Showing posts with label models. Show all posts
Showing posts with label models. Show all posts
Vintage W Magazine Spread: Spring Break
Before it became just another "celebrity in pretty clothes" monthly, W Magazine used to feature some amazing editorial work. This one was shot by Bruce Weber and features the once in demand Gerren Taylor and a model I haven't seen a lot of lately, Jaunel McKenzie. Enjoy! Thank you Rubydon for unearthing these photos :) This has got to be one of my all-time favorites!
Editorial: Spring Break
Magazine: W Magazine April 2004
Models: Jaunel McKenzie, Jessica White, Gerren Taylor, Payton Champage, Natassia Schmeidt, Victoria Brito
Models: Jaunel McKenzie, Jessica White, Gerren Taylor, Payton Champage, Natassia Schmeidt, Victoria Brito
Models With Natural Hair: Fayruz Abdiaman
I just love her haircut. I think this particular shape is so versatile. Fayruz is signed with Sutherland Models in Toronto.
Model Turned Writer Jessica White
Like Veronica Webb and Naomi Campbell before her, Sports Illustrated favorite Jessica White has written a book. She spoke candidly about it this week while celebrating her birthday this Monday at The Gates. White confirmed that the yet untitled work is a coming of age story about a girl who has been sexually abused and that the story is semi-autobiographical. No word on if White has found a publisher or if she plans to self-publish but the model has plans to turn the work into a screenplay.
S: The NY Daily News
The Row Creative Director Finds "Strong Black Woman" for Lookbook
From COACD
The Row's new Creative Director Alex Hawgood asked COACD to be involved in their latest look book. They wanted a strong black women....naturally Ataui Deng at Trump was given. Photos by Daniel King.
Not to detract from Ataui Deng's obvious beauty but I find myself bristling at terms like "strong black woman" being thrown around by creative directors. For one, what does that even mean? In my view it certainly isn't a particular look. This quote really makes me wonder who the other models up for consideration for this gig were.
s: kahlilg/tfs
Ariel Meredith - Marie Claire - July 2009 Editorial
The current issue of Marie Claire (Cameron Diaz on the cover) is more bland than a bag of grass clippings but I this is the second 2009 issue that has had a multi-page spread featuring a solo black model.
The Costume Insitute Gala 2009: The Model as Muse
Sadly, there was no Naomi this year because of the Azzedine Alaïa boycott but there were still plenty of pretty brown folk in attendance.
Alek Wek was a stunner in her brightly colored cocktail dress and Iman was glamourous as usual (even though I feel like I've seen this style of dress on her a hundred times before.) Ciara went the demure route which was fine (but a bit dull in my opinion.) Tyra's hair reminds me of a cinnamon roll, Kanye and Amber were all smiles and while I generally love her look, I think her dress looks a little too snug. Meanwhile post-Chris Rihanna bit Janelle Monae's look hard. Andre Leon Talley? Well he and his massive tunic were there too.
I'm still looking for pics of Joy Bryant, Kerry Washington, Liya Kebede, Arlenis Sosa, and Halle Berry.
ETA: Joy, Rachel Roy, Kerry Washington, Karen Alexander, Liya, Sessilee Lopez, and Arlenis added!
ETA2: Jourdan Dunn
s: Lipstick Alley, TFS, Filmmagic, Getty
Diandra Forrest and Shaun Ross
S: Nunu111/TFS
Shawn Ross and Diandra Forrest for Osklen. I wrote about Diandra earlier this year. She didn't get any bookings during NY Fashion Week aside from the Arise show, so it's nice to see her still working. Likewise, Shaun Ross appeared on the runway for only one designer this year and spoke to NY Magazine in February about the challenges he has faced as a albino and a model. The ads do reek of tokenism but I can't help but admire how beautiful the two models look together here.
DSquared2 Eyewear Ad (Tyson Beckford and Linda Evangelista)
I don't usually have much to say about male models but this eye wear ad from DSquared2 really demands some special attention doesn't it?
There's been a lot written about the tendency of some in the industry to fetishize and glamourize violence against women in fashion. While it may be easier for some to write off ads that depict women fighting each other (as in DS2's clothing ads with Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista,) adding a man to the mix changes the tone abruptly.
