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Mom grounded me for putting my face on the car windows. Ash made money.

Photographer: Steven Meisel

Models: Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Ash Stymest, Christian Brylle, Jamie Bochert, Max Rogers, Sasha Pivovarova, Sessilee Lopez, Simon Nessman, Will Lewis

GALLERY: SPREAD UM: “Performance” Vogue Italia September 2009

Thanks Fashion Copious!

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V Magazine and Mario Sorrenti takes over the tourists heart of New York in this futuristic editorial. Even though I hate Time Square I’d be willing to make the trip there if I could watch or be an extra in this beautiful representation of it’s constant light show.

GALLERY: Live From New York

SOURCE: The Fashion Spot

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Steven Meisel shot Sasha Pivovarova and Ash Stymest for the homeless-chic September cover of Italian Vogue.

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 Sasha Pivovarova stars in H&M’s fall 2009 campaign. Loving the cutesy hair-bow with the androgynous outfit, H&M campaign clothes never disappoint, now if only I could find them in the stores before they sell out…

SOURCE: Nitrolicious

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From the hair to the models to mind-blowing garments, Phi’s Fall 2009 ad campain is flawless. Shot by Steven Meisel, the ad features models Sasha Pivovarova, Anna Selezneva and Natasha Poly. Fabulous. 

 

GALLERY: AD-DICT: Phi Campaign Fall 2009

Thanks Fashion Copious!

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Sasha Pivovarova looks 100% the part of a Russian Princess in these Chanel ads. The jewelry displayed on the jet black statue and the headpiece Sasha is wearing are striking.

SOURCE: Coute Que Coute

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Sasha Pivovarova and Milla Jovovich team up for this Eastern Europe inspired editorial. Check the gallery for chunky knits, cloche hats, lacy lingerie and a classy beach picnic.

GALLERY: “Sasha and Milla” for Vogue Italia July ‘09

SOURCE: The Fashion Spot

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Sasha Pivovarova was asked by Karl Lagerfeld to illustrate a book based on Russian fairy tales and do some work for the recent restaging of the Chanel Paris-Moscou fashion show in Moscow: “My drawings were inspired by the joy of seeing fairytale characters coming to life in one of the main theatres of Moscow, the city where I was born.” Turns out she’s a talented artist…

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We might always relate models like Helena Christensen, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Campbell to the definition of “beauty”, tall, skinny, long hair and angelic conditions.

You can definitely find pretty girls anywhere in town, from Bondi Beach to small alleys of Paris, but only a few in the world resemble real beauty, which is often as its best removed from glamour and adornment.

Beauty is more than just one type and that it comes in different shapes and sizes as well. “Many might find pretty is the same as beauty” quoted by Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue who recently wrote in ‘Beauty British Now”, “but actually their enemies, as the blandness and acceptability of pretty cancels out the greatness of beauty.”.

Emma Pei

Most people will define Chinese top-model Du Juan’s round face, creamy flawless skin, and gorgeous bone structure as the “real” beauty of China, less would look at rising star Emma Pei’s alien-like quality and immediately comes to mind that she is strikingly beautiful.

What majority thinks is beautiful is always the right answer, which is wrong! Embracing individuality is the real beauty as people like Kate Moss have challenged and created a whole new beauty aesthetic. She was the very few in the early 1990’s who were different, oppose to Linda, Christy and Naomi who had the bodies and polished stance.

Kate defined a new type of beauty that is recognized and accepted now in this generation. She defines beauty, as beauty demands a kind of originality that makes you pause and admire. Beauty is not being perfect, as the strange and peculiar quality makes beauties what they are.

Since then, there have been models who have epitomised a moment, like Lily Cole who almost didn’t make the list, as bookers find her over dolly. Models and people like her depict a more fragile, bizarre, unusual specimen of beauty, the technical term – ‘Alien Beauty’.

Sudanese goddess Alek Wek immediately broke the Western beauty standards and blew the fashion industry away, as she dominates the runway from Galliano to Calvin Klein. Polley Fey is an icon in defining Alien Beauty, as she conquers the fashion stage without sacrificing a bit of her individuality. In the 90’s Fey was one of the biggest models in the fetish scene, as she appears frequently on Torture Garden fliers.

Sasha Vs Gemma

The fashion industry have mistaken model Sasha Pivovarova as Australian gem Gemma Ward. Sasha started off in the industry with just negative feedback, no one liked her. She is more than just a Gemma-clone; the fact that the crowd sees them alike is so ironic.

