>> The 96-page September issue insert The Imagist teased back in June turned out to be for V: Paul Rowland, founder of Women and Supreme agencies, photographed 19 of his models in studio back in April with help from stylist Nicholas Grasa.  His inspirations were "Joel-Peter Witkin, paganism, mysticism, vampires, witches — all the things I love," and V has a video of the shoot in action, which required Hannelore Knuts to have raw meat draped over her chest and the rope holding it together lit on fire on both ends. The supplement will be available with V61 in select cities. 

Maybe this whole project is the start of a move into a new arena for Rowland?  As V puts it: "Rowland, whose lavish and intricate agency show packages are the talk of the industry each season, has a creative verve that extends beyond model agency moving and shaking, and into photography and fine art. After this outing, however, he might need his own magazine as well."

>> Some thought that Vogue Paris's August 2009 cover with Daria Werbowy all decked out in Burberry check looked too blatantly like an advertisement, but in the context of Inez van Lamweerde and Vinoodh Matadin's 65-page accompanying editorial inside — with a plethora of models, each embodying a different brand's identity — it all makes sense.  

It's a few of the magazine's usual suspects — Anja Rubik doing Gucci's "glam star" in fauxhawk, Kamila Filipcikova striking an eyepopping McQueen silhouette — plus a few new faces like Regina Feoktistova and Ranya Mordanova in Gianfranco Ferre and Junya Watanabe, respectively.  The trifecta of stylists that produced these images — Joe McKenna, Emmanuelle Alt, Carine Roitfeld — prove that there is creativity to be found within the bounds of a studio shoot, after all.

Full editorial here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; gallery below NSFW.

>> The wait is over.  The May 2009 issue of Vogue, wholly dedicated to models in anticipation of this year's Model as Muse Costume Insitute Gala next month has debuted, and Liya Kebede, Natalia Vodianova, Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Isabeli Fontana, Lara Stone, Jourdan Dunn, Raquel Zimmermann, Caroline Trentini,and Natasha Poly all made the final cut, wearing what appears to be Rodarte.  This cover, shot by Steven Meisel, is notable not only because of its subjects, but because it marks the third consecutive cover to feature a woman of color on the front.  

Inside, Natalia Vodianova, who has been called "the Baby" by Steven Meisel and makeup artist Pat McGrath since they starting working with her, collaborated with them again on a tribute editorial to models past, from Twiggy to Dovima, similar to the one Gisele Bundchen did for Harper's Bazaar last month.  The key to Natalia's chameleon act?  "I looked at each woman's lips — they're all different."
*image: source, source, source

>> Rag & Bone always attracts the legions — last season there was enough trouble filing in when the show space was the vast Pier 94; this season, the crowd had to push and shove their way through the two small double doors of Cedar Lake Ballet Theater, and a number of people who were supposed to have seats were forced to stand.  While the rest of us were bumped and budged, immobile, Julia Restoin Roitfeld knew how to conquer the immovable best — just after she waved hello to Genevieve Jones, a tall, modelesque man parted the crowd with an "Excuse me, I'm late for the show."  Presumably, everyone assumed he was a model trying to get backstage fifteen minutes after the show was scheduled to start.  Julia saw him and latched onto his elbow with a "Hey, Zack, I'm going to use you as an excuse to get through."  And with that, she was in — the rest of us still in the same place.  Turns out, the guy wasn't even in the show.

But Edita Vilkeviciute was, and Isabeli Fontana — who closed — Diana Farkhullina and Sigrid Agren — all new faces, in addition to Rag & Bone perennial favorites like Coco Rocha, Lily Donaldson, Sasha Pivovarova, Jessica Stam, and Julia Stegner.  The label's usual palette of navy, black, and gray was in place, with some unexpected pops of red in a flower brooch here, in an obi belt there.  Marcus Wainwright and David Neville worked with a different stylist this season — Tabitha Simmons — and she helped them take it to a new level — the chain mail detailing on a hem or peeking out under a jacket was an especially unique touch.
*image: source

>> Deep in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, photographer Peter Beard directed Mariacarla Boscono and Malgosia Bela to "show me fun" as they mucked through an algae-covered swamp in May.  "Does it feel nice?" he asked Malgosia, who was submerged up to her waist in the goo. "It's nice," she replied, bringing her green hands up to her face.

The finished product — the 2009 Pirelli calendar — debuted yesterday, and you can see the whole thing here (NSFW), but it didn't come without the model cast (Rianne Ten Haken, Isabeli Fontana, Kemp Muhl, Daria Werbowy, Lara Stone, and Emanuela de Paula in addition to Mariacarla and Malgosia) going out on a limb — literally: one shot features a number of them posing nude way up in a bare tree.  And they weren't always so comfortable — a big bug was placed on Isabeli's face, and though Peter directs, "Eyes open!  Eyes open!" she visibly flinches, "I can't."

Gallery is NSFW.
*image: source