She's Got Game?

From Sports Illustrated  to Vogue.  As a model in both cases, you learn to seduce through the pages - but in different ways.  Kate Upton is the latest model to be touted as having successfully crossed the border from male fantasy to high fashion, consequently exposing the fashion industry to a new body ideal (see: voluptuous). As much as I would like to agree, I'm still skeptical about whether Upton's swimwear allure translates into high fashion appeal.

The first time I saw Upton in an editorial was in Vogue's June 2013 issue.  She was, I'll admit, average. The styling portrayed her as sexy and sophisticated, but it was an editorial I easily moved on from.  Just recently, I encountered her again in Vogue's February 2014 issue, and this time around, I went from being indifferent to being underwhelmed.  Before I proceed, take a look at the photos, which were photographed by Mario Testino for a spread titled "She's Got Game":

In case you jump to conclusions, my skepticism has nothing to do with her body.  I think she has a fantastic va-va-voom figure that both men and women would love to see photographed more often. What I think she lacks, however, is a seasoned understanding of how to draw a reader in with her face, and a pose that goes beyond the standard hands-on-hips.  Looking at her face in these photos, I see a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, and an almost forced expression made all the more obvious by her energetic companions. You can't let a leaping Jimmy Fallon overshadow you, especially when you're a blonde bombshell.  I also couldn't sense any frisson of connection between her and those around her, making the reader feel just as awkward and uncomfortable as she looks in the photos.

It's tough being a model, and I don't want to give up on Upton quite yet.  But in order for me to be convinced she deserves a spot in fashion editorials, she needs to mesmerize me with her eyes, radiate her energy through the pages, and draw me into her snapshot in time of a heightened reality.  I need to desire the clothing she wears.  I need to feel like I want to be her.  I need to feel like she's owning it. 

Image Source: Vogue.com

Fame Game

With time to finally catch up on all the fashion magazine reading I've missed in the past four months, I'm here to share a spread from the October 2011 issue of Flare Magazine, titled Fame Game.  What struck me about this spread was not the model or the fashion.  In fact, I found the looks to be dull and average - your typical glamorous photoshoot.  None of the photos really made my jaw drop, but what made me linger a little bit longer on each page instead of swiftly flipping through them was the theme.  As any person familiar with the process behind putting together a fashion spread knows, a theme that ties all photos together is key.  For Fame Game, the theme was, well, climbing the oftentimes slippery ladder of fame.  Below is a look at the spread, with respective captions above each photo.

The sheer reality is that you haven't really made it until your face is plastered on a Times Square billboard.

J'adore the star spangled spotlight, but it's lonely at the top.

Dress to impress - today it's almost famous, tomorrow it's Internet sensation.

A little snakeskin and late night scandal never hurt anyone.

Overexposed and underdressed: essential elements of Youtube fame.

Piling on the fashion hits creates a magnet for the paparazzi.

A woman in traffic stopping red becomes the only woman in the room.

Generally, photos in a fashion spread all have a similar feeling, but Fame Game branches off by jet setting us all over the place.  I found the use of the billboard, Youtube interface and TV screen to be very creative, but at the same time, the spread as a whole was incoherent.  I felt like I was looking at 7 individual photos instead of an entire spread.  Even the story only loosely tied all the photos together - how did she go from being plastered on a billboard and being "at the top", to becoming a Youtube sensation?  Maybe that was the idea, to show how fame is just one big confusion.  Nonetheless, a spread about the reality of fame is an idea worth commending.  Fame may be a game, but it's a deceiving game where the winners don't always play by the rules.

Image Source: Fashion Photography, noirfacade

RSVP Fabulous

Throughout the existence of my blog, I have probably only shared two fashion magazine spreads with you.  While the majority of fashion magazines continually present us with amazing spreads month after month, there are only a handful of spreads that truly stand out for either their creativity (such as Vogue's Monster Inc.), or quite simply, their pure beauty (such as Flare's Love in a Snap).  So since you can see that I am sharing yet another fashion spread, you can be sure I'm only sharing it because it's special.  Below is a spread from the May 2011 issue of Flare, titled RSVP Fabulous.

What I love about this spread is the atmosphere they've created.  It's not your typical photoshoot with one or two models on the page; this spread actually takes the reader into an intimate party setting.  Generally, the models aren't staring at the camera, and it even seems as if they are oblivious to it.  Also, I admire the use of a bright setting, instead of your usual dark club-style scene, which makes this almost like an afternoon lunch party (albeit a very glamorous one).  Lastly, the gorgeous cocktail dresses alone are enough to make this spread a hit.  There's a wide variety of labels featured, from a H&M dress, and a beautiful blue sequin French Connection dress, to a Lanvin gown.  One word: fabulous!

Image Source: Chris Nicholls Photography

Love in a Snap

I was meaning to post this several months ago, but exams and other posts have taken precedence.  Back when I was going through the February 2011 issue of Flare, I found myself marveling at their fashion spread.  Seeing as it was the February issue, Flare had done a romance spread called Love in a Snap.  The dresses featured were just as beautiful and artistic as the background (especially the pink and black Chanel), and there was a very heart-warming, soft connection portrayed between the two models.  Here's a look at the spread:

Lisa Tant, the editor-in-chief of Flare magazine, called this her favourite romance spread of all time.  I couldn't agree more.

Image Source: LB Blog

Monsters Inc.

Whoever thought fashion was all about glamour and beauty has got to take a look at this.  I was inspired to make this post on the spread Monsters, Inc. in the September 2010 issue of Vogue by reader Yelena.  This is definitely not your everyday fashion spread:

The model is the artist himself, and what I like about this spread is how the artist's work receives just as much attention as the accessories.  As crazy as the outfits are, there's always a correlation between the outfit and the accessory.  There's no beautiful model wearing thousands of dollars worth of clothing; what you have instead is a creative mix of art and fashion, resulting in grotesque, but at the same time, unforgettable photos. 

Image Source: Monsters Inc.