Search This Blog

TALK FASHION ARCHIVE

Monday, March 31, 2014

3 Reasons Anne Wintour Should Regret KIMYE Cover

                          

Unless you live under a rock, you have heard about the public outrage over Kim Kardashian and Kanye West cover debut on Vogue. Anne Wintour has publicly stated, “As for the cover, my opinion is that it is both charming and touching, and it was, I should add, entirely our idea to do it; you may have read that Kanye begged me to put his fiancee on Vogue‘s cover. He did nothing of the sort. The gossip might make better reading, but the simple fact of the matter is that it isn’t true.”

We all know, Anne Wintour is a shrewd business woman and the Kardashian/Kanye cover was strategically all about business. After all, the couples' combined social media power is around 30 million where as Vogue's number hits around 3.6 million. Wintour, is more than aware Kardashian is not a fit for the brands label, but in many ways, sold her fashion soul, in pursuit to sell more magazines. 

3 Reasons Anne Wintour should have thought twice about KIMYE cover.
1.)The backlash
The public is outraged. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar led the charge with a tweet that read “Well……I guess I’m canceling my Vogue subscription. Who is with me???” Gellar’s call for a boycott has been retweeted over 8,000 times and favorited by more than 11,000 people. Vogue’s Facebook page has been flooded with angry messages  and cries of disappointment. One comment reading, I’m done with Vogue. Subscription cancelled sick to death of Kanye and Kim used to be high fashion, your standards have been highly compromised!!!!!!”

2.)Vogue As a Brand

Vogue is perhaps one of the few if not the only fashion magazines left, that represent high fashion as an art form. With genius photographer Annie Leibovitz as their right hand,  month after month, the readers of this esteemed magazine have been left awed by the beautiful creations on the pages of Vogue. The keyword is ART, and Vogue has been respected for their taste, choices, and expression of  fashion as a brand of quality.



The placement  of Kim on the cover cheapens their principles simply because she is an icon for "popularity". She has been documented on her own reality show, letting her now fiance, Kanye, completely remodel her image. He basically dresses her like a doll, and directs her entire wardrobe, buying her new ones that he believes suitable. Yes, they represent current pop culture, but whether it is a "positive" representation, I would have to plead the 5 th. The day fashion is lead and inspired by whoever has the most twitter followers is a sad and funny day indeed.





3. The death of Vogue?

Of course, despite all the outrage, this will not be the end of Vogue, nor Anne Wintour. In fact, it might have even boosted their sales. The fear lies, in the direction Wintour plans on taking this magazine. 

Wintour wrote, "Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue, one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it. I think we can all agree on the fact that that role is currently being played by Kim and Kanye to a T."

Although, Wintour writes beautifully, it is basically applauding what is popular, simply for being popular. If she honestly believes Kardashian and Kanye define our culture at the given moment, and are the biggest influencers of our time, we are seriously a pathetic species. 

For the sake of fashion, it is my hope Anne Wintour regains her Fashion Soul and remembers the esteem and respect attached to VOGUE. 

There will always come a point, where you will be tempted to gain power and numbers but, none of that should ever outweigh the value of ART and the need for it in our society. 

Why we love VOGUE:







25 comments:

  1. Great post! i absolutely share your opinion! and i really think that maybe not the end, but another time has started for vogue.. all our fashion blogs and stuff like that changed the business so much and made it more social - which is great.

    xx Cécile

    now-then-forever.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Cecile,

      Thank you for commenting. You are right social media and fashion blogs have changed the course of fashion. Which is even more reason, subscriptions like, Vogue, should maintain their standards.
      x

      Delete
  2. Couldn't agree more!
    When I first heard that Kim and Kayne were on the cover I was shocked.
    Phoebe.
    www.thinkfab.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi phoebe,

      lol. i know. can you believe annie leibovitz shot the the photo? Not her best work. x

      Delete
  3. For me Vogue will be always the top one

    http://labloguerapelirroja.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi celia,

      Vogue is lucky to have such a loyal subscriber!

      Delete
  4. Agree with your post completely! Also, the photographs and accompanying article were not up to expected Vogue standards (yes, I read it, I have a subscription and wanted to form my own opinion). If kimye is going to be in Vogue at least do a full Vogue fantasy spread. There were garbage bags visible in the garage shot! Between this and Architectural Digest displaying Ken Falk's place with a grotesque giraffe torso mounted above his fireplace- my subscriptions are seriously letting me down this month!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi lauren,
      Im pretty sure kimye did not get a full vogue fantasy spread simply because they're purpose wasn't for fashion. They were put on the cover to cause controversy and hopefully sell a lot of magazines. I guess all we hope is not many magazines were sold this month, or else, these type of issues will become more frequent. Thanks for commenting. x

      Delete
  5. I've always loved the artworks Vogue provided! I agrre with what you wrote and hope to see things getting back to the way they were.
    When you wrote:"If she honestly believes Kardashian and Kanye define our culture at the given moment, and are the biggest influencers of our time, we are seriously a pathetic species." I couldn't agree more and I do feel a bit sad at the same time.
    Beautiful way to write your opinion.

    http://momodicted.blogspot.pt/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alexandra!
      thank you for your comment! Yes it is a bit sad, but it is comforting to know that so many people are disappointed and feel the same. There is hope after all. x

      Delete
  6. Totally agree with you here... Kimye are completely off brand for Vogue. It's got us all talking about it though I guess
    http://www.thefashionlesslife.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi beth,
      i think it is fantastic that it has got us all talking! It shows how many people do really like quality, and maybe if our voice is loud enough, it will cause somel change for the future. x

      Delete
  7. Great post, totally agree with you. The image of Vogue has been changed. Sad days for art, lifestyle and fashion. I hope more people come across your post.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello. I just wanted to know that I nominated you for Very Inspiring Blogger Award! You can check it out here: http://destinedlifestyle.blogspot.com/2014/04/very-inspiring-blogger-award.html .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello destined lifestyle,
      thank you for the nomination! I appreciate it very much. x

      Delete
  9. This article is a work of Art and brings to light some very valid points. Putting Kanye and Kim on the cover of Vogue was a risk and probably just another way for a brand to gain more social media publicity. Maybe this was the reaction she wanted? It's sad, nowadays the only things that seem to matter are who has the highest number of social media followers, who's making the most money, who produces the most viral features, etc. They both are popular and somewhat influential in their specific field of work but I think she is giving Kim and Kanye more credit than they deserve.
    Olive Needs Popeye

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jho R!
      Thank you for sch a wonderful comment!
      I think you are exactly right,Wintour is known for her controversial covers, and I think she was just looking for a way to "spice" things up. I just wished she could have picked someone who accomplished more in life.
      Isn't it amazing how life has turned into one big popularity contest? Forget quality or talent, do you have media "follower"? That is the million dollar question. x

      Delete
  10. thanks for following my blog! i'm glad you like it!
    good post haha but i actually quite like the cover!

    xx

    skadiida.blogspot.com
    london, lifestyle, music, fashion

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I totally agree with your points! I was very disappointed by the Kimey cover and really I hope that Anne Wintour realizes her mistake and never repeats it again.
    Thank you for following my blog!

    xo,
    Colette | Skattered Notes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi colette,

      Thank you for your comment. I too, hope Wintour has a change of heart for the future of VOGUE. take care sweety. x

      Delete
  13. I totally agree with you! I understand how the cover could affect Vogue's audience and future and although it wasn't the best choice to put Kimye on the cover, I know that Anne Wintour has some master plan under her sleeve. She knows what she's doing. Great write!

    Much love,

    Angie
    Fashion Freedom
    www.fshnfrdm.com

    ReplyDelete