Vogue Paris December 2017/January 2018 : Rihanna

[Benn98]

It's not far-fetched to imagine Rihanna would give one of the covers to someone else - Penelope Cruz did it when she got to guest edit VP. She invited a lot of other women to join her. Besides, you'd think that Rihanna with her 'what's your shade?' yaya sisterhood gimmick would jump on it. But obviously it's about her. Anyway, moving along....

So the only two edits I'm keen on seeing is Imaan's and Sean & Seng (could've been a better model here, but I'll take the Saint Laurent rollerskate girl.) I don't even recall ever seeing Sean & Seng in VP, could this be their debut? Better late than never, their photography will certainly lift this issue at least.

This seems easily the most diverse issue under Alt yet in terms of model casting. I'm sure Rihanna had a hand in this, refuse to believe it was organic.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ If by diverse, you mean an all-Black cast, then yes... If you mean true diversity as in including White, Black Asian, Arab, Latin and East Indian... then no.

I had completely forgotten about the Sean & Sang shoot. It's so beige wallpaper and uninteresting even in its styling that unless you get excited by the 80s Sears catalogue, then you'lll also forget it as soon as you see it.

 

[Benn98]

^^^ If by diverse, you mean an all-Black cast, then yes... If you mean true diversity as in including White, Black Asian, Arab, Latin and East Indian... then no.

I had completely forgotten about the Sean & Sang shoot. It's so beige wallpaper and uninteresting even in its styling that unless you get excited by the 80s Sears catalogue, then you'lll also forget it as soon as you see it.

Lol!

Great, so it's just the Imaan edit to looking forward to then?

 

[Phuel]

^^^ The I&V and JP Rihanna shoots are really good pop fun, Benn. Give the coolest girl in the world a chance...

 

[Lola701]

It's not far-fetched to imagine Rihanna would give one of the covers to someone else - Penelope Cruz did it when she got to guest edit VP. She invited a lot of other women to join her. Besides, you'd think that Rihanna with her 'what's your shade?' yaya sisterhood gimmick would jump on it. But obviously it's about her. Anyway, moving along....

So the only two edits I'm keen on seeing is Imaan's and Sean & Seng (could've been a better model here, but I'll take the Saint Laurent rollerskate girl.) I don't even recall ever seeing Sean & Seng in VP, could this be their debut? Better late than never, their photography will certainly lift this issue at least.

This seems easily the most diverse issue under Alt yet in terms of model casting. I'm sure Rihanna had a hand in this, refuse to believe it was organic.

I hope that you know that VP has been more diverse under Emmanuelle's last 6 years than it has ever been during Carine's 10 years stint.

SO you really think that Rihanna has that much power over the EIC of Vogue Paris?
Emmanuelle has worked with Imaan before in VP and Imaan herself has been invovled in Emmanuelle's regular collaborators projects.

Why so much discredit for Emmanuelle?

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Going through the issue today, I do have to say it made me angry! Not even a Rihanna fan, but she honestly deserved SO much better! It feels like any other issue, they didn't give her the total treatment, is how this issue feels to me! Like it was rushed, or even last minute?

Possibly the weakest Guest Edited issue i have seen! The previous famous women who got the honour took over the issue in a way where it felt so authentic, and full, but this is empty! She has been through so many styles, looks, phases in the last decade+ so Alt et co. really had so much to choose from, and to really fill this issue 100% Rihanna, but they left me wanting more!

 

[Zorka]

POUPÉE DE SON
Photographer: Jean-Paul Goude
Stylist: Aleksandra Woroniecka
Hair: Yusef Williams
Make-Up: Stéphane Marais
Model/Celebrity: Rihanna



Vogue Paris Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

RIHANNA
Photographer: Juergen Teller
Stylist: Anastasia Barbieri & Bernhard Willhelm
Hair: Yusef Williams
Make-Up: Yadim
Model/Celebrity: Rihanna



Vogue Paris Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

IN BED WITH RIHANNA
Photographer: Inez & Vinoodh
Stylist: Mel Ottenberg
Hair: Yusef Williams
Make-Up: Stéphane Marais
Model/Celebrity: Rihanna



Vogue Paris Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

COLOURS FROM THE BLOCK
Photographer: Inez & Vinoodh
Stylist: Emmanuelle Alt
Hair: Duffy
Make-Up: Aaron de Mey
Model: Imaan Hammam



Vogue Paris Digital Edition

 

[Lola701]

Love the JPG and Teller eds. They are great and slick. "In Bed with Rihanna" is really weak! That wig she is wearing is a disaster and it's surprising to see that it's styled by her own stylist. The clothes are not flattering at all.

