I Love Vogue: December 2007

Another issue so soon? I guess maybe my last one was a little late. This time I have my new Vogue well in advance of its cover date.

1. This is not so much a Vogue note as a general observation, but does anyone feel comfortable (or decent) in tiny minidresses that barely come down past the derriere? Some of the dresses I see on women in several different magazines look like they would pop up around your waist if you dared to sit in them. If I had awesome legs, I might try it out, but to me it really looks like a look for teenage girls.

2. Go red, go now? The issue has a feature on RED, and lots of ads with lots of red to back it up. Many with red nail polish, when we only saw one set of colored nails in the entire magazine last month.

3. Dolce & Gabbana has a rather disturbing ad toward the front of the magazine. Some lovely resort wear (because I always wear underwear and knee high boots on vacation), but the model in the center is disturbingly thin. I did a little research, and besides realizing that a lot of the Dolce & Gabbana models look alike, I guessed that it might be either Katarina Ivanovska or more likely Tatiana Lyadochkina. It might be neither. But I have to wonder if this photo is stretched out or something. I am all for attractive models, but besides her gorgeous, luminous face, this poor dear looks ill. It doesn’t appear as if she could draw a full breath with such a tiny torso, and her arm calls to mind starving refugees. Come on Dolce. Quit it with the Photoshop, or encourage this girl to get some medical (or nutritional) attention. She’s clearly not at optimal health. The girl on the right, though, looks great. She’s got some sweet curves (I think I even note some fat on her thighs. Gasp! Very sexy, actually.), and wears the aforementioned ridiculous outfit with confidence.

4. p. 155 – Jennifer Connolly as the “It Girl” in Balenciaga. If not looking like that is wrong, I don’t want to be right. I think I just hate Balenciaga, but seriously? Those (hideous) shoes with that (hideous) dress? Maybe it’s just too high-minded for my FashionNoob brain to bear. Jennifer is in Vogue two months in a row, though, and despite the get-up, she is glowing and beautiful as usual.

5. AAAH! Natalia Vodianova is in the exact same Balenciaga outfit on p. 88… slightly different shoes, actually, but similar horror.

6. Gosh, who is the senior stunner in the Rolex ad? A lady with grey/silver hair who I want to be when I grow up. Gorgeous!

7. Is anyone else annoyed by Hayden Panettiere all of a sudden? I am an animal lover too, but ever since that whale story came out, I cringe when I see her. I actually think what she did was awesome, but I think she’s getting a little bit overexposed at the moment.

8. There’s a sample of Estee Lauder’s fragrance called Pleasures. Normally I rip fragrance samples out and throw them away because they're giving me a headache already, but I actually walked back to my desk sniffing to figure out where the lovely smell was coming from. So I’m trying it out for the day. It was too strong when I first put it on, but it’s nice now. I’ll see if I get any comments from my husband. He almost always notices if I’m wearing perfume of any kind. Gwyneth Paltrow is in the ad too, with puppies.

9. There’s a spread of ads for the Gap, with holiday fashions in great jewel tones. I went right to Gap.com to look for the green sweater (The Color V) they had on Amy Adams. The sweater is on the site, but not in green. Must find green sweater in store. I’ll report back on my effort.

10. p. 164 – another hideous Balenciaga ensemble. I think my hatred is official. Guys, I just developed an opinion of a designer! Am I all growed up yet?

11. I want a black and white houndstooth coat. Badly. Thank you Banana Republic.

12. OK, now I’m getting nauseous from all the perfume samples. Horp.

13. p. 326 - There’s a great little article on hair extensions, which has me almost convinced that a keeping a few temporary pieces around the house might not be a bad idea. Would that be so awful?

14. p. 352 – The editors must have been getting sleepy. The headline for this article is “Big Love”… they used the same phrase to title a caption for a photo in an article about a Mormon woman who is a society writer. Very funny, Dr. House.

15. p. 406 – I love this spread of photos of the supermodel Gemma Ward doing everyday things in high fashion. Very reminiscent of Us Weekly’s “Stars, They’re Just Like Us!” page. Also, I think "near the recycling bins" might just be the appropriate place for those Balenciaga horror show boots.

I Love Vogue: November 2007

I'm starting a new feature here celebrating the wonderful magazine that is Vogue. I just started a subscription to this classic publication, and each month when I receive one I am going to share some highlights with you readers from my very humble perspective. Last month I found that I learned a lot from it, so we'll see what this issue brings us.

1. Cover - Jennifer Connolly. Love her, however I do harbor some resentment in seeing her in anything besides Labyrinth, the movie responsible for my lifelong crush on David Bowie (could it have been the tight pants?). I suppose I have to permit her a career as a grown-up too, though. Sigh.

2. As a magazine enthusiast in general, I am surprised to find that this is one of the first magazines I've read in which the ads are just as important as the copy. If not more so (no offense, writers and editors).

3. There is an Estee Lauder ad with a woman dressed all in white (button down shirt, and long shorts), standing on the deck of a sailboat. It's a beautiful ad, and it makes me wish I could pull off such an outfit without feeling like Moby Dick, or getting some sort of black dust on my ass within 15 minutes. Note to self: if you do ever pull off the all-white, wear gold accessories. They look gorgeous. Also, be blond and nicely tanned.

4. Prada has some beautiful patterned A-line dresses, and in the ad there are two models wearing said dresses with ribbed sweaters. Where does this look work? It looks great, but I'm not sure where I would rock it (assuming I could afford Prada). Beautiful, beautiful designs though. One has a zipper up the front, the other a diagonal strap in black across the chest. Nice little surprises.

5. Tommy Hilfiger has a model in a blue dress with red piping (piping a new trend? Fashionista loved it on a blazer recently), black stockings, and bright yellow shoes. I would never pair those shoes with that dress, but again the element of surprise is nice. Also, I was never sure about black tights with a navy blue dress, but apparently it works.

6. There are some coats out right now with tie belts without buckles that make them kind of look like bathrobes. I tried one of these on at Kohl's last night, and wasn't sure. Seeing the ad for Jones New York, I really do think it looks kind of weird. (side note: also tried on some Vera Wang boots at Kohls, and could not help using the adjective "fierce." I'm disgusted with myself - and also hoping my husband went out and bought them for me today in a fit of admiration at my exclaiming that they were too expensive. At $80, they were not that bad, really, but I'm pretty strapped right now.)

7. Mikhail Baryshnikov is modeling for Movado. That man is HOT. I don't care how old he is.

8. I'm still seeing these purses with big metal chains on the handles. I am not into this look, and also, a friend of mine nearly scratched my car with hers. I think they look so trendy, and not in a good way.

9. Donna Karan is apparently now marketing leotards. WTF?

10. Vogue's Seven Closet Essentials: button-down shirt (got it), leather jacket (hmmm, might be an idea), bikini (got it), ballet flats (got it), sport gear (needs improvement), t-shirt (duh, but I guess it is pretty hard to find the perfect one), jeans (again, duh, but I am yet to find a pair that I love... should probably do an entry on a successful search for said jeans)... this feature seems to be more advertorial, since each section mentions a particular designer.

11. I think I need a fedora this winter.

12. Any color nail polish besides clear or bright red seems to be sort of outside of the realm of fashion. All but one of the models I noticed in this issue were sporting natural nails. Neatly manicured and shiny, of course, but no color. That's kind of a relief, frankly.

A thoroughly enjoyable issue, although none of the copy lived up to last month's feature on hamburgers. I don't even eat beef, and that one left me hungry and somewhat inspired.