In case you missed the largest runway show to date....

Last night, Anna Wintour put on quite a show featuring over 170 looks from a wide range of designers in anticipation of Fashion's Night Out and to kick-off the first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at its new location, Lincoln Center. The show was visually stunning, not just because of the overwhelming amount of stunning looks whizzing by, but also the unusual circular layout of the show, which gave everyone a great view. So in case you missed this momentous event in fashion history, here is the show in its entirety, hosted by Andre Leon Talley.

Vogue Africa

Photographer Mario Epanya's proposal to create a Vogue Africa edition has been officially declined by Condé Nast. Epanya had been campaigning for several months and even created mock-ups of possible magazine covers, but unfortunately it was not enough to convince Condé Nast to open an African outpost.  In response to this, several bloggers have commented that the decision has racist undertones. This seems like a strong accusation considering that Vogue Italia published  The Black Issue in 2008 and has subsequently devoted a section of their site to black stylemakers called Vogue Black.

The decision not to greenlight Vogue Africa might have more to do with the fact that Africa is a continent rife with political strife and low consumer spending power. China, with a population greater than all of Africa, did not launch its own edition of Vogue until 2005. Although it would be wonderful to see a new edition of Vogue that focuses on Africa, we should not assume that Condé Nast is not considering this as a future possibility. Also, unless visits to Vogue Black and similar sites increase, it it is difficult to make a case for the success of a large-scale glossy devoted solely to African fashion. It is definitely time to see more diversity of not just color, but also culture in fashion magazines and as readers and creators of fashion content, we do not have to wait for Vogue Africa in order to make that a reality.

See more of the proposed Vogue Africa covers here

All images: Mario Epanya

The Return of the Fashion Illustrator

Illustration by René R. Bouché, Condé Nast

 I always look at artwork in vintage fashion magazines with a fond nostalgia, wishing maybe that a modern version of that same creativity appeared more often in today's magazines. With the popularity of photographs in digital media and the rampant use of photo-shopping, the sight of an illustration for me is refreshing rather than antiquated. An illustration is more engaging: it doesn't just depict a model in designer clothing, but conveys how that artist feels about fashion. There's a mood, a feeling in an illustration which can not be recreated in a photo. Luckily, three illustrators, each with their own unique style, are bringing illustration back to the forefront and making it fashionable again.

The Commercial Crossover

Garance Doré for Gap T-shirt, Photo: The Style House Collective

Thanks to her blog and her keen eye for street fashion, Garance Doré has become as highly regarded for her illustrations as for her photographs. Both her photographs and illustrations capture the effortlessly chic style of Paris, and her work has been featured in magazines the world over. Her most notable collaboration to date though, has been with the Gap, which featured a selection of her illustrations on limited edition t-shirts sold in its stores. Garance has achieved success on several different levels, but it is evident from the illustrations that she continues to post on her blog, that fashion is more a passion than a paycheck for her.

The Darling

Illustration by Danny Roberts from his book "Lily Cole & Gemma Ward Sketchbook"

Beloved by fashion-lovers, Danny Roberts has made a name for himself doing portraits of fashion insiders;  mainly bloggers, models and designers. He too, has also had is work featured on apparel, partnering with Gwen Stefani for designs on her Harajuku Girls line. Read more about Danny Roberts in this article on the Sundance Channel's fashion blog. You can also check out his work on his blog Igor + André or buy some of prints in the Danny Roberts etsy store.

See how the talented Danny Roberts creates first-hand in this video of him painting a portrait of Bryan Boy in the front row at a fashion show with Anna Wintour.

The Up-and -Comer

Illustration by Laura Laine

Having her illustrations featured in Elle girl, New York Times T Magazine and British GQ, as well as having done work for H & M and Zara, Laura Laine is building a name for herself as a talented illustrator. At only 24 years old, the Finnish artist already has a distinct style which she describes as "twisted-bodied girls with a melancholy attitude." There is definitely a melancholy air about her lithe figures, but nothing sad about her work, which is visually engaging, expressive and eerily beautiful.

For more about Laura Laine and her work, read her interview with Trendland.

Looking Forward, Looking Back

The beginning of a every new year is marked by celebration because it's a chance to look forward to the all the possibilities of the next year and examine what happened in the one past. This idea of looking to the future while not forgetting the past is central in fashion, with seasonal collections often inspired by trends and designers of days gone by. Thoughts of the relationship between past, present, future and fashion were inspired by this Vogue photograph circa 1951 which made me realize that there is no future fashion that will not have its roots in the past. I found this beautiful image thanks to Ms. Spinach, who recently shared a link to myvintagevogue's photostream on flickr which features hundreds of lovely images from past issues of Vogue magazine. Maybe one of these images will provide you with some inspiration for the new year.

French Vogue Cover Pokes Fun At Not So Funny Past

"The only reason I got the cover of
French Vogue was because Yves Saint
Laurent called up and told them
he'd pull his ads if they didn't.
So of course I got the cover."