She has an incredible body so why put her in those weird leggings and with that huge belt? That ed could have been perfect if it was styled by Emmanuelle. Black & white and all black clothes is something she usually does right!

Immaan's story is great. It's classic Emmanuelle tacky 80's street wear thing. It's eye-catching and it's maybe better than the Rihanna eds.

 

[Benn98]

Maybe the cheap wig is supposed to be a nod to a young Lil Kim? But I agree, it's hideous and try-hard. Much like everything else posted so far. Not even the Imaan edit can save this issue.

Thanks for posting, Zorka!

 

[MON]

What the * is this? My goodness.

From the covers to the editorials, LAZY.

 

[tigerrouge]

I usually end up buying lacklustre issues of Vogue Paris on the premise that the content will have still decent production values - and it only costs a fiver. Not so sure about this...

 

[333101]

^^^ Why would Rihanna give up her place as covergirl for VP to Imaan when she is the featured star of this issue…???? Cuz she’s a Black woman and she has to give it up for another Black woman?

Imaan is a gorgeous woman and she has been on the covers of many high profile magazines already and likely, will continue to get bigger. She’s not less of a model because she’s not on the cover of VP right now.

Christ calm down. Not what I was saying at all. Rihanna has shown support for Imaan previously, having her walking in her Fenty show etc. Rihanna doesn't have any difficulty getting covers - she's a star and a brand. The exposure for black models on magazine covers is still shockingly low - you only need to look at VP's cover history to see that. All I was saying is that her influence - seeing as she guest-edited the issue - makes a lot of difference. Not that 'Cuz she’s a Black woman and she has to give it up for another Black woman'.

 

[Phuel]

Concluding that Rihanna "supports" Imaan just because she walked for her Fenty show is a tad of a stretch (she has team that takes care of her castings) LOL Imaan will do just fine without the slightest support from Rihanna.

And are you sure about Black models getting few covers these days? Just going by the more high profile fashion publications, even countries that have very little to no Black presence, like ELLE Siingapore, Vogues from the Middle-East and the Scandinavian countries will give Black models the cover. Not to mention South Africa’s ELLE, Glamour etc have given their covers to Black models/celebrities 90% of the time. And this is not to mention American and British mainstream publications… I’d say Black models are generously, and steadily represented not just in the West, but internationally.

If one would like to support “shockingly” underrepresented MOC in the West, perhaps campaign for an Arab, East Indian or Asian model for the cover of VP— or say, American or British Vogue? When was the last time US Vogue gave an Arab, East-Indian or Asian a cover...?

 

[Lola701]

^^
What you says about Arab models is interesting but we also have to look at their culture. I know for a fact that model is not a job that has the best reputation in the middle east or even in the Maghreb. We have in France Farida who is maybe the most famous arab model ever but that's it. While being arab, she is more the epytome of la parisienne.


I think the most different thing about Vogue Paris, more than any other Vogue is the culture. In the Uk, US or everywhere else, the idea of representation is really deep in communities.
In France, i have to admit that we don't fight for representation at all. We are talking about it more and more thanks to social media and to the general interest in fashion but it is not as deep.

How to say it in a very short and clear way...Vogue Paris is really about the richest and chicest arrondissements of Paris where of course we can find people from different origins but not different social categories. Growing up and i know it's still the case for a lot of people in France, the magazine has always been about "those people". Vogue Uk, US or others are more inclusive to me because they more about a country, a culture than a specific area of a city.

For example i remember when Rose Cordero had her cover of Vogue Paris in 2010, people in the US and Uk cared more about that and the fact that she was the first black solo cover since 2002. Black people here were happy for her and surprised by that but it's not like they expected from VP or such a publication to feature a black model every month.

But i'm happy that we have made so much progress that maybe today editors feel responsible to include more diverse people.



AS FOR THE ISSUE ITSELF: I think that Rihanna is not so much of an interesting subject after all. I love her, i love her style, i love her songs but after seeing that issue, i felt like i needed to be a stan in order to be excited by her. And it has also a "i have to sell something bigger than that" feel into it.

Emmanuelle said recently that they planned this since April because of the scheduele and the issue felt really "curated" and almost rushed. And i think that the fact that Emmanuelle didn't styled an ed with Rihanna is a result of her being more involved in the logistic and Rihanna being maybe less involved in the actual issue.

I love Rihanna but after reading that issue, my only question is: why doing this if it's not to be commited 100%?