I mean, I don't even know what to say about this one except, what was everyone involved thinking? I look at DS2's "sexy" domestic violence and wonder what the target audience is. I guess being controversial for the sake of being controversial is the low budget way of generating press in a bad economy.
On Other Blogs....
Ariel Meredith struts in the Barbie show during NY Fashion Week
Jezebel lists the figures on how many models of color were represented on the runway during New York Fashion Week:
There were 116 labels that held shows at the recently ended New York fashion week; that's 3,697 spots in runway and presentation lineups. Of those, 668 were given to models of color — which, at just over 18%, is 6% better than one year ago. (And certainly better than in the fall of 2007, when WWD reported that one-third of the New York shows used no models of color at all.)
...
There were 7 shows that had no models of color at all. Those designers were: Altuzarra, Davidelfin, Jenni Kayne, Julian Louie, Koi Suwannagate, Temperley London, Vera Wang Lavender Label.
And there were 19 shows that had some models of color, but no black models. They were: Alexandre Herchcovitz, Behnaz Sarafpour, Costello Tagliapietra, Erin Fetherston, Halston, Marchesa, Max Azria, Milly, Miss Sixty, Monique Lhuillier, Nicole Miller, Philosophy, Reem Acra, Tibi, TSE, United Bamboo, Vena Cava, VPL, Vivienne Tam.
Legend: Yellow = Black models/ Red = Asian models/ Blue = Latina models / Green= Other ethnicities
The biggest winners (in terms of numbers of shows booked) contain the expected names: Sessilee Lopez and Jourdan Dunn*. Each appeared in 20+ shows while Arlenis Sosa's number was in the teens. Also spotted on multiple runways were Chanel Iman, Wakeema Hollis, Sessilee Lopez, Gracie Carvalho, Kinee Diouf, Georgie Baddiel, Mia Aminata Niaria, Ubah Hassan, Shelby Coleman, and Ataui Deng. One notable, 17 year old Lyndsey Scott (represented by Click) made a splash when she became the first woman of color to score an exclusive for Calvin Klein.
The rest of the article is here
*Edited to correct bad numbers on my part. It was Sessilee Lopez (and not Chanel Iman as I originally printed) who scored 20+ shows. Thanks to a careful reader for pointing out my mistake.
The Vagaries of Fashion - Italian Vogue
The good news: Vogue Italia used another black model in an editorials.
The bad news: She's just an unnamed prop in a decadent multipage editorial featuring white model Anja Rubik.
This is yet another example of how people of color can occupy the same space as white subject but not the same status. When I look at this photo, all I see is the maid. In contrast, all she sees is her employer, eagerly waiting for the next order. It's almost as if the photographer (Miles Aldridge) decided to flip the script on the more common 'white woman in Africa' imagery and instead drop a brown person into a white person's world. Unfortunately, in this case, the brown woman is still just window dressing.
I would go on about this but I think I'd just be repeating myself and to be honest, the ladies over at Threadbared said much more succinctly in fantastic post titled "Background Color" that appeared on their blog last year.
Perhaps a better title for this spread would have been "The Vulgarities of Fashion."
Source (and remainder of photos) here.
Perhaps a better title for this spread would have been "The Vulgarities of Fashion."
Source (and remainder of photos) here.
Model of the Moment: Diandra Forrest
One new model that is causing a lot of tongues to wag on message boards is Diandra Forrest. Discovered by Shameer Kahn who said of her:
It was a couple of months ago when I first met Diandra. She was walking down 34th street and I took one look at her and was like "Wow... That girl is beautiful!" She was moving soooo fast and I was not going to let this one slip by! So I finally caught up with her and spoke to her about modeling and she was very interested. We met up a lot of times after that and then I started to take pictures of her as often as we can. There was something specific that I wanted to do with her because I knew she was a special girl and we both worked towards achieving that. I finally presented her to agencies when she was ready to be revealed, and it was such a pleasure for me to finally share this precious diamond that I have been keeping under the radar. I am proud to say that Diandra is now signed to Elite.
