Despite the negative hype and controversy surrounding this particular K.Kloss shoot for Vogue IT, when looked at through open-minded, non-judgemental eyes, the simplistic yet provocative images capture a serene sense of strength and beautiful moments of power.
When aiming to push controversial limits and stereotypically boundaries, one will always fall subject to scrutiny, so by choosing to feature a lithe-like, elongated, mostly naked Karlie Kloss in her December 2011 issue, it’s no wonder Franca Sozzani has yet again found herself under the critic eye of the public, as they pick to pieces what was a simply beautiful representation of elegance and poise.
The drama surrounding the editorial stems from both Sozzani’s decision to un-publish one of the shots, removing it from the Vogue IT website, and the general public’s personal, unsupported opinions regarding Kloss’ health and figure.
“I did not remove the first picture from the site because I thought it set a bad example due to its thinness, but because I am aware of the fact that people can easily attach labels without thinking, so I believed I could avoid a pointless debate. I made a mistake. I had to do what I thought was right. [It would have been better to], leave the picture and let everybody express their opinion freely. The picture is beautiful and that’s all.” -Franca SozzaniIt’s not the first time experimental and provocative creative concepts in the fashion world have been ridiculed and wrongly miss-interpreted by the public, however as long as we have strong minded, greatly talented industry leaders, like Sozzani, prepared to fight for and defend what they believe, fashion will, as always, continue to cause controversy by challenging the notions of normality.
Images: Body by Kloss; Karlie Kloss by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia December 2011.
