le s m o k i n g : milla & sasha

 {edit: Please do take into account that I have used “le smoking” only as an attempt to be clever with words – I do know that “le smoking” is a reference to YSL’s tuxedos for the woman. By “le smoking” I only attempt to reference the smokey eyes and usage of cigarettes for glamorous editorial. }

{Milla & Sasha // Vogue Italia July 2009 // ph: Ellen von Unwerth // models: Milla Jovovich & Sasha Pivovarova // image source: t h e f a s h i o n s p o t }

I must confess that I have never been a fan of Milla Jovovich or Sasha Pivovarova, as I have always regarded them as simply average. And yet I find this editorial strangely alluring, ranking as one of my [many] favorites. The mixture of black and white photography with images of highly saturated, rich colors is quite the lovely contrast – a feast for the eyes. And any editorial referencing that old-school Hollywood glamorousness, by way of perfect curls and pin-up girls is indeed fabulous. Especially if shot by Ellen von Unwerth.

Another confession: I am quite the hypocrite. I absolutely despise smoking and cigarettes and the likes, but I cannot help but admit that a bit of le smoking injected into a fashion spread looks all the more vintage-ly glamorous. (And yes, I did just concoct a new adjective simply for my own perusal.) I am in love with the first black and white photograph of Milla; the perfect waves, the dark eyes, pea coat, and cigarette do make it look authentic and oh-so-luxurious. A look I can only wish to channel every day: the classic sophisticate with demure sensuality. Sans the cigarette in my mouth, of course.

And to be able to wear a sheer skirt like Sasha would be a feat in itself. In any other case such a piece would have been either tacky or simply trashy. But somehow, whether it be the angle of the shot, or the lighting, or the supermodel’s position, she looks elegant. Disheveled, yes, but nonetheless feminine and sophisticated. A shoulder of the blouse fallen, eyes vividly purple but slightly smudged, and stockings peeking through evokes, once again, demure sensuality – a characteristic epitomizing the ideal 1940s and 1950s.

By the third photograph it is apparent that this womanly sensuality is the running theme of the shoot, beautifully captured in different ways: first through the ever-classic vintage Hollywood glamour, then through the fantasy of a conservative yet naughty secretary, and then rather explicitly in a black lace lingerie-clad Sasha. This time all conservative ideals were shed – literally – to reveal an uninhibited portrayal of a woman’s sex appeal: the black mesh bra, the lace bodysuit, the satin pumps. Sex on heels, again quite literally, depicted in a black and white shot. 

The fourth is of Milla, ending the procession of a decrease of apparel with a vintage, yet more modern take on women. She is the pin-up, the smokey-eyed woman with the full lips and a head full of voluminous curls, the one dressed in a body-conscious dress, perched rather seductively on the steps. A bit siren-like, if you’d like, and undeniably so.

And oh, I should not mind a bit living entirely like this. Le smoking  h a u t e , with black lace lingerie beneath.

bisous,

La C.

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