The bleak, stark atmosphere in conjunction with the minimal clothing, sans a plethora of accessories, is what made this editorial stand out in the the spring issue of Another Magazine. Olivier Rizzo styled the shoot, implementing deconstruction and simplicity, subtly exposing the human body. As amazing as the styling and the garments are, I see them merely as accessories to the spread as a whole; they helped tell a narrative. Because the editorial was stripped of so many things that are usually found in other spreads (i.e. some cliché location, an over-stylized, categorical look), it was more open for interpretation.
Albeit I know nothing about photography, the composition grabbed me instantly. The spread was shot by the Renowned Paolo Roversi. The way he was able to adroitly capture and extract certain colors and make them pop against the sea of washed out, murky hues was simply beautiful.
There are editorials that take in too much of the capitalist side of the business, having the model pose a certain way to show a dress in the best way possible, or having her step one foot close to the camera to show off a shoe. While it is true that we are in the business of selling clothes, it is always refreshing to see editorials that uphold a certain level of creativity and artistic expression. This one in particular does just that.
Everything from the harmony of the piece to the content worked beautifully, conjuring up an air of sinisterness— just bewitching and raw.
And perhaps I’m going a little too far and ranting a bit, but I can’t help but approach this with a cultural studies lens, and apply Stuart Hall’s idea of audience reception. People will always have a reaction. We are not simply vessels that passively take in content without feeling some way about it. We see it, we process it, we interpret it. Not only is it a natural instinct to react, it is our responsibility, and this promotes discussion. So this is me reacting. I feel it instinctually, and it is my duty to do so. This is why I started this blog.
