Julianne Moore @ Vogue Paris May 2008

Ageless beauty Julianne Moore looking gorgeous on the cover of the new May 2008 issue of French Vogue. The actress has been around for a while but only seems to get more beautiful each time I see her. She has the type of career that has to be the envy of many Hollywood female stars as her bold choices set her way apart from the "In Style" crowd. These pictures are so sexy and clearly done for an European publication. When would you see an American Vogue cover looking this audacious? Never! The current issue of "our" Vogue brings Gwyneth Paltrow looking more like a bad wax-version of herself (they do love their Photoshop in the US) and that is quite bizarre to me and everyone else, wouldn't you say?

Kate Moss @ Vogue Espana May 2008

Vogue Espana is celebrating it's 20th anniversary with four different Kate Moss covers. Their May 2008 issue features images of Moss taken by British photographer Nick Knight.

Stars were obviously the theme for the shoot with Moss wearing a black Chanel star print jump suit on one cover, and a (mucho feo!) Yves Saint laurent white satin star print dress on another.

Via Sassybella

Kylie Minogue @ German Vogue May 2008

Via The Bosh

Tony Ward @ Vogue Hommes International

Model/actor Tony Ward in the latest issue of Vogue Homme International, shot by Jack Pierson. Ward started modelling in the early 80's having made several iconic collaborations with late photographer Herb Ritts, then also new to the business. He gained notoriety by dating Madonna and appearing in several of her videos including "Cherish" (merman!), "Erotica" and "Justify My Love". His acting debut came via Bruce Labruce's 1996 "Hustler White" which Ward plays the very risque title character.

I once ran across Tony Ward in LA's Waco store a few years ago. He had in tow this adorable half-Asian child, that I assumed was his daughter. He looked great though he didn't seem as tall as I'd envisioned him. He looked very "LA": jeans/T-shirt combo, gruff and unshaven. Hot!

Images via Tony Ward.com

Victoria Beckham's Double Dose

Victoria Beckham went fashion-chameleon this month, first as Vogue UK's April cover celeb and on the current ad campaign of Marc Jacobs. On the ads she is looking more Scary than Posh in my opinion, but I give her kudos for daring to go "un-pretty" for the fashion label. It seems to me that celebs nowadays have become "labels of themselves", always so polished and perfect-looking that is fresh to find people that goes against the grain. As a Brit she is showing that she hasn't lost her eccentric side or sense of humour by donning a really silly little bow atop an equally silly wig. My only advice would be to lay off the spray tan and bronzer powder, if she wants to look human at least .

New Racial Controversy: Vogue & King Kong?

This is the first time a black man appears on the cover of America Vogue and the instead of applauding the magazine for the milestone some critics already found a way of turning it into a racial controversy. Maybe it's because of the turbulent times of election year and Barack Obama's eminent nomination but allusions to the movie King Kong are already circulating the web. The nay-sayers accuse NBA star LeBron James of being portrayed in an aggressive gorilla-stance, arms apart and hunched over, mouth agape showing his teeth, while embracing the Caucasian and delicate Brazilian super-dupper-model Giselle Bundchen. Critics will find a way to stir up trouble and see evil in the most remote place or innocent of actions, so it always seem. The more I look at the King Kong posters the more I see the similarities but I don't believe that was photographer Annie Leibovitz's or Anna Wintour's hidden agenda as after all this is Vogue magazine people! It's not a tabloid or some exploitative/funny publication.

I wish they had nixed this LeBron (who?) guy - that has as much to do with Vogue as Andre Leon Talley has to do with Sports Illustrated - and had Giselle in the strong arms of her hunk Tom Brady. That would have been a GREAT Vogue cover and he wouldn't have been compared to a white gorilla.

Via O Globo

Mario Testino @ Vogue Hommes International

I don't like fur. I am actually against wearing it, me or anyone else. I don't believe in fashion rules but fur to me is an outdated status symbol, that not only is ostentatious and vulgar but destroys the lives of innocents creatures in vanity's name. Sorry, I won't go all PETA on you guys but it really bothers me. We could go on and on about leather or wool but I do believe they fall in a different category altogether. Men in fur are specially heinous. Nothing says "queen" like a guy in a fur coat, unless you are from Siberia or is standing in Moscow's Red Square. Even fur trim on men's clothing gives me the willies. I have sinned in the past for selling fur (trim) items but I vowed way back never to touch the stuff again. I once worked at this place in Boston that sold these Prada scarves that were made out of dyed hamster fur! Eew! And we were not supposed to say that to customers as most cutesy Asian girls would not have gone for that.
Then we come to the Fall/Winter 2007-2008 edition of Vogue Hommes International with a "men in fur" editorial by photography's great Mario Testino, titled "Fur Men". I will disregard the tacky fur coats and focus on the lower mounds of fur instead, that are far more appealing to me...

Images via Queer Verve

David Bailey & Jean Shrimpton, New York 1962

I just came across this lovely art book by British photographer David Bailey called "NY JS DB 62". This cinema-verite style photo shoot was done in early 1962 in New York City when David Bailey, then a novice at British Vogue, was commissioned for a 14-page editorial in the Big Apple for the same publication. At the time fashion shoots were mostly done in studios and followed pretty classic guidelines of sets, poses and aristocratic styling. The minuscule travelling crew consisted of David himself, his then girlfriend supermodel Jean Shrimpton and a nervous & complaining Vogue fashion editor. Make up and hair style were done by Shrimpton herself, Bailey changed his own films, they travelled by cabs and endured freezing temperatures in the days they spent in New York. Unknown to them at the time, they were making fashion history with an innovative and ground-breaking editorial that permanently changed the way fashion photography was meant to look like. Instead of pretty pictures in front of the stone lions of the 42nd Street Library as the editor suggested, Bailey went to Harlem - inspired by his love of Jazz and clubland - and bohemian locations in the Lower East Side. He captured the downbeat energy of a moving city, it's gray streets reminiscing of Bailey's youth growing up in East London. It's tough/naive youthful vibe - touching and intimate at times - is a literal picture-in-time in the history of style, photography and culture. Love it!

The New Chanel Bike

Attention fashion victims all around: presenting the new Chanel Bike!
As an outdoorsy sports woman, Coco Chanel liberated women by creating clothing adapted to her time, freeing them from corsets and what-nots and allowing them to enjoy freedom of movement as well. Now the exclusive French maison is launching it's own luxe bicycle, faithful to it's iconic codes of elegance. It is outfitted in Chanel's signature black matelassé leather - including seat and utility saddle bag - and attached to 8-speed light-weight 16.5 kilos aluminum frame.
To rock a fancy Chanel bike does not come cheap - € 8,900.00 - or US$12,695.00 at today's rates.
I would invest in a VERY potent lock & chain set-up as this bike won't last long when parked anywhere outside in a big city.

Via Vogue Paris

Chloe Sevigny @ RG Vogue

Chloe Sevigny is the cover girl of RG Vogue's September issue. She was shot by NY-based Brazilian photographer Marcelo Krasilsic at Bob Wolfelson's studio while in Brazil for Sao Paulo Fashion Week. Chloe showed up without an entourage, didn't complain or made demands during the one-hour shoot. That does sounds like very rare behavior in today's spoiled-celebrity world. More kudos for Chloe!