue in America does the same exact thing. they segregate the darker skinned women into doing photo fashion spreads on neon colors, repeatedly. as if no one will notice the repetitive editorials.

however the tribute to black beauties photo set looks nice to me. it seems well done.

 

[blueorchid]

I don't really have a problem with all black editorials, because to me the way Vogue US does an all black editorial is totally different than the way Vogue Italia does it. Vogue US doesn't seem to put their race at the complete centre of the editoial. Why does Vogue Italia always have to have the word "black" in the title of these editorials (Blackallure, Black Beauties)? The last all black (I think) editorial Vogue US had was called The Life Rhapsodic, for example. There's something so weird and creepy about the way VI does it, like we don't need to be told about it. We have eyes, we can see that they are black. Putting the word "black" in the titles and focusing SO MUCH on the fact that they are black almost treats them like complete oddities or something.

 

[mint condish]

Agree with you ladies! Thanks for speaking your mind. Also, why so many sunglasses?

 

[fantaprince]

this cover is sexy, sexy! super!!

 

[mistress_f]

i don't think there's been a review yet, and since i'm terrible with models' names, i just took pics of the indexes:

v.beauty

 

[mackos]

I just adore the colours on the cover. It will probably look even better in real life.

 

[Peachie]

i'm not sure if any of you have ever produced a shoot but it's quite expensive. not including the model/photographer/crew/assistant fees you have studio rentals, equipment rentals, insurance, catering, prop rentals, messenger & shipping fees etc. etc. etc. for something like a beauty supplement cover where they aren't actually "selling" anything on the page it's understandable in this day & age for re-prints and multiple use shoots. magazines are going under every day so most have become way more cost conscious in how they use the images they already own and have paid for.

I think everyone is aware of that. It is the fact the VI was promoting themselves on ANTM. The prize being an ed in VI and then the cover of Beauty with another ed. I would say they mislead at best.

 

[Rotex]

during 2007 to like 2010, i remember black models like jourdan dunn, sessilee lopez, etc, having starring in solo model editorials, but nowadays they are all grouped. what changed? there was even mroe mixtures than there are now back in those days *sigh*

 

[agee]

^^ Ann Ward by Vincent Peters is in this issue according to the contents page posted above (post # 132).

 

[Peachie]

^I know she has an ed in it.
We were talking about VI using a picture from the ed (for the Beauty cover) that already ran. Not shooting something new.

 

[mistress_f]

i should also add that there's an article on the mcqueen exhibition at the MET that features 3 old shots from old editorials, two Meisel ones (from fw 2009 and fw 2003) and a Roversi one from ss 2001

 

[deflyricist2006]

Well, looks like that Vincent Peters' editorial of Ann will be in VI. I was getting bothered for a bit, lol.

 

[mistress_f]

^I know she has an ed in it.
We were talking about VI using a picture from the ed (for the Beauty cover) that already ran. Not shooting something new.

It's a weird choice by the way, since her ed in the mag is full black and white and has nothing to do with the cover, i don't know