Realness

HERCULES F/W 2010 

Photographed by Paola Kudacki and styled by Francesco Sourigues

The cover line reads "Real People, Real Style, Real Fashion" and I'm sold. It's not a secret that the fashion industry have been chided by outsiders for not having a sense of tolerance for people of different ethnicities, weight, or condition. It's ironic how an industry known for its creative minds and supposedly keeping an open mind for the new surreptitiously rejects what's not up to standards. Those standards of beauty, physicality and style set by supermodels and influential industry insiders. For the past few seasons, those standards are seemingly widening, becoming more flexible, forcing people to adapt and include, say, models with a darker pigmentation, or someone who is not a size 2 (more recently, Jean Paul Gaultier opened up his show with The Gossip's lead singer Beth Ditto, and if you seen her before, you know the girl doesn't look like a toothpick).

I love fashion magazines who push boundaries or even break rules. The ones who challenges us, society, to reanalyze what's beautiful? What's sex? What's photography? What's fashion? And as a result we visually absorb and open our minds to new ideas, then we accept another perspective. I believe one of the responsibilities a magazine should do besides informing, is to inspire its readers, to let their minds run free, and most importantly to dream. 

Hercules, to me, strives to do so. I have the previous issue (my first), which I wrote here and I felt in love with it. Not only there is thought-porvoking writing, but the marriage of photography and fashion are top notch. Their 2010 fall/winter issue is shot by Paola Kudacki and styled by Francesco Sourigues featuring my fav italian model Mariacarla Boscono and ballet star turned model Roberto Bolle. I love the hot pink background with the subjects clad in black (or should I say Roberto? Mariacarla seems to be butt naked). I don't know if you see it the way I see it, but the way the knee high boot is place between Roberto's legs and the way he's holding the bottom of the boot suggest of something very sexual, maybe foreplay. But I can't complain, I'm intrigued yet I love the sexual tension of the photo. 

Below check out the video of the issue directed by one of my favs photographers Mario Vivanco and art directed by the super talented Nicola Formichetti. Doesn't it look like a big circus of freaks? Well, the fashion industry is largely composed of freaks, and that's one of the reasons I find it appealing. I love the party theme, a lot of boobs, naked strippers, and of course lots of fashion. I'm most excited to see ladyfag, Arlenis Sosa and Doug Porter. All pictures from models.com