Four Sure

I can’t believe Vogue India has been in my life for four years now.

It’s always been my fix, for the feast of the East, mixed with the best of the West – and the constant dance between the two.

I thought their anniversary cover exemplified that crossover lust, perfectly. Isabeli Fontana and Ranbir Kapoor uncover a special Fashion and Film issue.

Can’t wait to pick it up. Just wish it didn’t arrive in Canada in Indian Standard Time.

See all my posts related to Fashion and Film.

Or – read more posts related to Vogue India.

Image: TFS.

Meisel’s Mixed Metaphors

If Frida Kahlo was a Victorian Goth, Flamenco-dancing gypsy, who lived in a surreal painting in India, this is what she would wear.

Mr. Meisel – just when I was starting to yawn, you took me to a dreamy state.

I know these might be disturbing to some – and portray images of women as blah, blah, blah… To me, they are like paintings…surreal, fantastical paintings – and they become a visual study of form and space.

Stella Lugosi? Oh. Stell. Ah.

Haunted - when the minutes drag.

Sarvangasana Stella.

Ethel Granger meets Anna Dello Russo meets Dita Von Teese.

Echoing Granger's record-breaking (likely back-breaking) and heart-breaking, 13-inch waist.

Waist not, want not. The woman in the Guinness Book of World Records, who had the world's smallest waist - Ethel Granger.

A wife for Shelley's Frankenstein?

Meisel’s shoot was inspired by Granger, but I saw many mixed metaphors here.

Like Frankenstein’s monster, this too, is a piecing together of odd parts for a mad result, with the modern, monstrous mode being concocted with digital tools.

I don’t take each photograph in a magazine literally. Vogue Italia has always crossed a line – but I think they do so to provoke, to evoke, to start conversations – and to present fashion as art form.

The debate goes on…

Super September

What’s better than the September books?

September cover Supes!

First, there’s Cindy C in Louis V, vamping it up at 45 – as captured by Simon Upton for Harper’s Bazaar Singapore.

That's forty-tude, baby.

Three other Superfriends grace the cover of Vogue Spain, like the holy trinity of trend-setters. Photographed by Tom Munro, the girls are wearing star-printed Dolce and Gabbana frocks.

Eva, Helena and Claudia sought it, caught it and brought it. Again - and again.

I’ll take personality over plain Janes, any day – and more models on magazine covers! That’s what the fashion gods originally intended, ‘innit?

More Supermodel Stuff.

Images: TFS, MagXOne.

Hot Cover Ups

The streets aren’t the only sources of heat these days.

In the blistering fight for your Tom Ford-shaded eyes, things are hot, hawt, haute on the editorial stands this August.

Which one will you pick up for a poolside peruse?

Freida Pinto by Mert and Marcus on Interview Magazine August 2011.

Claudia Schiffer by Miles Aldridge on Vogue Germany August 2011.

Kate Moss by Mario Testino on British Vogue August 2011.

And of course, there is always Tilda on W Mag.

By the way, Ms. Moss has been busy this summer. If you’ve been living under a rock or busy gazing at the stars, you’ll have missed that she is now a rock-star wife – aka Mrs. Hince – thus the header. I’ll have my take on the festivities + great photos in this space soon-ish – am in slow, summer mode. Forgive? It’s too hot to move so fast.

Images: TFS.

Haunted, When the Minutes Drag

We know Tilda can turn it out when it comes to editorial shoots. She seems to morph into another being, for every photo.

Each photographer, each outfit is given justice – but she is forever and always, Tilda.

Her latest shoot is with photographer Tim Walker, for the August, 2011 issue of W magazine. I found the images quite haunting.

Avant-garde in Armani.

Hooded in Hermès.

A clothes call with Comme des Garçons.

Incidentally, this CDG half jacket is different from the Margiela version, as it has two sleeves. I also love the longer length. In the next phase of my life, I would like to be a gallerist with these pieces of art as my wardrobe.

Chalk it up to a big star in a big jacket.

A woman of many faces.

Holding her own in breathtaking Haider Ackermann.

A being from another world.