There's a certain "ick" factor to what he says there, at least in my reading. I especially don't like the part where he speaks of her being "revealed" to agencies like she's some exotic bird.
Generally speaking, the depiction of albinos in the media hasn't been very positive. Chances are that if a movie has an albino character, that person is usually the bad guy or something not quite human and witchy.
This is not to say that the woman is not striking. She has truly beautiful features that have nothing to do with her skin color. If she were brown skinned and this beautiful, I wonder if Kahn would have walked right by her without a second glance.
That said, I think she photographs beautifully and I sincerely hope that she's just not used as this season's latest runway gimmick next season. I hope that her presence will change, if even just a little bit, the average person's perception of albinism and beauty. Most of all my hope for her is that she gets to work with designers and photographers that will see her for more than just an "interesting contrast shot" and book her because she's a lovely model and not just to exploit her looks in the same manner that some very dark skinned black models have been exploited.
Opinions?
source: TFS, Elite
CNN - Obama girl "look-alike" model in spotlight
S: Daylife, Viewimages
Apparently, Madison Avenue has discovered that regular old brown skinned black girls are cute. Jezebel reported earlier this week that ad agencies are scrambling to find Sasha and Malia look-alikes of a specific age and ethnicity (what does THAT mean, I wonder) to cast in commercials and print ads.
According to branding expert David Rogers the reason for this is simple:
"The most visible, most exciting family in America is this beautiful black family and so people are ready and looking for those kinds of images," says branding expert David Rogers, adding that a lot of Americans want to identify and, "find some sort of connection with this family."
Now CNN reports that 6 year old Brooklynite Ariel Binns who "looks remarkably like First Daughter Sasha Obama" is cleaning up at casting sessions. If you'll recall, the first-grader was cast as a Sasha stand-in for the Harper's Bazaar shoot with Tyra Banks late last year.
There's no denying that little Ariel is adorable and personally, I am all for more brown skinned little girls being cast in advertisements. I've noticed frequently over the years that any ad with a black family usually has the parents toting around racially ambiguous children with them, especially little girls. Sweet face little girls with blondish ringlets are cute but so are girls with kinkier afro puffs and braids.
Other than being small, cute and brown, I don't think this child is not a ringer for Sasha at all. What do you think? Is the "Obama Effect" on pop culture just temporary or will it actually change the way many Americans view black families?
Ubah Hassan for Ralph Lauren S/S 2009
S: scanned by Luxx/TFS
The Somalian beauty's career has been taking off since the travel restrictions on her Canadian residency were lifted in 2007. Once that was out of the way she signed with Click and within a month of living in New York she got a call informing her that she was chosen to be part of last July's "black" issue of Italian Vogue. In a Glamour UK interview she remarked:
I still hate the word refugee. It’s associated with being a victim and I certainly don’t feel like a victim. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect my career. For example, I couldn’t take part in Paris Fashion Week because I have no passport or birth certificate. I have residential status in Canada, but travel visas take up to two weeks to come through. But I’m just glad I’m able to make a living. My dad is so proud of me. There is still sadness in his eyes. I often want to tell him that he did his best, and though all the constant upheavals have been painful, none of it is his fault. At least we can get on with living again now. I often think people take freedom too lightly. Being able to pop across to another country for a holiday or go shopping for shoes are things I never take for granted.
I’ve often thought about returning to Somalia but I’m terrified of what I might find. Right now, the best thing I can do is draw attention to the country’s plight. And I hope that my example will give women from other war-torn countries some hope, and go some way to halt prejudices against asylum seekers. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel like the luckiest person on earth. I’m earning my own wage, living a happy life, traveling the world and meeting extraordinary people every day. I was given that chance. Some people might say that fashion is a shallow, frivolous business. You’ll never hear that from me.
Allure - February 2009 - "Busy Signals" - Sessilee Lopez
I get really tired of seeing this same drab background used in editorial after editorial in American fashion magazines, but I do enjoy seeing Sessilee get more work. I especially like the styling here.
source: Major Models
Liya Kebede & Jourdan Dunn - Vogue - Feb. 2009
"It's a Madcap World" - Photographed by Steven Meisel
source: Sansartifice
source: Sansartifice
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