Here Come the 'VOGUE' Boys

So, I take a holiday and what happens? All is a change at Vogue... across the world. Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz was fired from Vogue Arabia after less than 12 months and replaced with Manuel Arnaut, former editor of GQ Portugal. Shocking and a little harsh. And of course the BIG news, Edward Enninful was named as the new editor in chief of British Vogue, when Alexandra Shulman leaves in a few months. That means that men are now at the helm of three international issues of Vogue (British, Italia and Arabia) with lots of exciting new prospects to come. Even though Vogue is womens fashion magazine, having a male boss instead of a female one is always a bold but brave move and I really think this is a very exciting time for the world famous magazine brand.

I was surprised to hear about Enninful's appointment at British Vogue. But really there is no one with more experience than Enninful. His work as fashion director at i-D when he was only 18 years old was magnificent, and really quite unheard of for someone so young. His shoots for W Magazine are just as captivating, especially those with Rihanna, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. He is not just a stylist, he understands what it takes to run a magazine and inject beauty, controversy and fantasy into editorials. And lets face it, British Vogue is in desperate need of a lift at the moment. As someone who has read the fashion Bible for years as well as interned there, I think that the magazine needs a new sense of direction, more excitement, more swagger. That may not be very British, but there is something missing at the moment which casts the magazine aside compared to its heavyweight competitors American Vogue, Vogue Paris and Vogue Italia. I can't wait to see what Enninful does at British Vogue and I have no doubt it will be a very interesting dynamic. One things for sure, he's not lacking in fashion industry contacts. 

I used various images from the 2012 W Magazine shoot 'Good Kate, Bad Kate' with Kate Moss and styled by Enninful for my dissertation. The images were just so intriguing and visually beautiful that I couldn't help but dissect their hidden meanings. But there are so many extraordinary shoots Enninful has worked on. See a few of my favourites below - I would have loved to add more but then we would be here forever. 
 

W Magazine March 2012, styled by Edward Enninful and featuring Kate Moss.

Vogue Italia, 2005, Couture shot by Steven Meisel and styled by Enninful.

Rihanna, Naomi Campbell and Iman for W Magazine

Prada Iconoclasts, styled by Edward Enninful.

Rihanna for W Magazine, September 2016.

W Magazine February 2014.

i-D magazine, styled by Enninful.

A Tribute to the incredible Franca Sozzani

I was stunned and extremely sad yesterday to hear of Franca Sozzani's passing. Sozzani, editor in chief of Vogue Italia since 1988, seemed to be healthy, happy and a formidable force at fashion weeks. but according to Ansa News Sozzani died due to long term illness. At only 66 years old it is a tragedy that she is no longer with us. In my opnion, Vogue Italia is what it is today because of Franca. Due to her leadership of the magazine, her trailblazing photo-shoots, her iconic covers and incredible foresight Vogue Italia is considered one of the best international issues of Vogue and is my favourite alongside Vogue Japan. She will be missed by many in the fashion industry and I can't think of anyone who can take the position of editor in chief of Vogue Italia other than the invincible Franca.

Franca Sozzani was born on the 20th January in Mantua, Italy and studied literature and philosophy at university in Milan- nothing whatsoever to do with fashion. She later got a job at Vogue Bambini as an assistant before becoming editor of Lei magazine. She took the reigns at Vogue Italia in 1988 making it one of the top magazines in the world. She introduced photographers and stylists like Steven Meisel and Edward Enninful to its pages and featured fashion spreads which were truly remarkable. Her 2008 'Black Issue' of the magazine only featured black models and was an international sensation with Franca bringing attention to the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. She was a regular at all the fashion shows held across New York, London, Milan and Paris and a respected figure to designers and her contemporaries alike.

Instead of Vogue Italia just reaching purely Italian audiences, Franca made the magazine so visually stunning that readers all over the world would flock to buy a copy every month - regardless of the price. Some of my favourite photo-shoots have been published in Vogue Italia, such as 'Makeover Madness' by Steven Meisel which portrays such a strong and powerful message on plastic surgery. Tributes from a whole host of celebrities such as Madonna, Kendall Jenner, Irina Shayk and Anna Wintour poured in following the news of Franca's death yesterday while others who have worked with her for years such as Peter Lindburgh and Bruce Weber paid tribute to her as an extraordinary fashion editor.

Below are some of my favourite shoots from Franca's tenure at Vogue Italia. She has already earned iconic and legendary status in the industry.

The supermodels in 1994

One of Sozzani's iconic covers

A controversial Steven Meisel shoot focusing on homeland security.

The 2008 Black Issue

Linda Evangalista in 'Makeover Madness.'

Putting plus size models on the cover in 2011.