The image above reminds me of the desert shoot by Marcus Ohlsson for Velvet Magazine.

Exceptional styling by Jacob Kjeldgaard for this entire shoot. Here, Tilda wears a combination of Acne, Akris and Hilfiger (!).

Swinton, the sartorial surfer, wearing Chanel.

Yes, that is a Chanel jumpsuit – if you can believe it. It’s from Uncle Karl’s dark and gloomy FW11 collection – more on that as leaf colours start to change.

Sci-fi fan?

Carrie Donovan meets A Clockwork Orange.

A gothic tale, well told.

That Blumarine coat and dress combination has my gothentic self in a Fall dream sequence, complete with fog.

Lost, in faraway lands - and thoughts.

The image above is my favourite – although it’s hard to choose just one. I love the blurred movement of the Gucci chiffon – one of the multiple layers Swinton dons here. I love the pristine crispness of the top part of her form, against the blue grey stillness of the landscape. I love the loden green of the rocks upon which she appears to float.

I love the power and the poetry of a fashion photograph.

All images are photographed by Tim Walker and styled by Jacob Kjeldgaard and are from W magazine, where you can find all wardrobe details and the accompanying cover story.

More Tilda…

Shine On

The fashion sun rises and sets on the Supes.

Notice how the light shines through Kristen McMenamy, photographed by who else but Steven Meisel for the May, 2011 issue of Vogue Italia.

Mega-mannequin McMenamy.

Image: TFS.

Cara Mia!

The musings of Mr. Meisel caught my eye this month.

He photographed Croatian beauty Kristina Salinovic for the April 2011 issue of Vogue Italia.

It’s like the perfect Italian holiday.

Images: MagXone.

FANtastic Man, Indeed

Look at the fantastic man who followed me home today…

I can personally attest to the tag line. He really is the uppermost gentleman.

The AW10 issue has just hit newstands in Toronna and has lots of juicy past photos and article about our fave gentleman.

Saving that for Sunday morning!

A New Wave Indeed, India

I picked up the October 2010, 3rd anniversary issue of Vogue India yesterday. I know, I know, it’s January, but all this global stormy weather has caused numerous delays of planes, trains and automobiles, so international mag deliveries have been fashionably late.

There was a time when Indian magazines – especially the eastern versions of western publications – left a little to be desired. I still have a ’90s issue of Elle India with the cover model sporting half-worn lipstick and chipped nail polish. But the new India, she is a different vixen. She is a connoisseur of couture. She is a consumer.

Vogue India came to the Motherland just at the right time, I think. The country was at its sartorial turning point, with designers debuting daily in Delhi and beyond. The lascivious quest for luxury today is likely up to the maharaja max, although I wonder if anyone can outdo the fleet of garbage trucking Rolls-Royces commanded by the Maharaja of Patiala. Shudder the thought.

In fact, in my humble opinion, I think Vogue India is perhaps one of the best mags on the global market today. While they share some content with other international editions of the empire, there is a distinct vibe about this Vogue. There isn’t a submissive bow to the West, nor a particularly desi distinction. It straddles both worlds effortlessly, offers a fresh perspective each month – and does what many other magazines these days simply fail to do (more so now, with Carine leaving Paris Vogue aussi).

Vogue India gets me excited about clothes again.

The mag introduces me to artists I don’t know and am likely to befriend, shows me the places and faces of the new India I have not seen as yet. And while I may know many of the Indian and international designers they feature, their styling team is a burst of fresh sea air and even I, a fashion addict, see something I never have before.

I often find myself gasping out loud at editorials styled by Anaita Shroff-Adajania and Deep Kailey. The spread entitled A New Wave, featuring a fresh take on saris, styled by Kailey and photographed by Paul Maffi, was no exception.

It is absolutely exceptional.

The talent of the team goes well beyond the standard six yards.

Another great example of one of my fave colour pairings – red, black and white. You couldn’t do a story entitled ‘new wave’ without it.

