I love a great editorial, especially when it is a plus size model in a high fashion magazine- such as Vogue. Enter in the current “it” plus size model, Robyn Lawley! You may remember her from Vogue Italia’s Belle Vere cover shoot; well Miss Lawley is at it again, this time making waves over at Vogue Australia!
Hopefully one day, we can bring this fabulous showcase of plus size fashion from across the pond and from down under to the US- yes? Am I being too wishful in my thinking here?
From Stylite, Editor in Chief, Kirstie Clements opens up about working with Robyn Lawley and plus size fashion:
“This is the first time Vogue Australia has shot a larger model and of course now that we have done it, I ask myself why we didn’t do it sooner. But that’s because Robyn is especially gorgeous. I went to the shoot to meet her and was transfixed by her beauty and poise. She is a truly super duper model. When a plus size model first turns up to the studio, she may be an anomaly to a team normally used to working with size 6’s, but once photographer Max Doyle started shooting Robyn, we quickly readjusted our preconceived notions of beauty. She doesn’t actually look plus size to me at all now. I said to a colleague on set later that day, “And men like curves don’t they?” He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yes Kirsty, we certainly do” was his laconic reply. It’s an interesting conversation – the world of high fashion and fuller-figured women. One that needs to be continued”.
Yes, I could not agree more! Well, without any further ado, here is the CURVE photo shoot with Robyn Lawley in Vogue Australia:
Robyn Lawley in First Vogue Australia Plus Size Spread
What is even greater in this shoot, is that Robyn Lawley is clothed. CLOTHED fashionably, edgy, sensually, AND giving me a bit of Miss Linda Evangelista! I dunno! BUT, this fact, even Robyn Lawley’s agent, Chelsea Bonner, the director of plus size-specialist agency Bella Model Management, sees this Vogue Australia editorial is an even sweeter victory than the Vogue Italia cover.
“The amazing thing about the VogueAustralia shoot is that they actually dressed her – went out and found these beautiful designer garments to wear” Bonner toldfrockwriter. “Which just proves the point that there is clothing available for plus size models to wear in high fashion, it just takes a little bit of extra effort to find them.Vogue Australia went to that effort and the results are incredible.”
Of the rollercoaster media ride that ensued in the wake of the Italian cover, Bonner adds, “It went viral worldwide, has been commented on in I don’t know how many hundreds of magazines, blog sites and newspapers. And it reflects, I think, definitely the shift in consumers. Women want to see more realistic-sized models in magazines. They’re screaming for it. The response that we had from Italian Voguewas absolutely out of control. But my personal opinion is that Australian Vogue has blown Italian Vogue out of the water because of the fact that it is a true fashion editorial – rather than having curvy girls in lingerie, like they normally do. It’s not just having a token plus size model. It’s a true fashion editorial.”
NOW, if only we could get the same love and feature in the US, I will be completely happy!
Robyn looks amazing!! She is an absolute delight, I can’t wait to see what she does next!
I LOVE it! And I am happy that she is wearing clothes! LOL
Robyn looks amazing!! She is an absolute delight, I can’t wait to see what she does next!
I absolutely adore the spread. It is beautiful, tasteful, classic clothing. She doesn’t seem plus-sized, and maybe she is just plus sized to Vogue (er… not size 0?) and I don’t think anyone deserves labelling, other than she is beautiful and elegant and I’m happy for the work she’s doing. I can’t think of a straight man alive that wouldn’t be willing to objectify her after looking at that spread, and I think if you told them she was “plus sized” they’d stop drooling momentarily, look at you with a dazed expression, “whuhhh?”, then just go back to drooling.
I am glad that Vogue is trying to push their tiny envelope, but dearies, you have quite a long way to go before you’re really including a significant portion of women’s body sizes and shapes. Go outside and walk down the street and experience the grand spectrum of female beauty out there. Consider there are verdant hills, and brazen desserts, crisp mountains, gentle plains, and raging oceans out there–and even if one or another isn’t your preferred cup of tea, certainly you can cherish their uniqueness and experience their splendor. In a moment, at a certain angle, with a certain dash of lighting and a certain drape of fabric, to find beauty in anyone. But you must look to see it, and if you’re so obtuse as to refuse to actually open your eyes and see the world and appreciate it’s wealth and wonder and gifts, well, you’re only hurting yourself.
I would like to see folks quit disclosing sizes, and if anything is necessary just disclose concrete measurements and have done with. 36-26-36 tells me far more than size 0, size 10, size 18, size 32 ever will.
While I’m cranking away on sizes–I hate it when you read reviews and they say something fit “true to size.” Most women don’t know their measurements–it’s why every website comes with an explanation how in their size charts. I think most reviewers just say true to size to mean “I picked the number I thought I was, and it turned out ok.”
wow she is beautiful! Love to see new faces in the plus fashion industry