Lovely Lively

Those who know me will quickly agree that I am much more of a Blair than a Serena. Well maybe 

there is a small part of me in the "old Serena" with the martini swilling and scandalous behaviour? But, then again I am much more intregued by the Chucks of the world than by the Nates. 

So, understandably, I was slightly surprised

 as I was flipping through my stack of Vogues and had to stop and admirer the beauty that is Blake Lively—Holy smokes the girl gives good face. She even makes me give the St. Laurent jumpsuit a second glance, proving exactly why every designer would be lucky to have her in their duds. 

Once again it's photographer Mario Testino that we have to thank for these works of art, but Lively pulls off the old school glamour well. Normally it's her beachy boho hair that inspires my look (in fact she is the inspiration behind the do I have planned for the Western Mag Awards this weekend), but let's give credit where credit is do, the Veronica Lake waves suit her equally well. Now if only Vogue would get Testino to shoot Leighton for the cover they could really have my respect. This is what Vogue does so well; taking a starlet, transforming her look and putting them into an amazing photo shoot. This one is a little simpler than I normally like to see form them, but it still makes a visual impact—unlike the editorial content these days. 

The End

I have been dreading this day for the last two months;I even started rationing my nightly reading pages when I reached book four. Last night I settled down, turned on the Kings of Leon album (they are the unofficial Twilight soundtrack) and breezed through the final 80 pages. Now it feels like the day after Christmas, when all the excitement and anticipation is over and your left with an empty and slightly anxious feeling. It's hard to believe I wasted so long resisting the phenom that is Twilight. I guess I just assumed it was only for young girls and that if hysteria followed it the quality just wouldn't be there. I was wrong. This hysteria is like the one that followed The Beatles (quality) rather than The Jonas Brothers (less than stellar). There's a story there I think—better pitch it to the boss lady on Monday. Until then, I will be in mourning over the end of my Twilight era. What the heck am I supposed to read now? 

The Artist Formerly Known As Cammy D

Speaking of goddesses, can we just take a moment to worship in the splendor that is Ms. Diaz photographed by the legendary Mario Testino and featured in the June issue of Vogue. There is something about Cameron for me that I just can't put my finger on. She is just a cool chick who is not afraid to be herself, even in the superficial world of Hollywood; and the girl gives good face! Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be given to the rest of the issue. A friend and colleague of mine recently criticized, not only Vogue, but a slew of June fashion mags on her blog, ladolcerita.com, for lacking editorial content and slapping together a cut-and-paste-job of product shots. To a certain extent I have to agree that this issue of Vogue was lacking the spark that makes the mag a true leader in the industry, but as we all know, it takes a boatload of money to produce such a product and when people aren't buying copies (ahem, Rita!) and advertisers can't afford to place ads what else can they do? Don't get me wrong, no one needs to feel too badly for Anna Wintour, she created her own elitist hell, but I do think that glossies are in a serious pickle here and I'm not sure they can get out of it without serious reinvention.

So, I guess the question becomes whether or not the publishing dinosaurs are willing to let go of the industry of the past and make the changes necessary to get readers back on board. And I'm not talking about cheap gimmicks like facebook pages and twitter accounts;who gives a rats ass what a newspaper columnist is thinking at any given time? Even if I did I wouldn't want it being sent to my phone. I'm talking about looking for original thought and content, rather than continually commissioning work from their pals. 

Cameron Diaz is a fascinating woman, so why am I still reading the same story about how great her laugh is and how she has an inner spirit? If the freshest idea Robert Sullivan can come up with is a two graph lead about what a sensational driver she is, then I'm afraid it's time Ms. Wintour searched out some fresh blood. I'm not saying that youth is the answer to the industry's problems, wisdom comes with age, but it's time to start thinking outside of the box—understandably a terrifying prospect for an institution like Vogue.