There are so many layers I adore here. Loved the twist on the camel and black pairing, as well as the update on dress over pants – one of my eternal favourites thanks to my dear friend Sarah, who did it first. Those of you unfamiliar with the intricacies of saris will not get this, but to pair a traditional plain cotton summer sari over wool pants is just pure innovation. Va, va.

A print I could get attached to. And is that the perfect shade of pink? Sari by Puja Arya.

Looooove the idea of lycra sleeves for a sari blouse. Liberating!

A sari + shirt collar. Still processing this.

Kindred spirits – one of my fave pieces from my friend Satya Paul’s collection. This look might be one of my top ones for the season. The jacket is Peter Pilotto and the shirt, Hermes. I could study it for ages.

A wild pairing - sari by Kiran Uttam Ghosh + leopard prints by Dolce and Gabbana.

Images courtesy of TFS.

Déjà Vu: Vibrant Women

When I saw the cover of the June issue of Vanity Fair, Spain, I had another déjà vu.

Salma, amongst jewel tones on the cover of Vanity Fair Spain, June 2010.

It reminded me so much of a favourite photo of Frida Kahlo that has graced my bookshelf for years.

Frida watches over me as I type this.

Frida, Coyoacán, 1939. Photographed by Nickolas Muray.

Given Ms. Hayek’s obsession with all things Frida, this is no coincidence.

The same hues of turquoise and fuchsia appear in both images, albeit reversed. The constant dance between head and heart are suggested with each woman’s hand placement. While Salma wears a modern dress vs. Ms. Kahlo’s traditional Mexican robes, the drapery is echoed and the rosettes in Kahlo’s hair show up around Hayek’s neckline.

And the parrot? An homage to another one of Frida’s famous paintings…

Me and My Parrots by Frida Kahlo 1941

Vibrant.

Frida painting from About.com. VF cover courtesy of magxone. Postcard image by Nickolas Muray, scanned by me.

Saved by Who Else, a Supermodel

Darling readers, I’ve been in a fashion funk lately.  

I wanted to get off the merry-go-round for a while. 

Well, leave it to one of the Supes to save me. 

I couldn’t help but share this darling cover of our friend Christy. Ms. Turlington (or Mrs. Burns) has such a timeless quality about her and at 40, she looks even more divine than she did in the ’90s. 

The one and only Christy, Vogue Italia July 2010 by Steven Meisel

Here’s a look behind the scenes at the photo shoot. 

 

I’ll  have more for you soon…slowly starting to make my way back from the sartorial haze.

(And don’t think for a minute that I haven’t been following the collections – just letting them marinate for a bit.)

Summer Splash

Summer is a tough time for mags – issues are thinner than the models, so they have to do something to catch our fickle attention at the stands.

I thought the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Spain was a simple idea, executed well – a nice, clean cover that had me at the flippers…

Harper's Bazaar Spain July/August 2010

Actually, the whole editorial of Tanya Dziahileva as captured by Nico is striking. Here are a few sample images.

Suddenly, I am yearning for an ocean…

Mmm...palm trees and warm sand. Great suit by Eres, too.

Forget highlights, get sunlights this summer.

Mesh-merizing

A kiss or three of captivating colour!

Images courtesy of TFS.

India, Immodest

Remember when a kissing scene in Indian cinema meant a couple barely holding hands in Switzerland and then in a sweeping change of clothes (within the same song sequence, of course) they were married – never mind the in-between?

In an effort to keep up with the bête of the West, the Motherland has shed her modesty these days.

The Bolly Dollies are getting über-competitive. Bips and John thought they’d be the first to have a bedded and besharam cover.

With all this uncovering on mag covers both east and west, these celebs will soon have to start putting clothes on to get noticed at the mag stands!

Bipasha Basu, with boyfriend IRL, John Abraham.

Mag Rack: A little ditty about Karl and Diane…

The love fest between Karl Lagerfeld and Diane Kruger continues…

Uncle Karl photographed the actress. former model and compatriot for the April issue of Vogue Germany (of course).

Diane Krueger by Karl Lagerfeld Vogue Germany, April 2010

The top hat shot is tops with me.

All photos by Karl Lagerfeld, courtesy of German Vogue.