I sometimes cannot help but be a little amused by Vogue China finding a reason to celebrate some kind of anniversary almost every other issue. But at least this results in them trying to frequently produce ‘special’ content that rarely disappoints. This month, Vogue China celebrates its 100th issue. The cover and all the fashion editorials were shot by Mario Testino. The cover star is model and actress Shu Qi, and the image itself seems to be heavily inspired by an iconic shot by Irving Penn (for the cover of the June issue of British Vogue with Jean Patchett in the year 1950), which featured a similar pose and similar styling, as Jelavender pointed out.
The opinions expressed on the tFS forums about the cover shot were divided.
“WOW that’s a very striking shot! This [has] got to be Testino’s best work in months, this is such a powerful image, LOVE IT!” exclaimed miguelalmeida.
And testinofan lived up to his name and gushed, “WOOOW looks so fantastic, great cover!!”
Several members failed to see anything good or special or about the cover.
Chanelh posted, “OMG…what a horrible cover, it looks so fake and unnatural….this is what they got with Mario Testino for their 100th issue? Such a disaster and disappointment.”
And gossiping agreed but blamed Testino. “Bad cover, to be expected from Mario Testino though,” she commented.
Personally, I am undecided about the cover shot. It has almost become Testino’s signature style to make human beings in his photography look unreal and retouched beyond recognition. However, I find that it suits the idea here. But is Testino really the best person to create a special issue for Vogue China?
