Vogue Italia November 2024 : Lana Del Rey by Steven Meisel

[penny609]

I just... hate... modern... Meisel... so... much...

I just... echo your words.

There might be no bad picture, there's nothing worth getting excited or thrilled at all. Not a tiny little bit.

He used to be one of the greatest storytellers in the page of the old, old version of this very same magazine. Now it's just... I don't know. I can't dislike but I'll have it all forgotten within the next five minutes and for the rest of my life.

That's just lazy from him. It's like old singers/actors/whatever kind of artists getting seriously old, having no inspiration left, no ideas anymore. And that's blatantly dishonest from the magazine : just put Steven Meisel's name on the cover and a five-page editorial (to keep nostalgia running wild in our mellow hearts) and expect it to sell better than something more creative baring an unknown name at the bottom end of the page.

 

[Legolas]

Well, if we get over the fact 2007 colorful and experimental Meisel is dead and now every single campaign and cover looks just like this. I'm taking it still. Every single bit of it. What a time to be alive: Lana getting her biggest fashion moment + cover is gorgeous + all the Lasso updates. 1st Vogue Italia issue I'll be getting since forever.

 

[penny609]

Well, if we get over the fact 2007 colorful and experimental Meisel is dead and now every single campaign and cover looks just like this. I'm taking it still. Every single bit of it. What a time to be alive: Lana getting her biggest fashion moment + cover is gorgeous + all the Lasso updates. 1st Vogue Italia issue I'll be getting since forever.

Totally see what you mean and just saw his latest campaign for Lanvin (I like it better than this series, by the way).
But I'm not even asking for something in bold colors and I have no hopes for something both experimental and truly interesting.
And as I already said, there is no picture I dislike here...
But,
they use the codes of the old version of VI and rely on Steven Meisel's name. It almost looks like some pastiche of his own past works. You can immediately recognize the style, the touch, and they made the cover look like old issues of Franca's Vogue.
Without the twist, the spark, the soul. Which were what really mattered and remain what I expect when I read Meisel and Vogue Italia back to back in the same sentence.
I know these days are the days of watered-down, toned-down contents (and covers) when it comes to fashion magazines. Minimal effort became the rule. But in terms of visual experience, this is even worse than watered-down. As pretty as the pictures are, and as much as I do actually like those people involved in this cover and series.