Sunday, September 14, 2008

Having a Bit of Fun

It is no secret that I love fashion magazines. I subscribe to Vogue, Lucky, Teen Vogue and Domino (I count that as a fashion mag). And I usually pick up Elle, Bazaar, Marie Claire, British Elle and British Vogue every couple of months. It's a sickness, really, and an addiction, but they're all so glossy and fantastical that I can't help myself.

That being said, there are times when I become a little tired of the anorexic models, stilted photo shoots, and overly airbrushed/photoshopped ads. I was feeling this way the other evening while flipping through the September issue of Vogue. So I decided to take a sharpie to some of the pages and have a bit of fun.



Banana Republic must be one of the most inappropriate names for an American clothing store. People who live in a real banana republic wouldn't even be able to afford the button on the sweater below. Was "Absurdistan" and "Kangaroo Court" already taken as store names?


I can't imagine those shoes have much traction on a wet boat.


I have so many questions about the photo shoot below. Did Vogue pay for all those bruised apples? Did some lackey intern have to re-stack them? Why apples? Couldn't they have picked something more resilient, like sponges?


At times I feel that Marc Jacobs has become just like every other successful designer.


Ah, Naomi. So elegant and yet...

CL

PS: Thank you for all the great camping tips!!

37 comments:

Lisa said...

Haha thanks for the laugh!

Stephanie said...

Love it! You should make this a regular thing and do it every week or something.

Elizabeth said...

I remember when Amber held a baby Auden on a magazine cover. That was only a few short years ago!

Danika said...

Ha ha, "Absurdistan".
I could not understand the supermarket shoot, it seemed so elitest. . . oh September Vogue, and it's 11 lbs of crazy.

Anonymous said...

Very funny! I have such a huge problem with BR- but I think they sell mass market elitism so I'm sure they think their name is appropriate.

Songy said...

blimey they are funny. You're funny. thanks for the laugh.

LizBlair said...

Very funny. I agree that you should do these more often.

How was the campout?

Mare said...

I love your comments and illustrations. The Vogue grocery store ad is particularly off-putting to me on many levels. I often schlep to the store after work, but I can't relate to this ad, and don't even want to, as much as I'd love some Louboutin shoes...the woman eeriely resembles a Barbie doll, more than usual in this age of Photoshop, and her beatific smile about the apples is definitely inappropriate (and oh so realistic!). Instead, I'd prefer to see a grimace and both of them picking up the fruit. Your caption is perfect for what this ad is projecting.

Anonymous said...

This makes me think of the LOLModels that Jezebel had up a few months ago but more pointed and clever. The Marc Jacobs one especially makes me laugh because I've yet to figure out the appeal (other than being 'different') of those Juergen Teller ads.

Anonymous said...

what a fabulous post...i'll now see ads/editorial in a totally different light! so glad to see we're on the same page, i'm a huge fan of all conde nast books too!

Rebecca, A Clothes Horse said...

Ha-ha, this is hilarious. I really hated that first editorial--it was completely awkward and random.

Anonymous said...

Nice!

Do you remember when BR actually sold safari gear and t-shirts with grey elephants and giraffes on them? I think they even had those hard safari hats... or maybe they were just for merchandising purposes, along with the strappy leather suitcases.

And like, I know it's YSL, but what is with the hemline on those pants? :(

The kid in the grocery store has the best style of all.

Alya said...

This is hilarious! I really think u should do this often, and maybe start a blog where everyone can contribute their doodles of fashion pages.. (kinda like PostSecret, but on a fashion level)I know I would be interested!

this wheel's on fire said...

haha LOVE this! so funny & very true!

kittenmasks said...

hahahahaha, I love it.

Banana Republic is like the 20-30 Republican yuppies. Brooks Brothers is the most established Republican set. And with the woman and child in the grocery store, why do I feel like she's really saying, "Don't worry, honey, an exploited illegal immigrant will come and pick it up." Ack! The election season is making me so political!

Anonymous said...

ZOMG - best. post. evar! And I agree with Audrey, I really enjoy the way you ladies present fashion. It's not pretentious, and it's not just runway regurgitation (personal pet peeve on fashion sites) - my favorite posts in the past have shown one or two runway shots, then an outfit you've put together using the runway shots as inspiration. Anyone can repost runway shots and drool over Norwegian street fashion, but taking that input and actually doing something with it will keep me coming back.

Fashion Tidbits said...

you put a smile on my face! they should so print those ads :P

Ella Gregory said...

This is such a clever original idea! I love it! Should be a regular thing.

Sharon S said...

Hi girls-thanks for a good laugh, loving the fruit and veg and naomi ones the best!!

yiqin; said...

My clique used to call ourselves banana republic, till we found out that there really is a store called banana republic!

we wear things said...

this post and ya'lls comments definitely brighten my day!!

-issa

Always In Style said...

Totally hilarious...why haven't I done the same?!

Annie Spandex said...

Haha! I love it!

AsianCajuns said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone! I'm going to try to work on making this a regular thing. Stay tuned...

Stephanie, I think I will try to make this a regular post. If not weekly then maybe bi-weekly? We'll see!

Enc, yep, Vogue has a love affair with Amber.

Muriel and The Clothes Horse, I'm glad I wasn't the only one unimpressed with the September Vogue editorials.

Mare, I would love Vogue so much more if they had had an image of the two picking the fruit off the ground. You need to take Anna Wintour's job! Then you could have all the Louboutins you'd want!

Ambika, I don't understand why he won't use anything but that type of format for his ads. It almost seems lazy.

This Vignette, you are right about those YSL pants. I don't even think that length looks good on Naomi. And if she can't pull it off with her long legs, who can?

Audrey, we'd love to exchange links!

Alya, what a brilliant idea. This will definitely be in the works ;).

Miss A., my thoughts exactly!

Christian, thanks for the supportive words! Lauren and I feel so far removed from the high fashion world that we don't have a lot of desire to post about recent shows. I'll always be inspired by the RTW and Couture lines, but they'll never be the focus of this blog. I just can't relate to $3,000 dresses!

Cammila said...

This just made me laugh SO hard! They're perfect observations -- the stuff I'm ALWAYS thinking. Especially that guy in the suit on the....what is that, a fishing troller?!

WendyB said...

Love the grocery store one.

Unknown said...

This crcaked me up - esp. the "why so serious?" I love me some fashion mags, but I always have to wonder at the feigned serious, glum, morose expressions I see on half the models. jeesh, lighten up already.

FutureLint said...

I have been in a funk all day, thanks for the laughs.

TheSundayBest said...

These are flat out brilliant.

Miranda Sam said...

that was hilarious!

Anonymous said...

these are amazingly clever and funny; especially the apple one.
Thank you-

Romeika said...

You should do it more often, really!!! It turned out funny and critical at the same time, very intelligent.

meliindaa. said...

haha that made my day!

Dane said...

You are very funny, this post is great!

Silent shout said...

hah great pics!

Trendy Gourmandise said...

you are so funny ! lol

Terren said...

tommy hilfiger - LOL...thanks for making me snort out loud at work! :]