A couple weeks ago I wrote about how Tavi Gevinson would be contributing a piece to Harper's Bazaar and how I worried that the integrity of the magazine might be compromised by this unusual addition. I did, however, insist that I would read her piece with an open and curious mind when the January issue finally arrived in my mailbox. Well, the issue has arrived (with a dazzling cover featuring Kate Hudson, I might add) and I have kept my promise.I just wish Bazaar would have given us more to absorb. The piece, titled "Tavi's Take," is so short that I could neither get a sense of her writing style (edited, of course), nor fully access her ability to review the fashion collections. So, I was disappointed that Bazaar did not give its readers more exposure to the young blogger, actually. I'm surprised that I just typed that last sentence, but it's true.
In the brief intro to the very brief article, Tavi introduced herself and explained that she had only been blogging since March of 2008. Therefore, she has only really been following fashion since March of 2008. What could someone who hasn't even been following fashion for two years (??!!!??!!) possibly have to say about the collections that would be of interest to the highly fashion-literate readers of Harper's Bazaar? Well, not terribly much in this case. Tavi wrote that the Spring 2010 collections were all about being an individual. OK. "Don't get caught up in what other people think," she suggested. OK. Not exactly ground-breaking reflections, but we'll take it. That advice is certainly true when it comes to her own personal style, which, as I have said before, is honestly refreshing and original. The late Isabella Blow or fashion eccentric Lynn Yaeger would both be proud.
Anyhow, back to the collections. Not surprisingly, her favorite collection for next spring was presented by Rodarte, the label which "discovered" the young blogger and custom-made tights and other delights for her. She also briefly touched upon collections from Viktor & Rolf, Jil Sander, Francisco Costa, and Miu Miu. Nothing ground-breaking, though.
All in all, I was left disappointed with the piece, but only because it was so short. Couldn't Bazaar have given her a little more space? I want to know if she really is potential Carmel Snow material, or just a passing trend, as I suspect is more accurate. Alas, we couldn't determine this from the short article alone. Now if Anna Wintour calls Tavi and asks her to contribute a piece to appear in Vogue (not Teen Vogue; Vogue), I'll have to eat my words.
I guess Bazaar are trying her out to see if her style fits the magazine and to find out how people will react to her. At the end of the day she is a very young lady - isn't she only 13? - so she is clearly developing her writing style. The fact that she has been following fashion for two years, since she was 11 is amazing to me. In an era where teens are firmly fixed on Wii, iPods, mobile phones and E! I am delighted that someone like Tavi is doing something substantial and that high profile magazines are giving her attention. Hopefully this will be the start of something big for her.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right. It's certainly better for a young person to do something productive- like fashion!- with his/her time. I guess I just consider it such an enormous privilege to write a piece for a national magazine like Bazaar or Vogue. Even girls who have worked at Vogue for two or three years (all of the fashion associates) have not contributed full pieces yet, and that's after much invested time with internships too. It seems like Tavi skipped all of that by becoming famous through blogging. She's very lucky, that's for sure!!
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