Rag Report: Alexa Chung

Model, contributing editor, and American TV presenter, Alexa Chung takes the world by storm with her clever fashion takes and personal style. Although she may have a typical model body—tall, slender and fair skinned, she does not dress as a typical fashionista. Her boyish combat boots, boyfriend cut denim shorts and choppy short hair causes her to have a rougher, less feminine look. Her look in this spread contrasts sharply with her edgy demeanor.

Girly, feminine and chic are three words to best describe Alexa’s most recent Teen Vogue fashion spread in October 2011. Photographer Paola Kudacki posed Chung in the popular Long Island beach, Southampton. Using the concept of an Indian summer for the shoot, Kudacki captured the essence of summer freedom, childhood dreams, and Chung’s fashion forward nature.

Below, Chung is showed posing on a carousel. Chung is clinging onto a golden pole with one hand while doing the classic knee pop. Her simple black dress is used as a background for her ravishing yellow fur coat. Her chained necklace and combat-esque boots add flavor to the overall outfit. Chung is staring straight at the camera as though she has a mysterious thought going on in her mind. Her hair is quickly tossed with mousse—simple, yet elegant.

This next photo is an up close of Chung and a mysterious male figure. Though Chung’s outfit can barely be seen, she is wearing a crème colored turtleneck that flows into the background color of the sand. Chung’s hair is placed up in a ballerina bun with her bangs flowing on top of her face. She is staring at the camera in an almost seductive way. The background of the beach is a blur and blends in with Chung’s skin tone.

The final photo from this shoot is a close up of Chung. Only one of her eyes can be seen, her short, simple, brown hair covers the other. She is staring at the camera and smiling which brings out the brightness of the yellow flower she is holding. Her white shirt pops out with the green background and the black bows add a touch of girly essence.

Stephanie Smith

Rag Report: Lovely Layers

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

In this month’s “Teen Vogue,” Caroline and Molly are two models who are ready to embrace the chilly month of November. Photographer Paul Wetherell, with the help of hair and make up stylists Martin Cullen and Hiromi Ueda, capture this bizarre sense of style in an eight-page photo shoot with a blank backdrop and layers upon layers of clothing.

Model Caroline is posed facing the ground and is placed against a white background. Since the clothing in this image is a bit out of the ordinary, the contrast between the two items is decent. While her hair and manicure are fully tamed, her outrageous outfit is another story. The oversized poncho and overalls create a casual style. But, Wetherell makes it seem as though Caroline is literally going to fall over due to the heaviness of her clothing.

The second model, Molly, bends down as she looks off the screen. Molly brings a sense of playfulness to the shoot as her facial expression is somewhat confused yet she is twirling her hair. She is wearing multi-colored pants with a forest green stripe down the middle, a woolen hat, and a shorted pea coat. The dark November colors that pop out of this specific photo give the shoot a more fall feel. Even though Molly wears items on the lighter side, she is still preparing for the brisk fall weather.

The final image brings some fun into such a serious atmosphere. Wetherell captures Caroline in a simple pose where she is to her right but her head is turned towards the camera. Her half smile is a big improvement from the rest of the photos. The clothing is a bit simpler compared to the previous images. A simple blue button up is paired with a dark blue skirt. The shearling leather jacket and earmuffs adds a sense of warmth (during winter) to this photo. Although the backdrop is still white, Wetherell captures both the beauty of the clothing and the playfulness that is shown in the models.

-Stephanie Smith

Rag Report: The joy of neon

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

In the Feb. 2010 issue of Teen Vogue, photographer Miles Aldridge captured the excitement of neon in the editorial "Joy Ride."

Each photograph was lively and colorful. Neon has a reputation of looking cheap, but every piece in this photo spread was anything but. The shoot centered on accessories from well-known brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Diane Von Furstenburg — labels you wouldn’t expect to have a wild side!

 

Wild accessories in Teen Vogue Feb. 2010

The models eerily resembled Lady Gaga; an appropriate muse seeing as she’s a fashion risk-taker, but we've never seen her dressed-down. Although the pieces were high-end, they were casual, which is not very Gaga.

Teen Vogue Feb. 2010

While the photographs remain true to the theme, the shoot seemed to be created just for fun. The outfits looked like they were randomly thrown on the models and the whole spread appears sloppy.  Our eyes didn't appreciate its intensity.

An intense spread in Teen Vogue

The piles of hot pink, bright yellow, and electric purple made this feel more like a bad trip than a joy ride!

- by Lauren Dulay

Rag Report: It's time for a winter vacay

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness. 

In the December/January 2010 issue of Teen Vogue, photographer Lachlan Bailey takes our minds off the upcoming winter with the tropical themed photo shoot, "Escape Artist."

The fashion spread mixed nautical style with loud floral prints. The outfits themselves are simple, but the accessories are what pull the looks together. Many of the accessories are repeated throughout the shoot to show their versatility, such as the metallic Marc Jacobs platforms, the purple M&S Schmalberg flower pin, and the printed Prada scarf. 

Dec/Jan 2010 Teen Vogue's take on vacation-wear.

Overall the outfits are stylish, but the piece that caught our attention was the floral pants by Necessary Objects. While it went along with the tropical theme, high-waisted, bright floral capris can really only be rocked by a model!

Dec/Jan 2010 Teen Vogue.

With respect to the modeling, the first thing that comes to mind is legs, legs, legs. Every photo places emphasis on her mile-long stems with the garments’ short hemlines and the inferior camera angle.

The model showed great range by consistently altering her poses and facial expressions, while still remaining true to the theme.

Dec/Jan 2010 Teen Vogue.

Vacation is all about relaxing while still looking good, and this model certainly shows it.

- by Lauren Dulay