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Middle-Eastern, East Indian and Asian culture are very conservative and traditional so the family support system may not be there for individuals to pursue modelling. That doesn’t mean however, that those individuals raised in the West don’t, even from conservative families, pursue modelling. Frankly, despite the supposedly inclusive attitude towards MOC, the three mentioned ethnicities will oftentimes get overlooked.

Anyway, I don’t think it’s fair to say this issue wasn’t 100percent of a commitment… I don’t know what some were expecting from Rihanna’s role as guest editor. She is a naturally and effortlessly cool individual: The way she moves, her attitude, her aura… her persona never comes off manufactured or practiced, like the majority of these pop princesses. And she's never begging to for approval. That’s what attracts me to her. She is unbelievably charismatic. But I never expect a supreme statement from her creatively or artistically: She's not that kind of a popstar. She is a creature of the very moment that through her natural force of will, simply transcends the ordinary without making an effort. She’s an ideal muse. She’s just not someone that I ever expected to pave any innovations. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I love the I&V shoot: I don’t see ‘Lil Kim at all LOOOL I see a 60s-girl group breakout star— more Diana Ross, that’s cool and soulful. The wig is a part of that persona. I mean, when did bouffants from the 60s ever looked natural or not awful…???? Juxtaposing that story with the Imaan one, is such a great narrative of a time capsule that captures the spirit of 2 decades that were incredibly powerful. Look at Imaan channeling any one of Prince’s muses: Apollonia, Vanity or Sheila E, and even Prince himself with that amazing shot of her tongue out to the side. The art direction is right out of Janet’s Control of course, but the playful sensuality is all Prince. Amazing edits in their power to conjure a certain spirit of the times.

 

[Lola701]

^^^ Middle-Eastern, East Indian and Asian culture are very conservative and traditional so the family support system may not be there for individuals to pursue modelling. That doesn’t mean however, that those individuals raised in the West don’t, even from conservative families, pursue modelling. Frankly, despite the supposedly inclusive attitude towards MOC, the three mentioned ethnicities will oftentimes get overlooked.

Anyway, I don’t think it’s fair to say this issue wasn’t 100percent of a commitment… I don’t know what some were expecting from Rihanna’s role as guest editor. She is a naturally and effortlessly cool individual: The way she moves, her attitude, her aura… her persona never comes off manufactured or practiced, like the majority of these pop princesses. And she's never begging to for approval. That’s what attracts me to her. She is unbelievably charismatic. But I never expect a supreme statement from her creatively or artistically: She's not that kind of a popstar. She is a creature of the very moment that through her natural force of will, simply transcends the ordinary without making an effort. She’s an ideal muse. She’s just not someone that I ever expected to pave any innovations. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I love the I&V shoot: I don’t see ‘Lil Kim at all LOOOL I see a 60s-girl group breakout star— more Diana Ross, that’s cool and soulful. The wig is a part of that persona. I mean, when did bouffants from the 60s ever looked natural or not awful…???? Juxtaposing that story with the Imaan one, is such a great narrative of a time capsule that captures the spirit of 2 decades that were incredibly powerful. Look at Imaan channeling any one of Prince’s muses: Apollonia, Vanity or Sheila E, and even Prince himself with that amazing shot of her tongue out to the side. The art direction is right out of Janet’s Control of course, but the playful sensuality is all Prince. Amazing edits in their power to conjure a certain spirit of the times.

In terms of commitment, for me she wasn't 100% committed maybe only because she couldn't due to her scheduele but she is coming after a lot of previous guest-editors who were totally involved in the conception of the magazine. That's simply what i expect from VP. This is more of an issue dedicated entirely to Rihanna and IMO it makes all the difference.

Olivier Lalanne had to go to London to interview her so in a way, she was removed from the spirit of the magazine...

Yes the fact that she never really beg to be approved like Kanye or Kim made me love her also. She used her style to compliment her music and her influence is what caught the eyes of the designers who fell in love with her. From Dsquared and Frida Giannini 10 years ago to a Tom Ford or Karl today.

It's not a bad issue. It's just not as good as it could have been.

I'm so obsessed with Tracee ellis Ross that i would love to see her being a guest-editor. I'm already sure that it could be more interesting...And IMO she is more Vogue Paris than Rihanna. Rihanna is more international in a way.

 

[tigerrouge]

If you give any weight to the theory that celebrities exist as figures for people to project things onto, I just don't personally 'connect' with Rihanna beyond seeing a great-looking girl who knows how to make money (which doesn't even reflect anything I could say about myself).

But it seems she inspires a lot of thoughts and opinions, so this thread has probably been more interesting to read through than the actual magazine will prove to be.