Vogue China: Different, But The Same

Even though my winter vacation in Thailand and Hong Kong was my first time in Asia, I saw plenty of familiar sights. For instance: Naomi Campbell on the cover of Vogue China.

Technically, she is part Chinese, didn’t you know? To be honest, I thought Vogue China would have, you know, Asian women inside. But. Here’s what the Beauty spread looked like:

Following this image were three vivid spreads of this Caucasian woman wearing “interesting” makeup. This eyeshadow is basically a dare, right?

Sure, there were some photographs of Asian women, like this fashion spread starring Du Juan:

I love when pictures show the hair and makeup team at work. It’s a nice reminder: Each image is made possible by lots of unseen talents.

Just a subtle little something to wear to Dim Sum.

Holy crap she is gorgeous.

Anyway, despite my attempt to submerse myself in another culture and feel like I was far from home, the magazine also featured this spread:

This is Visionaire editor Cecilia Dean, on the Brooklyn Bridge, which is less than 2 miles from my apartment.

A few other random images from the issue:

What would Vogue be without an impractical item of clothing? These pants aren’t made for walking.

What would Vogue be without a shopping page? Eveyone needs another dark red lipstick!

What would Vogue be without party pages? Rich people have more fun that you do. Never forget.

Lastly, what would Vogue be without a “trend” involving spending lots of money to look poor? The prices of these D&G and Hermes scarves are not listed, but you can bet they’re more than the average monthly income in Shanghai.