Tsarine Daria
Vogue Paris April 2010
Daria Werbowy by David Sims
Vogue Paris' loyalty to Daria is unfaltering and I am always excited to hear of a new collaboration between the magazine and model. Tsarine Daria is not an exception to the past hits this collaboration has produced. Maybe the powers that be have heard the countless pleas to switch up the photography teams - Inez and Vinoodh are not behind this series of photos but rather David Sims. By now I'm familiar with his aesthetic, studio shots interspersed with location shots. It provides for an interesting narrative and a variation of pictures.
I should give David Sims more credit than I let on. Although I don't think he can produce images like Bruce Weber or Mario Sorrenti he does manage to shoot beautiful portraits like the first, third and fifth images. I was expecting something brighter and livelier for such a Russian sounding title, but I loved the pared down simplicity in most of these shots. Daria is stoic and simple, and makes for a great Tsarina. My only garb about this editorial, because yes, there always needs to be one, is the last picture in the nude. Its just photo-shop done particularly bad, and coupled with an awkward pose that makes for a weird picture. But other than that this editorial is the latest in a great year of images.
image credit: scans by elsaskywaler at tFS
Oh my god. She is the best model in the world. I love how she can still make the frizzy hair look work and look sooooooo classy and nice.
ReplyDeleteAcutally I love the fifth one, and the one where she's in the whole Russian get up. I was really hoping this ed to be just a splash of colour but it works in it's own muted way as Tinsley has pointed out. Daria looks different somehow, what a difference a strong brow makes! And I much prefer Sorrenti to Testino.
ReplyDeleteI know eh, the strong brow looks great on Daria! I don't know if its just me but she looks a little Aboriginal/First Nations with the clothes, hair and makeup ...
ReplyDeleteI used to hate on Testino so much but he's gotten better with time and produced some interesting shoots. Anna Wintour doesn't really use the Testino/Daria combo much in Vogue anymore.
But I'd pick Sorrenti over Testino in a heartbeat!
I not much of a fan of Vogue US, I find American fashion to be quite overstated and their concepts too obvious and much prefer the subtlety of VP. I just watched 'The September Issue' on DVD and don't know whether or not I like Anna.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Testino will grow on me in time (although time is running out, what with Daria retiring in another year or so). What will you do then? Wanderlust and Independance Girl are among my favourite eds.
I watched the September Issue a while back, quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlthough US Vogue may not be as risqué or groundbreaking as other Vogues its not that bad in its own right. I think I rag on it too much. Its one of the very few fashion magazines that I thoroughly read every month. What they're lacking in photo content is usually made up in the writing.
Oh no, don't mention Daria retiring! I can only hope she will be like Yasmin Le Bon. Retire every few months or so and then keep making comebacks :P Who knows, maybe there will be another model I will blog on ... although I can't think of any that would really motivate me to!