“My feeling is that for years now it has taken a much too big part in how women are being visually defined today. Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.”
— Fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh on the overuse of retouching in fashion photography, such that cover models begin to look like "objects from Mars." To see the amazing Dove Real Beauty ad that shows just how much Photoshop can transform someone, read more
>> In the March 2008 issue of Vogue, premier retoucher of fashion photographs, Pascal Dangin, tweaked a total of 144 images, from ads to editorial spreads, and in The September Issue, which focuses on the making of Vogue's September 2007 issue, Anna Wintour definitely displays a reliance on retouching, asking Mario Testino to superimpose cover girl Sienna Miller's head from one shot onto her body in another shot, and requesting that a cameraman's gut from an editorial shot be diminished, to Grace Coddington's dismay: "Everybody isn't perfect in this world. It's enough that the models are perfect."
When digital manipulation programs first came into use in the early '90s, reports Eric Wilson for The New York Times, art directors originally used them to create a heightened sense of reality like images achieved through movie special effects — "hyper real" style, as former The Face art director and current Love creative director Lee Swillingham coined it — as a reaction against the images of supermodels that looked too perfect. Editors weren't suggesting the resulting look be attainable, Swillingham explains: “We were trying to create a future fashion. You could do something that looked gritty and real or something that looked like plastic.”
Now, some major photographers are pushing for less plastic, more real »
>> While the editors at Elle are making lists of what the economy has forced them to give up (bottled water, working out with a trainer) and what necessities they can't bear to part with (haircuts at Fekkai, Wolford tights, monthly facials), their counterparts at French Elle are preparing to do something novel. This week's issue, which hits newsstands Saturday, features Eva Herzigova, Inès de la Fressange, and actresses Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau, Anne Parillaud, Karin Viard, Charlotte Rampling, and Chiara Mastroianni, who all agreed to appear without any makeup or retouching. Peter Lindbergh did the honors, and inside the magazine, five more unnamed celebrities are promised.
*image: source
>> Carine Roitfeld wanted to make Lara Stone a star with her dedicated February 2009 issue of Vogue Paris — so is it working? Peter Lindbergh coaxed the man in the suit out of her, a la Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista in 1991; Nan Goldin gave her the grunge treatment; Hedi Slimane captured her glamour — and that's just the beginning. Some are disappointed with the issue, but one thing's for sure — people are talking, and it's not just the usual Lara too-much-nudity fodder. Pretty good for "a girl who under any other circumstance would have been found to be 'too big' or 'too . . . umm mature' to fit into the [modeling] standard."
Gallery is NSFW.
*image: source
>> Vogue Paris's most recent issue brought us Terry Richardon's pinup-laden 2009 calendar, and as rumored, come February we will indeed be seeing a whole lotta Lara Stone — 100-plus pages worth.
A couple of weeks ago at the Vogue Paris calendar launch party, Carine Roitfeld spilled all kinds of details about what we have to look forward to: "February is an entire issue with Lara Stone and the cover line is Et Vogue Créa Lara." The influence is Roger Vadim's 1956 Brigitte Bardot classic Et Dieu . . . créa la femme — Lara has often garned Bardot comparisons — and will include shoots by Inez van Lamsweerde, Peter Lindbergh, Hedi Slimane, Nan Goldin, and Steven Klein.
Granted, Lara is known to be one of Carine's favorite models, but fans are just happy to hear Lara speak, so why an entire issue? "Lara had almost stopped working so I decided I wanted to make her a star," the VP editor explained.
*image: source
>> Marion Cotillard's new Lady Dior handbag ad has been reminding some of Erwin Blumenfeld's iconic series of photographs that appeared in May 1939 Vogue, featuring Lisa Fonssagrives swinging from the girders of the Eiffel Tower in a Lucien Lelong dress. The only problem is, Lisa was actually being photographed on the Eiffel, whereas Marion looks like she's been photoshopped in . . . with nothing to stand on. Since this ad is only the first in a series of four done by Peter Lindbergh, maybe the photographs — or the photoshopping — will get better as they progress. Further details about the next city Marion will appear in with her bag will be revealed on LadyDior.com, which goes live later this month.
*image: source, source, source
>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's book, Influence, doesn't come out until Thursday, but The Cut got an advanced copy — an advanced look at all the interviews the Olsens conducted for the book — among their subjects are favorite designers Francisco Costa, Diane von Furstenberg, John Galliano, Christian Louboutin, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Giambattista Valli, favorite photographers Peter Lindbergh and Terry Richardson, plus pictures by Rankin of the interviewees and their work.
Needless to say the Olsens didn't leave out their favorite Karl Lagerfeld — The Cut excerpted parts of his interview, including his views on models:
KL: [N]owadays you start to model because you're young. Now the girls are sixteen, seventeen, fifteen, and Russian. They are like from another planet.
AO: They can look very bizarre!
KL: I hate all these tall women. They are all giants!
MKO: If only I were a little taller — that would make me happy!
KL: You are one meter fifty-one. You are taller than that?
AO: We're five feet and one inch.
KL: Oh, I thought my office told me that you were four-foot eight or something. Not that it matters. What you need is a face. If you have a face you don't need height or a voice. Models know this; that's why the good ones don't need to talk much.
KL: I like to work with models for a long time. Sometimes the girls change, but some girls I work with for years and years.
Enlightening, perhaps, since some think the Chanel Spring 2009 campaign will host not long-time Chanel girl Claudia Schiffer but either Heidi Mount or Russian model Sasha Pivovarova . . .
*image: source
>> Designers spend an awful lot of time projecting their fantasies onto others, so the good people at Harper's Bazaar decided it was time to turn the tables for their September 2008 issue by asking ten designers to dress up as a fantasy character. How else would you know that Karl Lagerfeld loves rap, Alber Elbaz wants to produce a James Bond spinoff movie called "Jane Bomb," and Donatella Versace wants to wake up as a princess? Well, you might have guessed about that last one . . .
*image: source
>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Kate Moss has been known to channel Brigitte Bardot in a number of editorials, most recently for August 2008 Vogue. Now, those smoky eyes and ruffled Bardot hair have appeared in Kate's first shot for Fall 2008 David Yurman. She joins Du Juan in the latest edition of a campaign that is similar season after season, but always seems to work. [Models.com]
»Rei Kawakubo has designed a red, pie-shaped shop concept that will house her Comme des Garcons for H&M collection when it comes out in early November; She also chose Peter Lindbergh to photograph Missy Rayder and others for the campaign [WWD]
»Harper's Bazaar brought a cadre of four staffers to couture, while Kate Lanphear is representing Elle alone [FWD]
»Alice Dellal nabbed a MNG Jeans campaign for Fall [Fashionista]
»Nick Knight has asked the likes of Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Naomi Campbell, and Giles Deacon to spin records live on Showstudio.com over 3 days starting July 9 [WWD]
»Karl Lagerfeld seemed to smile in approval at Kris van Assche's latest outing for Dior Homme yesterday [Guardian UK]
»Natasa Vojnovic has gone blonde (NSFW) [Supreme Being]
»Hye Rim Park did recently get married; Vogue Korea has a photo feature story [TFS]
»LVMH won a counterfeit lawsuit against eBay, so the auction site has to cough up $63.2 million [The Cut]
