Compulsive Viewing

Vogue Italia brings out the closet home shopper in us all with a satirical tongue-in-cheek editorial for the January 2012 issue featuring a cast of established models. Steven Meisel shoots Joan Smalls, Sigrid Agren, Natasha Poly, Daria Strokous, Caroline Trentini, Karlie Kloss and Gertrud Hegelund in the Spring/Summer 2012 collections from Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Versace and others. The juxtaposition of the screen blurbs, the plastic fantastic QVC presenters and the straight off the runway garments injects this editorial with a dose humour that is so bad it's good.

Sigrid Agren, Joan Smalls, Natasha Poly, Daria Strokous,
& Caroline Trentini
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Gertrud Hegelund & Karlie Kloss
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Sigrid Agren, Daria Strokous & Natasha Poly
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Joan Smalls & Caroline Trentini
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Caroline Trentini, Karlie Kloss & Daria Strokous
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Joan Smalls & Natasha Poly
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Joan Smalls & Natasha Poly
Vogue Italia - January 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Givenchy's Next Move

Riccardo Tisci continues to enthral with his latest ten piece couture collection for Givenchy featuring an inspired cast of models. It takes a unique group of women to be able to pull off the studded nose rings and wreath-like hoop earrings which adorned the model's faces. Veteran models Kristen McMenamy, Stella Tenant and Ana Claudia Michels are joined by current top models Joan Smalls, Natasha Poly, Saskia de Brauw, Valerija Kelava and Daria Strokous, alongside relative newcomers Zuzanna Bijoch and Kati Nescher. Set in what looks to be a school gym with basket ball equipment, the models look nothing short of sensational in the contrasting surrounds. 

Team Play
Givenchy - S/S 2012

Stella Tenant

Saskia de Brauw

Ana Claudia Michels

Joan Smalls

Kati Nescher

Valerija Kelava

Daria Strokous

Zuzanna Bijoch

Natasha Poly

Kristen McMenamy
Givenchy - S/S 2012
Images courtesy of Givenchy
Source - style.com

Playing it Safe

As the big name campaigns begin to emerge, it appears that designers are relying on established faces to draw in consumers. Gisele Bundchen flaunts her trademark sass appeal for Versace and Givenchy whilst fellow Brazilian turns it out in Haiti for Donna Karan. Natasha Poly is one of the boys for DSquared2 whilst iconic Italian model Maria Carla Boscono embodies the very spirit of Yves Saint Laurent and doubles up for Givenchy. Age and experience appear to be a major draw card with each of the aforementioned models having been in the modelling game for more than a decade. The exception to the rule is Prada who assemble an eclectic cast of recognisable faces alongside new recruits. Natasha Poly and blasts from the past - Elise Crombez and Meghan Collison, join newcomers Katryn Kruger and Kati Nescher for its gas guzzling hotrod themed campaign. 

Maria Carla Boscono
Yves Saint Laurent - S/S 2012
Photographer - David Sims

Maria Carla Boscono
Yves Saint Laurent - S/S 2012
Photographer - David Sims
Source - models.com

Adriana LIma
Donna Karan - S/S 2012
Photographer - Russell James
Source - nymag.com

Adriana Lima
Donna Karan - S/S 2012
Photographer - Russell James

Adriana Lima
Donna Karan - S/S 2012
Photographer - Russell James
Source - models.com

Gisele Bundchen
Versace-  S/S 2012
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - models.com

Chris Moore, Gisele Bundchen & Simone Nobili
Givenchy - S/S 2012
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Maria Carla Boscono, Simone Nobili & Chris Moore
Givenchy - S/S 2012
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Natasha Poly, Dmitriy Tanner, Matt Woodhouse,
Paolo Anchisi & Ton Heukels
DSquared2 - S/S 2012
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - models.com

Ymre Stiekema & Katryn Kruger
Prada - S/S 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel

Kati Nescher & Meghan Collison
Prada - S/S 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel

Natasha Poly & Elise Crombez
Prada - S/S 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

A Matter of Principle

Photographic duo Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin have released a photographic retrospective of their greatest work to date through Taschen, entitled "Pretty Much Everything". The hefty monograph consists of two volumes, featuring 666 photographs from their work for publications including Paris Vogue, V Magazine, various art projects, and from campaigns for the likes of Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent.

Van Lamsweerde and Matadin are well-known for their steadfast loyalty towards a motley crew of models including Kate Moss, Guinevere Van Seenus, Raquel Zimmermann and Daria Werbowry amongst others. Of particular interest is the duo's  policy of not photographing models under the age of 18. In an interview with style.com, the pair outline the reasons behind their age conscious decision.

IVL: We saw this happen to so many models, especially with girls. They start at 14 and everyone says to them "Wow, you're incredible. You're so skinny. You look like a boy." And once that girl is 18 and she is finished growing, all of a sudden it was like, "Oh, she's fat."The poor girl. She's just growing. We felt it was unethical to support that. You get judged anyway and it's not easy. You have to really know who you are first. And at such a tender age - between 14 and 18 - you're figuring out who you are.

Style.com: But also I love seeing these girls like Malgosia who get older and just get better.

IVL: Yeah, more beautiful and more interesting. And as they grow, we grow with them. You never get bored of shooting someone that has made an interesting life for herself. What's exciting for us is when someone is not afraid to be someone else, and it takes character to be able to do that.

With the modelling industry's cast away attitude to last season's faces, I have complete admiration for Van Lamsweerde and Matadin's nurturing and principled approach towards their models. The images featured below from the CFDA Journal, illustrate the duo's ability to magically capture each model as a human being rather than an empty vessel ready to be discarded at whim.

Guinevere Van Seenus

Jamie Bochert

Anne Vyalitsyna

Isabeli Fontana

Doutzen Kroes

Dree Hemingway

Candice Swanepoel

Arizona Muse

Raquel Zimmermann

Freja Beha Erichsen

Anja Rubik

Natasha Poly
CFDA Journal Portraits 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - inezandvinoodh.tumblr.com

A Fine Line

Was it only a year ago that Karl Lagerfeld's artful imagery set a new standard for the traditionally risqué Pirelli calendar? This year Pirelli returns to its provocative roots, enlisting the talents of photographer Mario Sorrenti, who is well-known for creating sensual images for Paris Vogue, V Magazine and Purple. Amongst this year's alumni are models Kate Moss, Lara Stone, Joan Smalls, Isabeli Fontana, Saskia de Brauw, Malgolsia Bela, Edita Vilkevicuite, Natasha Poly, and Guinevere Van Seenus. Actresses Rinko Kikuchi, Magareth Made and Milla Jovovich also disrobe for Sorrenti amongst the beautiful remote landscape of Murtoli in Corsica. 

Of his approach for the Pirelli shoot, Sorrenti reveals to WWD, "You know, originally, I was going to do very sexy pictures, and when we got there I realised that I didn't want the pictures to be sexy at all... I didn't want them to be posing and arching and like sticking their boobs in my face or anything like that." Sorrenti, a former model himself, explains his approach to nudity in an interview with Glenn O'Brien at the Pirelli calendar press release, "I always thought about taking off clothes as a way of getting closer to the individual and the person, and of getting something that was more honest and pure."   

Joan Smalls

Joan Smalls

Edita Vilkevicuite

Lara Stone

Saskia de Brauw

Isabeli Fontana

Guinevere Van Seenus

Saskia de Brauw

Edita Vilkevicuite

Isabeli Fontana

Rinko Kikuchi

Natasha Poly

Kate Moss

Guinevere Van Seenus

Malgosia Bela
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti
Source - fashionista.com