At first glance, seeing Karlie Kloss, Chanel Iman, and Arizona Muse next to Hurricane Sandy first responders feels a bit...incongruous, like the Vogue shoot is trying to glam up the crucial, hard-working, and decidedly unglamorous heroes. But as the Annie Leibowitz-shot spread continues, with the three atop a Coast Guard boat, or coddling babies at the Bellevue Neo-Natal Unit, it is clear the spread is less about sugar-coating tragedy, and more about New York fashion uniting to support the cause.
Photo: Courtesy of Vogue
The shoot is accompanied with first-hand accounts of the tragedy from the first responders (like how NYPD’s Special Operations Division pulled people from atop of homes), while the girls do their best to model all New York designers and integrate into each scene. Yes, it is definitely possible to argue that the presence of the girls lessens the power of the emergency guardians, but this is a fashion magazine, after all, and there is a certain kind of honor that comes with being paid a visit by any national magazine, including Vogue. Also, the magazine (along with a good chunk of the American fashion industry) was affected by — and rallied after — the storm, too.Sure, Karlie Kloss in a power station wearing an incredible, voluminous, Oscar De La Renta duchesse-satin gown may direct attention away from the peril of the storm, but to us, this feels more like a timely tribute, and less of a Vogue-ification of a national tragedy. Besides, it's a lot more appropriate than hunting for "a lovely, slender female paratrooper." Head to Vogue to see all the girls (including Arizona Muse) and the emergency workers. (Vogue)
Photo: Courtesy of Vogue