Analysing Vogue

So I found this photo published by Vogue CS in April 2019 and the way it just jumped out at me and I just knew immediately that I had to look more into it and see the ideas and how the photographer came up with the idea.

So firstly I think all of us can see this, but you can get massive Black Swan vibes with the image. Like if the photographer were to say "oh I didn't think Black Swan" they'd be lying very hard. I mean when you think of Natalie Portman's portrayal of the character was always this strong and tough, you can even see this in the film poster. The way the model has the same expression of soft anger, something ballerinas are told to do, as they have to remain polished and elegant whilst still being a dark evil character. This combined with the dress the model is wearing, the combination of the feathers and the fact the dress is black allows Black Swan to be the first thought.

Looking more into the collection of photos from the Vogue shoot, there is strong denotations of a dark ballet use of imagery allowing the first thought I had about there being the connection of dance and movement, especially Black Swan, to be visible. For me, I become interested as to why the photographer, Grace Hartzel chose this concept for the main focus of the shoot. When you look at the overall collection there are still the denotations of ballet influence but the model seems to be supporting both genders uniform. With the model wearing a typically male outfit, with tights and a more style top seen in the 1500's, fit with padding and embellishments linking to what is worn by ballet dancers in the Swan Lake. To see this model dress in both dancers outfits creates a universal image that is expected of the modern era. We now have become used to the more androgynous looks seen in fashion, something that the ballet world has yet to do. I think this may have been the clear intention for Grace Hartzel, as she would have wanted this traditional form of dance to be more open the opportunity of there being a gender less roles in ballets, nothing like what is seen today.