I have found indie model/music agency label very interesting to interview, as they only represent 20 models and a couple fellow musicians oppose to larger agencies who casts more commercial girls who could earn the cash for the company. As I interviewed their Model Manager, Lance Labreche, we both discuss about how the fashion industry have adapt the notion of ‘beauty’ in the last years. As he comments that “The standards of beauty tend to swing back-and-forth like a pendulum along a certain amount of seemingly already agreed upon parameters”.

Part of Lance’s job as a model manager is to balance what consumer wants and how to introduce new forms of beauty that as he says “can increase a particular demographics size and scope for the fashion entertainment and scope we service”.

Away from the fashion industry and yet, in general women and even men still gage themselves against an image of impossible perfection. Nothing is really going to change unless people accept that “flaws make you beautiful”, and that there is more than one type of beauty in the world.

Not being blonde and blue eyed, five foot tall, slender with perfect silky skin would not put you in the category of being ugly. ‘Ugly’ is a terminology used for those who don’t accept diversity. Some people might be more beautiful than others, but no one is truly ugly. Brutality, cruelness and war is real ugly.

Our eyes have always blindfolded our hearts, as we always look at the physical beauty but not necessarily see the beauty quality of a person through their personality or accept another kind of beauty.

True beauty should be more widely recognized by those shallow people out there who just go for looks, former top model Cheryl Tiegs also recognises that “true beauty really does have to do with an inner light that does shine”. Even though looks might play an important part of where you stand in the community, without a positive and genuine personality, a person will not go far.

Even though I may not be a fan of Cate Blanchett , I admire her message ‘you don’t need plastic surgery even though you are 39 years old that starts to gain wrinkles’. Cate does not intend to alter her natural beauty, as she felt that “one could not run away from the passing of time, which leaves its marks inevitably, even if one’s skin or one’s mind”.

No offence but Mrs. Playboy a.k.a. Pamela Anderson used to be beautiful and had striking features before she had plastic surgery. Her cheeks are bulbous, her lips are insanely puffy and her skin waxen and shiny. We should not blame her actions, as this world can be quite crucial to you. But people should consider and try to be who they are. They should not change because of other people, even though if someone told you that you look disgusting, if you find yourself beautiful, that’s the most important.

Not long time ago, I was the kid who read fairytales. Most of the books describe heroes who were handsome and heroines who were beautiful. Since then, I believed that one of the qualifications to be a great person is to be “beautiful”. Time to time, as a teenager, I will look at the mirror, comparing myself to the models from Fashion TV and say “why am I so fat?” or “why am I ugly and they aren’t?”

Labreche reckons that “Ugliness tends to come from the same thought process as beauty”, as I question him if he feels ugly or not and when? He responds with a big yes, “I would have to say, yes, there are times when I feel ugly. I would even go a step further and admit that there are times when ugliness becomes an active choice or impulse”.

At 17 and half years old, writing this article right now, I am fully confident to tell everyone that I have realized outer beauty was not so important to make someone good. Though I somehow understand why people could be so materialistic and depthless. Shouldn’t we accept who we are as an individual, isn’t our natural “beauty” enough to fulfill ourselves?

If others can be confident, why can’t you. The beauty looked at with the eyes doesn’t last forever. Or should I say, you should now try to accept the new generation of beauty.

Nine Daughters and a Stereo are created by Eva Gödel the Art Director of the model agency, and Kira Bunse prominent freelance fashion photographer who runs the company together. Agency named after a David Bowie/Iggy Pop song lyric and originally conceived as a thesis project, now becomes one of the most interesting and successful agency based in Germany. They’re casting methods are different than other fellow competitors, they don’t walk around shopping malls and find the next “it” girl, but they target to a niche of poor, young and pale youngster, mainly guys who dwell the streets of Germany.

From my own observations and from the response of Bunse and Gödel, we discovered that Europe in particular embraces diversity. Diversity of humans, got more open, both of them said that “There is a bigger variety of looks and styles and personality got more important”. Girls don’t find macho jocks in high school that attractive anymore; ever since Adam Brody introduced Nerd Chic and made girls go crazy about their nerdy boyfriends.

Gödel have made a really simple yet powerful statement that “Beauty is relative. It is a subjective experience – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Time changed and passed and like Europe and other parts of the world we should embrace who we are and openness guarantees a long term beauty.

