State Of Emergency
Vogue Italia September 2006
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Hilary Rhoda
Of all the flawless, lustrous images in the sphere of fashion editorial, something about Steven Meisel has lifted him from the realms of ‘fashion photographer’ to a position as the ‘Godfather of Fashion’. Over the past three decades, Meisel has made the careers of numerous ‘supers’ with his gift for polishing a rough diamond; he has defined eras of fashion; created advertising campaigns for every desirable luxury brand; and shot every cover of Italian Vogue since 1988. His work has long been the best example of perfect hyper-reality.
State of Emergency, Vogue Italia September 2006, is one of his most controversial fashion spreads to date. In true Meisel style, he offered a contentious new perspective to contemporary debates on terrorism, horrors of torture and excessive use of force.
My favourite of the series depicts model Hilary Rhoda, smoky-eyed and glamorously-dishevelled, in a shocking red dress, pinned to the floor by a perfectly polished toe-capped brogue-clad foot. Look a little closer, though, and you notice, this is no normal glossy image of a sensual brunette, draped with her back arched in luxury clothes. She, (although you would never know from her beautifully pained expression and the eerily staged stillness of the image), is being arrested by two perfectly clad policemen. Ones baton is jammed at her breastbone, his riot shield provocatively pinned between her legs revealing the inner thigh. The other looks over her, arms astride her shoulders, in a deeply unsettling move. The street, with its perfectly controlled blast of sunlight sweeping across looks like cardboard; an empty movie set facade.
Meisel is never one to shy away from a difficult topic. His work is often violent, uncomfortable and sexual. The series transforms this violence and subjugation into highly sexualised images, hidden behind the protection of fashion editorial. But, as a piece of social satire he successfully highlighted the issue of excessive force. And that’s all in a day’s work if you’re Steven Meisel.
State of Emergency, Vogue Italia September 2006, is one of his most controversial fashion spreads to date. In true Meisel style, he offered a contentious new perspective to contemporary debates on terrorism, horrors of torture and excessive use of force.
My favourite of the series depicts model Hilary Rhoda, smoky-eyed and glamorously-dishevelled, in a shocking red dress, pinned to the floor by a perfectly polished toe-capped brogue-clad foot. Look a little closer, though, and you notice, this is no normal glossy image of a sensual brunette, draped with her back arched in luxury clothes. She, (although you would never know from her beautifully pained expression and the eerily staged stillness of the image), is being arrested by two perfectly clad policemen. Ones baton is jammed at her breastbone, his riot shield provocatively pinned between her legs revealing the inner thigh. The other looks over her, arms astride her shoulders, in a deeply unsettling move. The street, with its perfectly controlled blast of sunlight sweeping across looks like cardboard; an empty movie set facade.
Meisel is never one to shy away from a difficult topic. His work is often violent, uncomfortable and sexual. The series transforms this violence and subjugation into highly sexualised images, hidden behind the protection of fashion editorial. But, as a piece of social satire he successfully highlighted the issue of excessive force. And that’s all in a day’s work if you’re Steven Meisel.
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