Italian Vogue Goes All Black and All…Barbie?
We should have seen this coming when larger-than-life Barbie’s infiltrated The Tent at Bryant Park during last fashion week. We should have known when legitimate designers like Michael Kors and Rachel Roy came up with Barbie-themed outfits for a massively pink, minorly creepy Barbie-themed fashion show in The Promenade (fancy name for the biggest runway at Bryant Park). And if we didn’t realize it then, it’s become rather clear now: Barbie has set her sights on fashion and she’s making the industry her bitch.
While I could have dealt with her co-opting of the tents and the hideously over-done makeup the models dressing as her had to wear for the show, her newest fashion conquest feels a tad too forced to accept. May I introduce, ladies and gentlemen, Italian Vogue’s all black, all Barbie insert. (Feel free to commence WTF-ing now.)
Last July, Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani told the haters to fuck off and published the Black Issue in spite of quite a lot of naysaying and predictions of failure. Of course, the issue was a huge success, fashion folk everywhere got to feel a little intellectual in saying that it’s ridiculously high sales were heralding in a new era of understanding and the team over at Italian Vogue probably began planning their next black issue immediately, money-grubbing little non-bigots that they are.
This time around, models like Jourdan Dun and Naomi Campbell have been replaced by no less iconic but somewhat more plastic black Barbies from the late 60’s onward. (Cause these dolls are basically the same as a real black person, right?)
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Dunno on this one. The all-Black issue last year was cool, and sort of seemed to be “inspired” or whatever, but while I kind of “get” the whole kitschy vibe from the Barbies, I don’t like what the doll signifies. I mean, whose feet are in a permanent high heel position? No, really?
It’s beyond me how Barbies could be topical enough to be on the cover of Vogue. I think being offensive has become pervasive to the media…. LilyQ seems at least to not take herself seriously and makes good fun of what otherwise is just plain sad. No race card here.