Designers In Wonderland

(Click for a close up)

Alice In Wonderland
Vogue (December 2003)
Photography by Anne Leibovitz
Modeling by Natalia Vodianova

The Alice In Wonderland fashion shoot concept has become somewhat of a cliché since this legendary editorial. However the imagery, and more importantly, the memory, of the story still retains a great power.

For many, the original novella by Lewis Carroll pertains to happy childhood memories and the wonderfully whimsical and dreamlike nature of the story's imagery. I have always found those nostalgic feelings towards the story somewhat odd considering its message. Indeed, the main theme of the writing is actually one of the loss of childhood innocence. Carroll conveys the ideas of the inherent loneliness of growing up, the confusing nature of the world and futhermore, the underlying reminders and inevitability of death around us. Yet there is something about this dichotomous pairing, between the sadness of growing up evoked within the story the invocation of childhood memories through the story itself, that gives such a magical power to the writing.

I would venture to guess that many would consider Tim Walker a more fitting photographer to shoot this concept, however in this case Anne Leibovitz provides the perfect answer. Her strength as a portrait photographer allows for the shots to have a clear focus on the individuals within the scene. Although the styling and setting is important to the overall concept, and indeed this proves to be beautifully coherent throughout, the main focus is clearly on the portraits. The individuals are not lost within the setting and concept, rather clearly defined and complimented. With Walker's photographic approach, he is far more suited to providing a complete shot with regards to clothing and setting. The model does not and should not take front stage in his photography, for indeed the magic is the image as a whole. As such I have a great respect for Leibovitz's concept and execution in this editorial - the results are simply stunning to behold.

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