After a while, some fashion editorials can start to blend together: The same dramatic photography with a gorgeous model perched precariously on the page, maybe a crazy prop or two thrown in there too. So we like to bring you photo shoots that push the boundaries, from Peter Lindbergh’s artistic twist on fashion photography, to exotic locales like the Andes and South Africa. But this editorial of Miu Miu couture for Japan’s Spur magazine, shot by Marsa and modeled by Anna Konecna, stands out in a sea of ultra-edgy aesthetics.
If you’ve been browsing fashion blogs in the past couple of months, you’ve probably come across a mention of two of the “normcore” trend. Hipsters and fashionistas alike seem to have taken to an extreme casual style, epitomized by items like sagging light wash jeans and nondescript baseball caps in primary colors. Think “shopper-in-the-produce-aisle-of-Walmart-circa-1996.” In other words, not the most glamorous of styles, but definitely one with a bit of underlying cultural critique. So how does “normcore” fit in with the chic Prada subsidiary Miu Miu?
The elaborate designs modeled contrast completely with the stripped-down photography, as Konecna poses on a wooden stool with her hands folded awkwardly, the spongy pink backdrop behind her reminiscent of a middle school yearbook portrait. Photographer Marsa’s centered composition and lighting choices give off a Sears photo shoot vibe in the best possible way, placing pink fur coats and jewel-dripping cocktail dresses in a totally average context.
We’re reminded in a way of the Chanel “supermarket” runway show for F/W 2014, where models like Cara Delevingne strutted down an aisle of milk jugs emblazoned with those signature double C’s in her finest haute couture. When Karl Lagerfeld was asked his inspiration behind the decision to place his designs amidst a grocery store setting, he stated that, “it’s a modern statement for expensive things.”
And after checking out this Miu Miu editorial, from the pastel patent leather purses to the ’90s glamour-shot way that hair stylist Tetsu curled Anna Konecna’s golden waves, we’d have to say that we get exactly what Lagerfield’s talking about. And most importantly, we love it.
