On the whole, Nicole Kidman is a good cover star. Her one for Vogue Australia's May issue is still one of my favourites from her, so much so that I'm willing to put the monstrosity that was her V magazine cover to one side. That aside, she really did need to pull it out of the bag for her latest one and thankfully she did.
The actress appears on the November cover of US Harper's Bazaar glowing in a gold dress alongside cover lines that ironically say, 'Sexy & Age Appropriate' and 'The Daring Issue.' Even more ironic is the fact that the cover was shot by Terry Richardson. Considering how revealing her Mario Testino-shot V cover was, you would have thought that was more Richardson's bag but credit where credit's due, he's actually done a good job with it.
By now you've all probably seen Gwen Stefani's amazing September cover of US Harper's Bazaar (it's my favourite so far) and if you liked that, you'll be pleased to know that it doesn't end there. Yesterday the magazine released a behind-the-scenes video from the cover shoot and before you dismiss it, it's not one of those typical ones with music playing on top.
In the video Laura Brown sat down and spoke to the singer about everything from how she came up with her signature look to when she discovered fashion and everything in between. Most interestingly, though, was the revelation that Stefani used to play with Terry Richardson's band in the early No Doubt days:
No Doubt used to play with [Terry Richardson's] band, Double Freak. It was pretty freaky. It was the L.A. scene, back in the day. I didn't even realize it until I walked in and he was like, "Double Freak!" And I was like, "Oh my god, really?"
As The Cut hilariously point out, Brown didn't push her for details considering how crazy some of the those stories could, and have, been so kept it on a fashion level and of course, spoke about Stefani's new record with No Doubt.
Regular readers will know just how strongly I feel about the need to have models on the covers of magazines as opposed to celebrities. GwenStefani is an exception to the rule.
Aside from the fact that she's uber talented, she's one of the few celebrities, along with Sarah Jessica Parker and Lady Gaga, whose careers have been so extrinsically linked to fashion that having her on the cover of a September issue makes sense. After all, she is a designer in her own right too.
Today her Terry Richardson-shot US Harper's Bazaar cover dropped and it is everything we could have hoped for. The head piece she rocks on the cover works brilliantly and in the accompanying shoot Stefani sports that beautiful pink Jil Sander dress from Raf Simons' last collection at the house, along with that multi-tiered Alexander McQueen dress too.
I’ve worked many times with Terry Richardson, and I like him a lot, and I’ve never had a situation with him where I felt uncomfortable. What photographers do is open the door and see how you react to different things. And if they see that the girl’s uncomfortable, then they stop. I know there was the whole drama with Terry Richardson, and actually, I was asked to do the Pirelli calendar with him as well. But I know his pictures, and I knew that I might not feel comfortable in certain situations, which would be really difficult for me and for him, because he has a vision. So, I decided not to do it because I was not sure it would work for both of us. But every time I’ve worked with him, there was never a situation where I was pushed into something. Everyone has their own limits and everyone has their own boundaries, and you know, another girl can do way more and feel comfortable with it.
Yesterday Terry Richardson posted a series of images of Lindsay Lohan at Chateau Marmont on his blog, Terry's Diary. The majority of the shots were no different from the usual images Richardson has posted of the actress in the past, showing her in various degrees of undress, but one image in particular has everyone talking.
The above shot, showing Lohan holding a gun up to her head, was amongst the images he posted and has since been taken down. The guys at Fashionista noticed that the shot is almost identical to one Tyler Shields took of the actress back in 2010. So it begs the question: is this just a publicity stunt to drum up attention or even more worringly, is it a cry for help?
British Vogue isn't the only cover that Kate Moss has bagged for June. Yesterday this image dropped showing the model posing on the cover of US Harper's Bazaar's runway report magazine, partnering up with Terry Richardson again. On the cover Moss sports a feathered dress from the much-loved S/S12 Alexander McQueen collection and the accompanying shoot takes place on a sunny beach in Jamaica.
When Kate Upton's Harper's Bazaareditorial shot by Terry Richardson dropped recently, I was genuinely really happy for her. The shoot was a departure from her usual modeling gigs and went a long way in showing that she can diversify. More than anything else, it was actually really good. It's no secret that she has been at the end of a lot of negative attention recently. Many continue to say that there's not much to her beyond the boobs and body so the shoot, in which she was mainly covered up, definitely went a way in proving her critics wrong.
Sadly, though, she is back to square one again after this video went viral. Just like the YouTube clip that caught everyone's attention in the beginning, the video sees her doing the 'Cat Daddy' dance but this time she ditched the clothes and sported a skimpy bikini instead and strangely managed to do so without showing off more than she'd bargained for. For someone trying to show that there's more than a pretty face, this wasn't the best move.
To say that the current interest in Kate Upton has been controversial would be an understatement. Sports Illustrated had a huge backlash when they decided to book the model to appear on their big swimsuit cover and as you'll remember Sophia Neophitou was far from complimentary. Despite the 10 magazine editor calling her look 'the kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy', Upton's fashion career seems to be coming along nicely.
A few months ago she coveredMuse magazine, recently she was shot by Toby McFarlan Pond for the Met Costume Institute's catalogue and for Easter she teamed up with LOVE magazine to shoot a video where she starred as an Easter bunny. Sadly for her critics it doesn't end there. Just to make sure that you know that she isn't going anywhere anytime soon, the model appears in the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar shot by Terry Richardson. Now that's a fashion endorsement if there ever was one.
Terry Richardson hasn't done a big interview in a long time but recently he sat down and spoke to the New York Times in a piece titled, 'The Naughty Knave of Fashion's Court'. There definitely is truth in the title. Richardson has been known for his porno aesthetic over the years - just cast your mind back to the pubes flashing campaign that he shot for Katherine Hamnet or any of his most recent work for that matter.
In the piece, friends of Richardson spoke about how this over-sexualised image ended up working against him. “Once somebody said, ‘You did x, y and z,’ it’s different,” Al Moran, a longtime friend, told the paper. “This persona you created that alludes to the fact you could do that, well, it blew up in his face.” The scandal he is referring to, of course, is the saga that ensued after Rie Rassmssen publicly labelled his method of work as a form of 'sexual misconduct' leading many other models to speak out and agree.
New York Fashion Week started with a bang last night as the annual amfAR New York gala event took place to kick off this season's festivities. The gala, which raises money for HIV/AIDS research, always see the best of fashion and entertainment come under one roof and as you would expect, the red carpet outfits were strong. Models were particularly on form last night. Joan Smalls looking incredible in a black Givenchy gown, Anja Rubik sported that much loved black and gold Gucci flapper dress and Liya Kebede broke the penchant for gowns by opting for this season's two tone trousers teamed with a white blouse.
