>> BLOWING THE COVER —Two blondes — Katrin Thormann and Toni Garrn — scored the Persona-inspired November 2008 Vogue Italia cover, and it sounds like Steven Meisel is on a blonde kick again for future issues: "five or six . . . blonde (and blonde-ish) girls — those fresh new faces that overlap with that certain coveted blue chip campaign — have all been flitting in out of LA for VI."  The new Prada girls, anyone? [TI]

>> IN THE LOOKING GLASS —The too-racy-for-Vogue Italia Steven Meisel spread that got picked up by V Magazine?  It has Anna Selezneva, Daul Kim, Iris Strubegger, and Naty Chabanenko participating in a little crotch-grabbing, a little voyeurism — it's definitely NSFW and is generally more tame than expected, based on the preview — see for yourself. [The Cut]

>> It's not often that Vogue Italia will shy away from a boundary-pushing Steven Meisel editorial — together, they've covered race, terrorism, plastic surgery, drug abuse — but apparently it stops when it comes to sex.

Earlier this year, Meisel shot a sexually-charged series of photos based on the UK trend of "dogging," in which couples engage in explicit activities in parked cars, parks, or other public places.  The project was supposedly set to be Vogue Italia's September 2008 cover story, complete with three-page foldout cover, but was pulled because it was "too much, too sexy, too over the top" according to a commenter on The Imagist.

Rumors swirled that the editorial was sentenced to limbo forever, and there was talk of W Magazine picking it up, but curious minds will be happy to know that it has landed in the new issue of V Magazine — 28 pages of model-filled images that mark Meisel's first — albeit inadvertent — shoot for the magazine.  As for the featured models, Daul Kim, Iris Strubegger, Anna Maria Jagodzinska, and Anna Selezneva are all said to be included, with at least one more unnamed girl involved.
*image: source

>> THE MODELIZER —Perennial redhead Olga Sherer just debuted a new hair color — burnished brunette — a change which was said to be encouraged after a brainstorm with Steven Meisel.  Speaking of Meisel, he's just put a limited-edition Meghan Collison puzzle on the market for preorder: $750 will get you 1,000 pieces of that beguiling patterned Vogue Italia edit, with a box signed by Meisel himself. [Of the Minute, Fashionista]

>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Those who enjoyed Liya Kebede and Raquel Zimmermann as Lanvin girls, cherish it while it lasts — they won't be back for Spring 2009.  Although no casts have been revealed, Steven Meisel shot the new Lanvin campaign in New York last week, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin shot Yves Saint Laurent a few weeks ago with a very "California" theme, Mario Testino is doing Versace in LA in early November, and Gucci will be photographed this week in Miami. [WWD]

*image: source

>> Steven Meisel's October 2008 "Natural High" editorial in Vogue has everyone talking.  Where else but Vogue would you see models in chubbies (not to be mistaken with chubby models) climbing up the steep side of a mountain, goat-style, clutching clutches and in super-high heels? Or what about Caroline Trentini, dangling over the side of a cliff? This one is just begging to be LOLVogued.
*image: source

>> INSIDER WIRE —Rumors are circling that Art + Commerce — the agency which represents the likes of Craig McDean, Steven Meisel, and Solve Sundsbo — is making a move to sign Hedi Slimane as a photographer.  Until now, he's worked without representation: Does this mean Hedi has officially traded clothing design for photography as his career of choice? [TI]

>> BLOWING THE COVER —With the exception of the July 2008 issue, Vogue Italia's cover stories have been very staid and buttoned up in the past few months — Linda Evangelista's turn as a duchess in June, the funereal tribute to Yves Saint Laurent in August — and so far, Viktoriya Sasonkina's September 2008 cover is no exception. Miuccia Prada's prim Fall 2008 collection must have really set Steven Meisel's mood for the past few months . . . [Women Management]

>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Introducing the first image from Lanvin's Fall 2008 ad campaign, with Liya Kebede and Raquel Zimmermann caught mid-motion on a dark city street, just as The New Yorker described it.  Hard to believe this was shot by Steven Meisel at Smashbox Studios in LA, eh? [TFS]