ITALIAN VOGUE: “A HALF AND HALF ISSUE”

So we just can’t quit this Italian Vogue discussion.

After flipping through it a few times we have decided that it is not the black issue, but the half & half issue.

This is because the Italian Vogue “A Black Issue” contains a serious disconnect between the editorial and the advertisements. SO much so that it is damn near comical.

We wondered what a thorough dissection of the issue would bring about. So we set out to analyze the issue. Now we know that the editorial and the advertisements are two separate entities in the magazine world, but you would think that the advertisers would use “A Black Issue” to embrace the groundbreaking trend of Italian Vogue’s editorial. They didn’t.

The issue itself put to rest the idea that black models won’t move issues. It was Italian Vogues best selling issue ever and their first ever re-print. We hail editor in chief Franca Sozzani’s response to critics even before the issue came out. She said, “Maybe in our country it is not the best idea. But I don’t care. I think it is not my problem if they don’t like it — it’s their problem.” We can’t help but wonder why American Vogue didn’t think of this idea first? Or even contemplate it now? Pity, it might actually make them relevant again.

SO, to better analyze the situation we enlisted the help of a fresh pack of square 3×3 post-its (in neon colors!). We decided to post one post-it on each ad. We quickly realized we should start tearing up the post-its in order to conserve.

First let’s look ad the ad breakdown.

We counted 75 ads cover to cover. This was 75 advertisement campaigns, not ad pages. Some ads were one page, others up to eight pages. Right now we’re referring to the ads, not the pages (which we’ll get to).

Out of 75 ads, we counted (get this!), 3 ads featuring black models!!!

Yes. Three.

All of the other ads featured white models or products with no models.

Now after recovering from this shock we went back to count ad pages.

Brace yourselves.

Out of 152 ad pages, we counted 12 pages featuring black models.

So that’s:

• 75 Ads Total
• 3 ads of black models
• 152 ad pages
• 12 ad pages of black models

Vogue Italia’s All Black Issue opens with a pull out spread of the four cover models.

And that is where the Black Issue stops and the Half & Half issue begins. The lead-in ad right after the pull-out cover is a Valentino ad. Valentino matches them with a pull out ad of four white girls plus a white guy just for extra measure. Valentino then goes on for four more pages of all white models for a grand total of a nine-page ad with zero non-white models. Oh dear…this isn’t starting out very well.

The next point brought up was just what exactly did “The Black Issue” mean?

THE BLACK CLOTHING ISSUE

Some ads featured exclusively black clothing rather than black models, begging us to ask if they were confused about the terms ‘A Black Issue’. They must’ve thought it was an all black clothing issue. Silly advertisers!

These offenders included:

Other offenders included “She’s So” dressing a caucasion model in two different all black outfits making the contrast even more poignant. “She’s So” what?, we wondered…so damn white! We know!

Other big fans of the all black, white model look included Flavio Castellani:

DIOR, WTF?!?!:

John Richmond was also confused by ‘A Black Issue’ put a white model in all black clothing. You can’t make this stuff up people:

Giuseppe Zanotti Design page 218

Another advertiser thought the All Black Issue was a morbid erference to death. Isolamarras dressed their white model up in a black funeral outfit complete with wilting roses and an urn. You can’t make this sh*t up people!

MCM was also in on the all black issue confusion. You would think Mode Creation Munich (MCM) of all people would have it easy. You just had this guy as basically an all over ad for you guys.

Carlotivioli must have received the wrong memo as well:

As did Max Mara:

And Sport Max:

Stefanel:

Swiss-Chriss:

Gianfranco Ferre–Three white models, all black clothing, 0 black models, way to go!:

Sasch:

Gilli:

ALL WHITE CLOTHING

The next set of ads we rounded up took the opposite route and completley disregarded the all black issue by featuring all white clothing, with all white models, natch! Wow advertisers! Way to stick to your guns.

The perpetrators involved include:

John Richmond, again! Guess they wanted to cover all bases, sort of.

Ermanno Scervino also went in the all white direction:

As did L’epetto:

Bonaveri managed to feature neither black or white clothing. In fact, no clothing at all, just a white mannequinn. That ish was bold, Bonaveri! Page 190.

THE COLORISTS

Our next category of ads, we refer to as the colorists. These inventful folks manage to make use of every color, except for black models.

Who’s Who features the same girl in four different colorful outfits and they have the nerve to say Who’s Who. What do you mean “Who’s Who?” They all look like the same damn white chick to us!

Kalliste”

Ermanno Scervino, yet again:

Alessandro Dell’Acqua:

Piazza Sempione:

Paul Smith:

BODY PARTS

The next set of ads featured just certain parts of models. But enough to see that they are not black.

Alberto Biani has to have to most humurous one of all featuring two models showing mostly the clothing, with just the hands and neck exposed just enought to reveal white skin. Gotta love it. Look for it on pages 138-139.

Another one of our favorites is SYJ Sweet Years Jeans. They feature a barely there caucasian booty in a pair of jeans. WTF, Sweet Years Jeans! Italian Vogue damn near threw you a bone on that one, and you still eff’d it up!

PRODUCTS

The next category of ad offenders are the products that decided to take the easy road and just leave models out altogether. Looks like showing no models is better than showing black models.

These perpetrators include:

Mercedes-Benz:

De Grisogono– They decide to leave out models all together and just feature jewelry being worn by no one. Page 33.

Yuman has no need for models either:

Sub-Zero, because a Black Issue must mean black products. Close, not so much:

THE WINNERS

This category manages to hit the ball dead on with the use of black models.

Pinko manages to get it right with a six page spread featuring Naomi Campbell. The ad is almost hidden as an editorial, but it’s an ad.

Yamamay also gets it right with a black model in a swimsuit.

Quodlibet gets it sort of right, with one black model for every two white girls. That’s a better ratio than most of the ads that have a ratio of no black models for every white model.

So what have we learned from this edition of Italian Vogue? That the ad industry is stuck in a time warp and can’t get things right even if handed to them on a silver platter? Yes. It’s good and all that Italian Vogue stepped up to the plate with this ground breaking issue, but glaring lack of black models featured in ads shows one of the roots problems of “The Black Issue”.