Fashion can be far out. We have seen models slinking down the runway looking like gothic zombies and fashion shoots that are made out to look like they were shot in a dump site. But it seems that the Italian Vogue magazine and their new August shoot is making waves for all of the wrong reasons and by thinking that they were pushing their boundaries in their new controversial fashion shoot, they may have just stepped over the line.
The August issue of the Italian Vogue reveals a 24 page fashion shoot spread that is named “Oil and Water” and we can only guess what the theme of this fashion shoot is. Fashion supermodel Kristen McMenamy is depicted in various struggling poses, made to look as if she is slowly dying whilst being engulfed in oil.
The way the model is posed and her body language for the Vogue fashion shoot shows that she is depicting the animals that have been killed by the recent catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Many of us would expect workwear like overalls and a pair of safety shoes in this Vogue shoot but the model is dressed in a netting dress and feathers in order to emulate animals that were harmed and killed
This highly controversial Vogue fashion shoot seems to be receiving negative as well as positive reactions from UK fashion experts, designers, photographers and the international public. While some believe that it is “too soon” and the entire fashion shoot is compiled in bad taste, others are praising the photographer’s efforts, saying that this fashion photo shoot is highlighting the effect of the oil spill and the tragedy of the circumstances as well as highlighting the use of oil in many parts of the world.
This is not the first time that the Italian Vogue has been brought into the spotlight for controversial issues as recently, the editor of Vogue, Franca Sozzani, was criticized for her “All Black” issue – an edition that focused on racism in the fashion industry.
It seems that this fashion shoot is not focusing on the clothes of the designer as owing to the dark colour you are hardly able to see the clothes but you rather focus on the shock tactic of the fashion shoot and it is likely that is exactly what Italian Vogue is trying to achieve.
Here is a short clip of the Vogue fashion shoot