Photos: plasticdisorder, thefashioncave

“In 90 years, we haven’t changed the mood of the magazine. It’s still very audacious. It’s still about beauty. It’s still about excess. It’s still very avant-garde. When we started to do the research, we discovered the same mood in the past, so we are very happy to feel that we are still looking like the iconic Vogue of Newton and Guy Bourdin. We try to be sophisticated, while a little on the edge all the time. But what I can see is that now, the censoring is bigger than it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago. I think we have less freedom. Today some pictures would not even be publishable. It’s not just about the nudity, but when you talk about things politically, the military, kids, it would all be politically incorrect and not publishable today.” Source

See Roitfeld’s riveting “Bal Masque” editorial, shot by Mert & Marcus and featuring more Lara plus Freja Beha Erichsen, Crystal Renn, Daphne Groeneveld and Mariacarla Boscono below.

See the rest at FashionGoneRogue

Roitfeld’s comments about censorship do seem valid – and especially so in American publications. The temperament of reader (viewers) these days doesn’t seem to tolerate political and social irony very well at all – at least not in a fashion magazine.

Naomi Campbell is featured on the cover of Interview magazine’s October 2010 issue. And despite the fact that the cover plainly states the title of her feature as “A Controversial Life” the reactions to the dark and bloody spread inside have often been of the “this won’t do anything for her reputation” variety. Sigh…

See the rest at FashionGoneRogue

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It’s the sweetest time of year: the warmth and fancy-free stance of summertime, with the romance of fall steadily dawning. Pre-fall inspires the sort of nostalgia that makes one want to tour hometown haunts and dig up old Easter clothes from mom’s basement.

Photographed by Leon Dale, www.leondale.com; Styled by Eighty Jane, www.eightyjane.com; Models: Sable Simone, Kelsi Holt, Kola Champagne, and Heidi Hypnotique.

W September 2010: Triple gatefold cover shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, which features eight up-and-coming actresses — Kat Dennings, Jessica Chastain, Yaya DaCosta, Greta Gerwig, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Roberts and Zoë Kravitz

September is the most anticipated month/issue for all fashion mags, but for the revamped W the anticipation has been about much more than counting ad pages and fawning over fall pictorials. The issue is the official debut by new EIC Stefano Tonchi, who left T magazine to take post at the floundering big book. The move has been fodder industry news and gossip for months and at the first glimpse of the makeover the sneers and jeers have started to roll in (and some praise too). Knowing what a stir his career moves was causing, Tonchi aptly named the cover story “Great Expectations” in pre-response to all the hullaballoo.

“I wanted to have some self-irony, because there are so many expectations about what this W will be, so it refers to these eight great new girls, but also to the pressure that we feel to satisfy the expectations that people have for the magazine.”

“It’s more about fashion in the context of contemporary culture, and that’s really the definition that I like to use,” he says. “At the end, everything we look at is in the key of style, and that’s why I defined the content of the magazine as the who, the what, the where, the when, the why in the world of style.”
Source

Get a closer look at the cover shots in the gallery below.
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One major complaint from fashion purists is that the cover recalls Vanity Fair‘s annual Hollywood issue, which portends that the magazine is moving in the direction of more glam, less garment. Tonchi & team’s choices, however, are definitely more reflective of what’s next, rather than what’s now – which, after all, should be part of the work of a fashion editor. In addition, putting former ANTM contestant Yaya DaCosta on a cover is a ballsy move in an environment that just loves to look down it’s nose at the Tyra Banks empire. VF’s 2010 “New Hollywood” covers girls are seen below. Chances are you’ll recognize these faces much more readily than those on the W cover.

See more shots & read about the 8 new “it” girls at wmagazine.com.

photos: thefashionspot.com, vanityfair.com, wmagazine.com

Lara Stone has been a lightning rod in the hoards of otherwise bland and forgetful fashion models. Not only has she actual womanly curves (gasp!) she is pretty much constantly naked and her Vogue Paris spread by Steven Klein caused a big silly mess because she was shot with dark makeup on that make her look like she had brown skin (she looked great!). It’s been done before, but for some reason people insisted on getting on huffy for this one. Whatever.

Now Stone is appearing on the cover Interview magazine with a snake wrapped round her neck. Not such a big deal (although some of the more uptight bible thumpers might hate it). The photo that might draw a yikes, though, is inside the mag. It’s one in which the model has a roped tied around her neck. Now, in usual times it would read with some freaky bondage under(or over)tones and that would be the end of it. But – and I really cringe to make the parallel – one of the industry’s brightest stars has recently hung himself. Am I the only one that thinks the timing might be a little awkward? I’d hate to think that death is becoming fashionable…

See the NSFW photos at HERE.

I’m having a really hard time believing that these joints would be flattering on the average jane’s body. Frankly, they don’t even look great on the model… maybe it’s the styling. Of course, American Apparel ads are better known for the at-times-creepy sexual angle, not for being especially stylish.

At any rate the pants help to certify the return of 70s fashion, which has been brewing for the past several seasons and has now officially (and explicitly) entered the mainstream. I, for one, am happy for it to put the 80s and mod revival to bed at last! But these pants… eep. Definitely not my favorite point in the return of the disco era. Amber Rose wore them decently well last year, but she’s not exactly a style role model of mine. But the seventies weren’t exactly about modesty, so Mrs Kanye is right on target.

When the note for Kate Couric’s March Harper’s Bazaar spread hit my inbox I yawned, thinking “oh good, another Good Housekeeping photoshoot for me to ignore.” I love it when my cynicism is dead wrong. To my very pleasant surprise Couric is every bit the high fashion diva – looking both age and station-appropriate in sexy fitted blazer and Louboutin pumps. The short hair was an excellent style choice for her. Tres Chic! See some behind-the-scenes action in the video below.

In other news, Kate Moss is on the cover of this issue… YAWN.

Vist Harpersbazaar.com to read the interview with the very first female evening news anchor. Go ‘head Katie!