Okay, for those of you who are looking for a political diary this isn't it. For those of you who don't give a hoot about fashion or fashion photography suggest you "git on down" the blogroll.
But if there are any Kossaks who pay the slighest bit of attention to Vogue and style - read on.
Today's NYT's Fashion and Style section features an article Conspicuous by Their Presence
discussing the new issue of Italian Vogue inspired by Barack Obama.
Under its editor, Franca Sozzani, Italian Vogue has gained a reputation for being more about art and ideas than commerce. Ms. Sozzani also doesn’t mind controversy.
She said that, as an Italian, she has been intrigued by the American presidential race and Mr. Obama, which was one source of inspiration when she and Mr. Meisel began discussing, in February, the idea of an all-black issue. Also, she was aware of the lack of diversity on the runways in recent years and the debate it fueled last fall in New York, where Bethann Hardison, a former model who ran a successful agency, held two panel discussions on the topic.
Sozzani has hired reknowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel to shoot an all black issue, using models who range in color from ecru, and beige, to toffee and dark chocolate.
As a young art student I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY and wanted to work in the world of fashion. I modelled a bit as well, but there were few openings for black models in High Fashion and even less of a chance for my dreams of becoming an illustrator so my life moved on.
The article discusses this history:
RACIAL prejudice in the fashion industry has long persisted because of tokenism and lookism. "We already have our black girl," says a designer to a fashion-show casting agent, declining to see others. Or: "She doesn’t have the right look." Laziness, paranoia and pedantry may also have something to do with the failure to hire black models for shows and magazine features in any meaningful number, but, hey, that’s just a guess.
On the Runway: Beauty and Soul (June 18, 2008) A decade ago the thing to deplore was the stereotyping of black models by dressing them in African-inspired clothes (or the Asian girls in kimonos). This at least gave work to minority models, but it also encouraged a Western view of African culture of the many-bangles-many-beads variety.
O.K., so fashion ain’t deep. It looks into a mirror and sees ... itself. The irony in fashion is that it loves change but it can’t actually change anything. It can only reflect a change in the air. But what changes fashion? What would finally move American designers to include more black models on their runways? That 30 percent of the country is nonwhite? That black women spend $20 billion a year on clothes? That an African-American is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party?
The answer is the individual eye.
An odd admission for a feminist, but I do still look at fashion mags - I enjoy the photography, fabrics, colors and textures. My own fashion choices are mundane; jeans and turtlenecks in the winters, jeans and tee shirts in the summers, and my budget would never allow for any of the high priced fripperies touted in mags like Vogue, nor do I approve of the increasingly anorexic appearance of today's models.
Meisel has decided to include a full-figured woman in the group (it's a start)
He began casting in March. "I love the history of fashion, obviously, and I love old, and I tried to get as many of the older girls as I could," he said. Over Ms. Sozzani’s initial objections, he also hired Toccara Jones, a full-figure model, who became known from "America’s Next Top Model." "I wanted to say something about weight, and I’m never allowed to do that," he said. "I met Toccara and thought, she’s beautiful. What’s the deal with her? She’s great and she’s sexy."
I am pleased to see that the beauty of women of color is going to be celebrated in Italian Vogue, and perhaps our chance at having a gorgeous black First Lady in the White House won't be too far behind; Michelle Obama manages to have style and grace at Target prices. Hope to see her on a cover.
Take a look at some of the pics here:
Slide Show - Beautiful is Beautiful