The 2011 Vogue Calendar

For better or for worse, the former legendary 90s duo, Carine Roitfeld and Tom Ford, have reunited for the Vogue Paris' Noël edition. While Ford's latest fashion declarations, published in the magazine, promote a captivating diversity of beauty standards, Roitfeld seems unable to separate herself from the porno chic ghost of the past, resulting in a calendar that is, to say the least, disappointing.

In the fashion world, the calendar is often synonymous with a stylized strip tease; however, this does not mean that the easy way out, i.e. focusing on a top model's nudity to tick off the months of the year, is the way to go. Seduction can also mean subtlety beauty, and the unexpected, as the Pirelli calendar has successfully proven from time to time, particularly the edition shot by Patrick Demarchelier in 2008.

Unfortunately, under the pretext of a tacit authorization to play it Playboy, the Condé Nast and Pirelli publications lost themselves by choosing to emphasize a sterile eroticism. And what about the Vogue Paris calendar that just arrived in our mailboxes? Between a few Louis Vuitton jewels and Daria Werbowy's intimate parts unveiled, the pages testify to a brutal lack of artistry (as seen here and here). Daria is, as always, incontestably sublime, but her photos resemble some kind of crude version of a luxury jewelry campaign.

When we see the ability of Vogue U.S. to conceive of fascinating worlds under the watch of Grace Coddington, we have to admit the Parisian team definitely appears to be running in circles. When others are incessantly questioning what we wear, Vogue Paris seems to be bogged down in its desire to shock, and is using the most banal kind of nudity to do so. As a result, it is forgetting to address its main subject: fashion.

In conclusion, this calendar alone crystallizes Vogue's pseudo-hype drift that many may end up finding tiresome - if they haven't already.

©photo: Mikael Jansson