Change is the word of the minute and that’s one thing we’re taking to heart. There’s something in the air that makes us think maybe, just maybe, the world is about to become a better place this fall. (The subtle message across this spread might explain our reasoning.) If ever there were an issue about new beginnings, this is it. We start things off with the megatalented and megabeautiful actress Brooke Shields, who took the reins on her life and career and never got blinded by the flash of fashion and Hollywood. She was shot by Scavullo at age 11 months, but somehow emerged to become the intelligent, clear-headed, freethinking adult we see before us. Child stars of today, take note. We also take a look back at where we came from, starting with a selection of Heroes who have defined the zeitgeist of the past fifty or so years and continue to inspire us on a daily basis. Yves Saint Laurent, one of our ultimate fashion heroes, passed away this June, leaving behind some of the greatest contributions to sartorial history. We always thought of Saint Laurent as a champion of all that was right with fashion—from the shattering of gender norms in the ’60s and ’70s to the propagation of black models on the runways (a subject that’s suddenly back on everyone’s lips).
We’re looking at fashion with some pretty sharp eyes this season. The message (as always) is anything goes. Mario Testino puts
supermodel Gisele in denim that’s shredded within an inch of its life. As the seethingly perfect Brazilian bombshell—now in her tenth year at the top—tells us in her interview, this is “how to wear denim without wearing denim.” Hedi Slimane picks up his SLR to shoot his first-ever women’s story for V. Suddenly it’s less about rock gods and more about rising superstar of the moment Heidi Mount, who puts forth her best Courtney Love impression. Sebastian Faena revisits the classic George Cukor film The Women, a remake of which is due out this fall. Here’s our very V take on the script, starring four supermodels we feel are fitting additions to the cast. Willy Vanderperre explores the new, darker direction in fashion with a tip of the hat to 19th-century Victoriana. And in an epic, two-day Manhattan shoot, Mario Sorrenti catches supermodel Naomi Campbell looking like an insane ’70s club kid released to the streets before dawn. It’s testament to the full-speed, balls-out mantra we live by.
There’s that ultraspecific look and feeling you’ve come to recognize as quintessentially V, which in this fast-changing world is becoming harder and harder to preserve. We like to think we’ve done a pretty bang-up job this time around, hopefully serving as inspiration to our fifty thousand readers to get out there and, in their own quiet way, leave their mark. Let this issue be the compass. Mr. V
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