The May issue of Marie Claire has a fashion shoot that really pinpoints my love/hate relationship with fashion magazines. I get that they're selling a fantasy, which is why you'll find a microscopic raffia bikini on a Estonian girl standing by an African waterhole with a hyena, or an elaborate evening gown being whipped by the winds in the middle of the desert. It's not supposed to be realistic; it's supposed to look cool. When it's done correctly, the results are inspiring. Done incorrectly? I ask, politely, WTF? This "Prairie Tale" shoot is problematic: I "get it" but I just don't like it. It's not the kind of fantasy I want to live. Check the high-waisted pants and pioneer-chic blouses, after the jump.
"Rowdy, romantic outlaw chic" means $840 Gucci shoes. Can one actually walk on sand with those heels? Where's the covered wagon when you need it?
If only the pioneers had had retro radios.
Here's the $13,000 gown! There is something darkly beautiful about it, but would a gothic castle would have been a better backdrop? Too predictable? Seeing this dress in stark bright daylight doesn't seem right.
Is it okay to wear fishnets while horseback riding? Is it okay to wear a $1400 necklace while horseback riding?
Dress: $5,320. Shoes: $790. Stockings: $120. Shooting Prada so close to a horse's ass: Priceless.
I was going to make a joke about the model being mauled to death, but it seemed too grisly. Heh. Sorry.
Dress, $5,060; top, $2,330; Roberto Cavalli. Model Anna Kuchinka says, "If I weren't a model I would be a clinical psychologist." Maybe she can help us process why that Cavalli blouse is more than an airline ticket to Italy?
Yeah... No.
Earlier: Marie Claire's Vietnam Photo Shoot: Apocalypse Wow
Marie Claire's Oh-So-Realistic Trailer Park Photo Shoot
Marie Claire & The 75-Year-Old Bhutanese Model
'Marie Claire' Editors Went To Italy And All They Got Was This Awesome Photo Shoot
DISCUSSION
See, when they went through her film, she only had the one expression, you know?
Ugh, I mostly HATE fashion editorials and have only rarely actually been inspired or interested. I routinely look to advertising photos for help on my hair-color direction, however.