as if it could be the last edition I invest in. As a Scandi, it represents a world I don’t recognise. And it seems quite divorced from the Vogue brand I’ve come to know over decades in Great Britain. But still….welcome again to the weird and worthy world: Vogue Scandinavia featuring a Prince of Denmark.
If the aim is for the magazine to be thought provoking I’m sure it’s succeeding, but… On the cover of this February/March edition is a young man, the model grandson of the Queen of Denmark. Inside is a confusing mix of people interviews and male models dressing as women and vice versa.
Yes, times have changed – there’s a new chief editor in charge and he has made the magazine exciting, inclusive and readable to all generations. Missing from the magazine is the design power house that is Scandinavia. Instead we get out-there interviews, pandering to agendas.
But let’s start with the things we like about this fourth edition.
Edvard Munch’s Muse: Where Art and Fashion Blend
This is one of our favourite pieces in this edition of Vogue Scandinavia. Possibly, though, it borders on pretentiousness. Indeed, fashion has to push boundaries and therefore, as Munch lovers, we find this idea quite cute.
Oslo’s Munchmuseet in Norway has been re-vamped so the fashion department at Scandi Vogue has created a story around the screaming characters in the Norwegian master painter’s work.
It’s a clever idea, playing with heavy, dark, moody make up and clothes that resemble the outfits in his masterpieces. The message of the fashion piece, I wonder? The feature reflects the anxious times we live in today – just like Munch presented in his iconic painting The Scream.
In Control: Zadig &Voltaire Creative Director Celicia Bönström
There’s a profile of Swedish creative director of French fashion Zadig&Voltaire, Cecilia Bönström on living alone and being in control.
She says of herself: “I’m a Scandinavian girl with a very pure aesthetic and simple needs.” Bönström’s donned a ‘cool’ t-shirts even though Vogue offered her a full team for her shoot, but she preferred to leave her hair natural and to do her own barely-there makeup.
Gone Fishing: Off with Makeup and on with the Waders
Another fun favourite piece is gone Fishing. A group of women have cast aside their Manolos for waders and gone fly fishing. It’s a terrific activity, newly discovered not only by us but one that’s quietly becoming a trend among Scandi women.
Explains writer Eliza Sörman Nilsson: “I soon discovered that fly fishing is more than casting a line. The magic doesn’t lie in the outcome. Like many things in life, it lies in the experience.”
There’s plenty to get your teeth into in this wonderfully weird and worthy world. But if you like a good Scandi and were expecting avant garde interiors and on trend gift ideas you’ll probably be disappointed. No glitzy product pages, even. Scandi shops are bursting with fab, photogenic design pieces, but you won’t find them in Vogue Scandinavia?
Weird and worthy world: Vogue Scandinavia – born and red?
Born and Red – “Red hair, that vibrant hue, at long last gets it due” says VS… Well, everybody’s been writing about red hair for decades… But here Swedish model Sabina Karlsson pens a personal essay about growing up red in a sea of blondes.
Perhaps the articcle is worth a read…It sounds deep and intense like the rest of the magazine. It could be an interesting read, but it could also be 20 minutes I’ll never get back!
The image above features the Danish Prince Nikolai in pink and red clothes behind a shadow (a previous VS issue featured Danish supermodel Helena Christensen). The other model is a tran in a Balenciaga jacket and necklace by Motley.
All well and good, but…… where are the product pages? Farvel Weird and worthy world: Vogue Scandinavia….