Letting fashion out of it's gilded cage and into the real world

Vogue Italia's April 2014 Issue

Vogue Italia's April 2014 Issue

VICE Magazine, There Will Be Blood 2012

VICE Magazine, There Will Be Blood 2012

VICE Magazine, There Will Be Blood 2012

VICE Magazine, There Will Be Blood 2012

VICE Magazine, There Will Be Blood 2012

This week in fashion news, there was quite the scandal over a certain Vogue cover. No not THAT cover  (I am sorry Kimye your 5 minutes is over), but Vogue Italia and their editorial spread, photographed by Steven Meisel. Entitled Horror Story, amidst the fine silks and next season's finest, it seemed to depict a scene of domestic violence. The over all reaction was that Fashion had no place to comment on issues such as violence against women. The Internet was outraged at Vogue Italia's editor Franca Sozzani, for even attempting to portray a real-life subject.
However what was more shocking to me was people's, perhaps, narrow-minded view that everything has a box and that is where it should remain. There is no room for mixing an idea as frivolous as fashion with that of real life issues and world problems. It is to say that fashion should be portrayed only in glamorous settings and around beautiful things.
I on the other hand find it thought provoking and I can't see what is so taboo about the whole thing. I for one am sick of some people considering those who either work in fashion or have an interest in fashion to be less intelligent, or to have a less valid profession than some let's say in the "real" world. Shunned as air headed and image obsessed, to say that Sozzani had no place in addressing Domestic Violence is to only reinforce these preconceived ideas.
VICE Magazine is another publication which has been deemed controversial for it's graphic and, according to some, out of place commentaries on real life. Take for instance the photo shoot above. Instantly shocking, the idea of portraying the female menstrual cycle was stepping over the line for some, but I say what is taboo about addressing something as natural as the female capacity to create life. Again the idea goes back stimulating the brain, to get us thinking rather just flicking from one pretty, seemingly perfect object to the next and in a society that is more obsessed than ever with the surface appearance, I say maybe we need a little provocation.

What are your thoughts?

Fifty shades of NY Fashion Week

                                                                    
                                                                  BCBG Max Azria

ALL PHOTOS FROM VOGUE.IT

 This is my favourite show so far of Spring/Summer 2013 New York Fashion Week. I particularly like the use of lace, leather and the harness straps on each of the dresses. The look is urban, feminine and fetish all at the same time.
The harness element immediately seems a reference to, book of the moment Fifty shades..., however Helmut Newton has been cited as inspiration. The colour palette of mutued neutrals and black detailing is a welcome break from the sugar coated tones of Summer 2012. It feels fresh !
Lengths were long but with high splits and the delicate lace and sheer fabrics revealed moments of bare flesh.

I like this collection so much because its equal parts feminine and sexy.

Thats all for now,
Let me know your thoughts,
Dani x

The Discipline of Fashion

I wanted to share with you Vogue Italia's September 2011 cover shoot with Stella Tennant and photographed by Steven Meisel. The front cover featured an unsettling image of Tennant, styled by Karl Templer, with a face full of piercings and a waist resembling the size of a neck.

Click now for more

Belle Vere : True Beauty

With summer well and truly upon us, there is no getting away from the fact that it is bikini season. Temperatures are rising and its time to bear some skin. Us ladies tend to get a little self concious around this time of year as we have to bare all. We worry about our lumps and bumps, as we examine ourselves in mirrors through exaggerated glasses. If  your like me and you devour fashion magazines on a monthly basis you are surely familiar with the glossy images of seemingly perfect models. Ok so we all know that they have been airbrushed to perfection however sometimes its hard not to compare yourself to the 14 year old clothes hangers in Vogue.

Thats why Vogue Italia's June spread came as a surprise to me last month. The theme was Belle Vere (True Beauty) and featured the plus size models Tara Lynn, Candice Huffine and Robyn Lawley on the cover of Vogue, photographed by Steven Meisel.

This got me thinking to the representation of beauty in 2011. Fashion tends to worship the skinny minnies. What about the former sexbombs of the 1950's and 1960's like Sophia Loren and Marylin Monroe. They represent the ideal of their time. Today who can we say represents the real woman. I nominate Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes. Scarlett is the face of Dolce & Gabbana The One perfume while Eva has done some seriously sexy ads for Calvin Klein!

As fashion follower/blogger I can understand that some girls are born 6ft tall and are naturally skinny, however others are not. Fashion should use all types of girls not just the skinny tall ones. After all fashion followers come in all sizes. Let me know your thoughts on Belle Vere? Will fashion we forever dominated by the skinny minnies???
You can read more at http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2011/06/belle-vere