MARRAKECH EXPRESS

Last night, on returning to previous posts, I realized that my blog is featuring more and more fashion photographers. I’ll get pigeonholed soon enough if I continue presenting these mini studies on the art of fashion photography. But it’s like a good novel, fictional or not, you’re left enthralled and thrilled with the experience. It’s inspiring, conveys separate messages in different registers and becomes a necessity in your life. It can be compared to Elizabeth’s unsuitable weakness for Lady Gaga or Emilie’s addiction to bad boys and porn moustaches, you’re gripped and you can’t distance yourself from the object of your desire…
And this week, it’s a story in the May issue of Italian Vogue that had me transfixed.
It begins with a destination: Morocco. The main narrative evolves around Sasha Pivovarova looking like an incredibly exotic creature. She is extravagantly ravishing and almost culturally alien in her clothes and wigs. The colours, tone and textures used by Steven Meisel create almost painterly lines, working a kind of peaceful magic on me while the male model provides fleeting glimpses of sensuality and sex.
This is exactly what I wanted to see this week: a series of vivid images swaying miraculously into life, an exquisite spectacle of fashion reminiscent of old masters in its traditional approach.
Tomorrow I’m going to see the Guy Bourdin exhibition at the Wapping Project. I hope that I’ll learn something new about his career or at least see pictures that have not yet been unveiled elsewhere.

All pictures courtesy of Steven Meisel, taken from The Fashion Spot
Vogue Italia May 2009

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

The description about the painterly lines and the soft hues/tones/ colors
really rings true here. Some of these really do like portrait paintings of some sort. I especially love the non fashiony vibe of this spread. I mean yes there are fantastic clothes featured but the spread is not all about taking a culture out of its context. It seems sort of authentic here....Oh Morocco!

E.K. said...

"Elizabeth’s unsuitable weakness for Lady Gaga" ...ha! She does! Don't worry, I love your blog no matter how much you fixate.

leeselooks said...

this makes me want to go there, instantly.

such beautiful. bold colors.
rich history and culture.
and i am sure a soul which leaves you changed forever .. upon your return.

stunning editorial.

have a wonderful weekend!!!

B.B said...

Did you enjoy the exhibition at the Wapping Project? All my friends have been raving about it, I desperately need to go as soon as I'm back in Blighty.

The colours in this editorial are incredible, I want these as paintings on my walls!

Great blog, by the way! M x

Crocodilian said...

I love the first Sasha photo, but to be fair... I suspect it is the wonderful texture of her hair and the style of photography that are seducing me, rather than the clothes and accessories. I actually think that photograph would be a more beautiful portrait without the halter and ugly necklaces - just a bare collarbone instead.

http://crocodilianblog.blogspot.com

Brook and Lyn said...

I've said this numerous times but I find your writing absolutely enchanting...

tienda dolores said...

So So lovely!
GREAT!

www.RIOTREPORT.com said...

absolutely stunning! thank you for sharing.. our eyes are astral traveling just beholding these images...

Anonymous said...

MDR Je t'aime connasse (mais j'aime toujours pas la porn stache!) xxx <3

broadcast poulet said...

the cloth is like water.

Anonymous said...

i love sasha! she always loks so scarily beautiful. editorial is great xx

http://helplessdreaming.blogspot.com/