SOURCE: Ugly Beauty (our perspective in 09)

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Before realizing how adorable photographer Arthur Elgort’s spread, “The Wedding Party,” for Vogue’s June 2009 issue is, I prematurely threw up in my mouth at the fact that Sasha Pivovarova was actually married and that her husband, artist Igor Vishnyakov, looks like he could be her father. Rebecca, a native Russian herself, thoughtfully pointed out that no, Vishnyakov wasn’t old, he was just Russian (hmm, i guess Russian men just look older?). Ok, Vishnyakov isn’t exactly a spring chicken at 41 years old, but that’s besides the point…sort of…since he actually is old enough to be the model’s father. But hey, a man that flexible is a youngin’ in my books! 

“The Wedding Party” is a charming reenactment of Pivovarova and Vishnyakov’s wedding, complete with a gorgeous Lanvin wedding dress and fellow models, Jessica Stam, Irina Kulikova and Hana Soukupova as the bridesmaids. Though the spread hits a soft-spot in my heart, I’m a little resentful that Sasha is just another thief, stealing my socks and stilettos look. Grr.

 

Thanks IMG! 

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Sasha Pivovarova stars in Chanel’s Pre Fall ad campaign, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld.

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Sasha Pivovarova is really churning out the Chanel ads! Following her campaign for the S/S 2009 collection (including eyewear), Sasha P. posed for Karl Lagerfeld himself in the Pre-Fall 2009 collection, also called the Paris-Moscow collection. She’s actually still able to stand out from amidst all the elements of dark, Old World luxury.

GALLERY: Sasha P. by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Pre-Fall 2009.

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Finally a break from celebrity cover girls, the June 2009 issues include an impressive list of cover models, such as Lily Donaldson, Liu Wen, Liz Hurley, Anna Vyalitsyna, and Natalia Vodianova.

Doutzen Kroes made the cover of Vogue España, shot by Alex Cayley, and Gisele Bundchen and Sasha Pivovarova appeared on Australia and Russia Harper’s Bazaar.  Bummer: The Bundchen cover is a copy of U.S. Harper’s Bazaar April ‘09

SOURCE: Modelina

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Monday night’s feature presentation might have been the photographs in the Model as Muse exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but coming in close second were the muse models themselves. I’ve run into a few of these bread winners on the street, but I must admit, nothing would be more intimidating than being towered over by a glamorous, naturally gorgeous and fashionable beanpole.

I have few qualms here. Anja Rubik showed some major leg. Daria Werbowy braved the infamous Balmain shoulders. Erin Wasson rocked the androgynous look. Sasha Pivovarova went simple on the dress and crazy on the feathers. But Natalia Vodianova…she looked like an innocent Princess Peach. This is the Met Gala, not a Super Mario convention.

Thanks Who, What, Wear Daily!

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A de-eyebrowed Sasha Pivovarova posed for Steven Meisel for the May 2009 issue of Vogue Italia.

It’s a good cover just on fashion principle alone. Unlike virtually every spring issue cover, the colors are neutral and based in earth tones, and the model is all bundled up. It stands out for not standing out.  The accompanying spread, “Moroccan Holiday,” is similarly styled with unusual color palettes and muted luxury. 

GALLERY: Sasha Pivovarova for Vogue Italia, May 2009.

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I love Giorgio Armani Cosmetics ads, they are so simple yet beautiful. I also adore the pale skin look with a softer smokey eye, the girls look gorgeous.

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Sorry, Patrick Robinson — I’m not really feeling the color schemes in the S/S 2009 GAP ad campaign.

Good job on the ethnic diversity, but the ads are a little busy — and it’s traditional GAP spring, with the colors, khakis, and denim.

The Mikael Jansson-shot ads feature familiar faces like Sasha Pivovarova and Jessica Stam.

GALLERY: GAP S/S 2009

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Interview always has the best editorials. Model Sasha Pivovarova posed for Mikael Jansson to bring us a Dolce & Gabbana story for the magazine’s February issue. Pivovarova looks amazing in these structured Dolce & Gabbana pieces from their spring 09 RTW collection. The clothes are fabulous; I would totally wear this pink number as a suit. And thank heavens stylist Karl Templer didn’t dress her in those awful pajamas.

GALLERY: Sasha Pivovarova Shot by Mikael Jansson for “Interview” February 09

Thanks to Fashion Copious for the photos.