Topic: Franca Sozzani

Franca Sozzani Gives Speech On Thinness & Body Image At Harvard, Misses Point

Franca Sozzani Gives Speech On Thinness & Body Image At Harvard, Misses Point

Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, gave a speech at Harvard yesterday, covering eating disorders, pro-ana websites and thinness as beauty ideal. You may have noticed that in recent months, Sozzani has been an outspoken opponent of pro-ana websites, championed plus size models in a landmark issue and even pulled an image of Karlie Kloss from a Steven Meisel-lensed editorial because Kloss looked too thin. She’s also blogged extensively on matters of body image and eating disorders over at the magazine’s website.

…All the while, she’s undermined her crusade by running a fashion magazine. More »

Vogue Italia EIC Insists That Controversial “Haute Mess” Editorial Isn’t Racist

Vogue Italia EIC Insists That Controversial "Haute Mess" Editorial Isn't Racist

Trouble’s still brewing over “Haute Mess,” a controversial editorial from the March issue of Vogue Italia starring, among others, covergirl Joan Smalls, Jessica Stam, Abbey Lee and Coco Rocha. Inside, the models are styled with outsized makeup and costumes, which Vogue Italia swears is in homage to “messy drag queens.” However, many noted that the models’ wigs–coupled with fast food, pregnancy bellies, gold teeth, Colt 45 and the overall theme of trashy glitz–felt more than a little classist. If not more than a little racist… More »

Why Are Plus-Size Models Always Forced To Pose Naked?

Why Are Plus-Size Models Always Forced To Pose Naked?

It remains that plus models, used less in general and usually as a “special” feature, are featured in less clothing most of the time. Certainly, part of modeling is to look good naked; your body is your job. But in America, if they make an exception for plus, it seems they make an exception for nudity as well. Is the editor going for shock value, genuinely wanting to celebrate a full-figured beauty, or are there simply logistic issues in clothing the models when mainstream samples sized 2-4 are too small? What’s going on with all the curvy ladies going nude? More »

Manolo Blahnik Defends John Galliano, Says He Was ‘Badly Treated’ By Dior

Manolo Blahnik Defends John Galliano, Says He Was 'Badly Treated' By Dior

Fashion has a complicated relationship with bigotry, whether it’s faux-provocative blackface editorials, runway shows starring exclusively white models or cultural appropriation run amok (would you like some Mickey Rooney with your American Apparel “conical Asian hat“?). Therefore, it came as no surprise when more than a few fashion luminaries stepped forward to defend former Christian Dior creative director John Galliano in the wake of his drug and alcohol-fueled rant. More »

Italian Vogue‘s Mechanical Dolls Is The Creepiest Fashion Spread We’ve Seen In A While

Italian Vogue's Mechanical Dolls Is The Creepiest Fashion Spread We've Seen In A While
Mechanical Dolls by Tim Walker for Italian Vogue
Mechanical Dolls by Tim Walker for Italian Vogue
Mechanical Dolls by Tim Walker for Italian Vogue
Mechanical Dolls by Tim Walker for Italian Vogue
Mechanical Dolls by Tim Walker for Italian Vogue

Here at TheGloss, we firmly believe that Italian Vogue is the best Vogue. That’s do in larger part to the joint vision of EIC Franca Sozzani and fashion’s great lensman Steven Meisel. However, every now and again, Italian Vogue is especially awesome by virtue of publishing editorials that would be completely unfathomable in American Vogue (for what it’s worth, French Vogue might do something similar, but there’d be way more exposed breasts and cigarettes). Anyway, this month Tim Walker turns in Mechnical Dolls, starring Kirsi Pyrhonen & Audrey Marnay as wind-up dolls with superfluous limbs and lots of other off-putting features! It’s eerie and unsettling and oddly pretty. More »

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