Steven Meisel: Fashion's most Controversial Photographer

Steven Meisel, one of the most most respected photographers in the fashion industry, has long inspired me with his beautiful photographs, often conveying a strong message. His work for Vogue Italia is particularly impressive. Remember the controversial 'Make over Madness' shoot, which featured Linda Evangalista undergo painful cosmetic procedures all for the sake of beauty? Or how about the 'State of Emergency' editorial from 2006? Taking inspiration from the strict border force laws and immigration across Europe, the shoot featured models being slammed against cars by police for security checks and having to remove their clothes at the airport. Moreover, it showed normal civilians as victims of violent security laws, causing quite a stir in the media. Controversial yes, but these realistic shoots are what makes Steven Mesiel so perfect as a social commentator through the medium of fashion photography.

Born on June 5th, 1954, Meisel loved photography from a young age, famously waiting outside Melvin Sokolsky's studio for hours to catch a glimpse of Twiggy, at 12 years old. After studying at the prestigious Parsons New School of Design, he went on to become an illustrator for a number of publications, with photography not even crossing his mind as a potential career move. It wasn't until he was asked to take some test photos for Elite Model Agency that he discovered his true passion and something he was rather good at - taking photos of people. Since then he is famed for taking some of the most iconic photos of the supermodels in the 1990's as well as his narrative driven shoots for US Vogue and Vogue Italia, where most of his photographs are featured. He also shot ad campaigns for numerous fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi and Versace - his sexy, dark glamorous photographs a favourite among the Italian brands.

Famously a very private man, Meisel has grown to be one of the most admired and in demand photographers in the fashion industry. Controversy seems to follow his work, from the 1990s Calvin Klein ad campaign which was criticised as a form of child pornography, to his 'Water and Oil' editorial which highlighted the catastrophic oil leak which killed millions of birds and sea life. For over 20 years his photographs have captivated audiences and impacted the industry immensely. I have picked out some of my favourite photographs of his below and hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Vogue Italia: Steven Meisel's 'An Undiscovered Musical'

What do you get when you put Steven Meisel and old Hollywood together? A beautifully shot, romantic story between Karen Elson, who captivates as a modern day Ginger Rogers and Christopher Niquet, who stands in for a suave Fred Astaire. This particularly wonderful editorial, titled 'An Undiscovered Musical' was featured in Vogue Italia's April 2015 issue (where else for Meisel?), and styled by the legandary Karl Templer.

For anyone who knows me well or reads this blog will know, I absolutely love the glamour and sophistication of the golden era of Hollywood and came across this shoot entirely by chance while looking for images for my university dissertation. From the dramatic monochrome effect and the dance movements which show off the clothes wonderfully to the authentic 1940's hair and make up by none other than Pat McGrath and Guido, everything about this shoot is enchanting, taking you to an era long ago when musicals and stars were a thing of beauty. I love the choice of clothes, especially Karen's dresses which mirror so well those worn by Ginger Rogers in movies such as 'Top Hot' and 'Too Hot to Handle.' But also the way Meisel captures the essence of Fred and Ginger so well, almost 100 years after their movies came to the silver screen. It truly is shoots like this which make me love fashion even more than I do already.

Take a look at this beautiful editorial and take a trip down memory lane with Fred and Ginger, as portrayed by Karen and Christopher...

And the real deal, the legendary Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers...

Cinema Verite by Steven Meisel

Fashion and fantasy often come hand in hand. For example, the beautiful editorials styled by Grace Coddington are always set in a sense of intrigue and beauty or how about the eccentric Chanel shows as conjured up by Karl Lagerfeld? You don't get more fantastical than an underwater kingdom catwalk or how about a rotating carousel. 

I love fantasy, and agree with the great Grace Coddington, that there's nothing better than getting immersed in a beautiful, well edited  photo-shoot. Steven Meisel is one of the greatest photographers ever and his shoots for Vogue Italia always tell a story; a powerful narrative which leaves you revisiting and reinterpreting his work time and again. For the October 2002 issue of Vogue Italia, Meisel shot an amazing editorial titled 'Cinema Verite.' With late 90s supermodels Carmen Kass, Carolyn Murphy, Karolina Kurkova and Amber Valletta this magical shoots converts fashion into a film set very realistically. We are transported to the wild west with Kurkova posing jaggedly alongside cowboys, then its over to 1920s New York filled with mobster car chases and mafia gang war fare. Over to Ancient Greece (which is in fact the photo which first drew my attention) where the supers stand as tall, majestic goddesses and then how about a snow storm in the middle of Antarctica?

Film stars as a huge inspiration for this truly sublime shoot, which really must have taken ages to shoot by Meisel's magical lens. Fashion is merely used as a prop to tell a story and that's what I truly admire about the power of magazines and photo-shoots in general. Take a look for yourself and enter a world of cinematic fantasy...