Naomi Campbell, February 2008


>

September is Almost Here

I had a sneak peek at "September Issue," the new behind-the-scenes documentary about US Vogue that will be in select theaters at the end of the month, and I absolutely loved it! Despite having an obvious interest in fashion, "September Issue" is an entertaining and engaging movie for anyone which is most notable for its revealing look at Anna Wintour's silent hand in everything in the fashion industry from what wool Prada will use in its Fall/Winter collection, to what designer Gap will select to feature in stores for its CFDA collaboration.


The surprise star of the film is Grace Coddington, who's wit and obvious love for her work is at once both humorous and heart-breaking. A definite must-see.

Anna Wintour Revealed

Watch CBS Videos Online

CNN's Revealed: Carine Roitfeld

Michelle Obama Chooses Jason Wu For Vogue Photo Shoot

Michelle Obama on the cover of the March 2009 Vogue.

AP Photo/ Annie Leibovitz/ Vogue

From WSJ.com's Heard on the Runway blog

Jason Wu is getting yet another boost from Michelle Obama – in the first lady’s cover shot for Vogue’s March issue, she appears in a sleeveless, magenta silk dress by the designer who also created the evening gown she wore to the inaugural balls.

Mrs. Obama, who is only the second first lady to appear on the cover of Vogue (the first being Hillary Clinton in December, 1998), worked with the magazine on picking pieces from her own wardrobe to wear for the shoot, says Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell . “We thought the first lady should wear what she felt was appropriate,” he says. “And we couldn’t be happier with her choices.” Annie Leibovitz shot the pictures in early January at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C.

For the inside pages, Mrs. Obama appears in ensembles by Narciso Rodriguez and J.Crew, labels that she’s also worn during important events. (She chose a red and black Narciso Rodriguez cocktail dress for election night and wore J.Crew to an inauguration event.)

In the magazine, which hits newsstands Tuesday, Mrs. Obama addresses the fashion fishbowl that she now lives in, given that blogs and media are tracking every sartorial decision she makes. “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t care about it,” she said to Vogue, according to the AP. “But I also have to be very practical. In the end, someone will always not like what you wear — people just have different tastes.”

Mr. O’Connell says the magazine has a “long-standing tradition of photographing first ladies” that dates back to 1929, when Lou Hoover, the wife of president Herbert Hoover, appeared in its glossy pages. “But this also was a historic election,” he says. “This was something we were very interested in doing.”

– Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

Will Michelle Obama Be Appearing on the Cover of VOGUE?

By: Amy Odell
Photo-illustration: Getty Images

Michelle Obama could be on the March cover of Vogue, which comes out in just a few weeks. The news leaked through her hairstylist, Johnny Wright, who signed a deal this week to develop his own reality series with the same production company that makes the Style Network's Split Ends. Stories on the deal, like this one in the Daily News, say Wright styled Michelle's hair for a Vogue cover shoot. Wright's rep hasn't responded to inquiries about this mysterious shoot, and a spokesman for Vogue would only say, "We're very interested in working with the First Lady." Teases, all of you!

This reminds us of the time Newsweek ran a story about Michelle Obama a month and a half ago, which casually mentioned she would grace the March issue of Vogue. At the beginning of December a Vogue spokesperson told us nothing had been confirmed and called the Newsweek report "incorrect." But earlier this month favorite Vogue photographer Annie Leibovitz was seen entering the Hay-Adams Hotel where the Obamas stayed before they moved into the White House. Also, March is the month of Vogue's spring fashion issue, which should be nice and weighty — ripe for Michelle's cover debut. Now even though Michelle is stylish and Anna Wintour raised a bundle for the Obama campaign, we're still having a hard time imagining Michelle on the cover. She seems more down-to-earth and Mom-ish. More Redbook, but in a good way.

Related: Michelle Obama's Vogue Cover Appears Likely [HuffPo]

In case you missed it....

There has been much ado about the latest issue of Vogue Italia which features top black models from around the world on the cover and throughout each editorial in the magazine. It has been specualted that the driving force behind the "Black Book" issue is part of the "Obama Effect" and that the use of black models in editorials and runway shows is as much of a passing trend as gladiator sandals and maxi dresses. Could the sudden interest in black models have any relation to the recent gala thrown by major fashion players like Zac Posen and Iman for Michelle Obama in New York? Whatever the impetus behind it, Vogue Italia has made a bold statement by being the first major fashion publication to focus solely on black models and acknowledge the "blackout" of models of color from major fashion publications and fashion week runways.

In New York City, it is next to impossible to find one of the much sought after magazines, especially since it has been reported that less than forty were delivered to a handful of stores in Manhattan. If you weren't one of the lucky few that were able to grab a copy at your favorite newsstand, read the New York Times article Conspicuous by Their Presence, which discusses this historic issue and the future of minority models in the world of fashion. The article also features some of the brilliant photos by Stephen Meisel and other notable photographers from the magazine. The pictures, which showcase the beauty of Naomi, Liya, Tyra, and others, serve as reminder that a beauty is not defined by color. Brava Vogue Italia!