Anna Cleveland by Dan Beleiu for Vogue Portugal December 2017

Anna Cleveland takes us to the far side of high fashion in “Human” by Dan Beleiu for Vogue Portugal, December 2017. Jean Paul Gaultier has continued his roll, securing another outta’ this world cover of the captivating Cleveland. Many are bothered by the straight lines of the word, Human, as it is written over the center of the cover page. I, however, take a different view. I see the contradiction that exists to be one of rigidity versus creativity. The very nature of avant-garde art exudes a fantastical element. Driven by the extreme, can make you believe it derives from a place of crazy. But this is nothing less than the excessively expressed. By allowing the body and mind to be swept into the magic of modern couture, gives way to something spiritual. Life imposes a levy of truth conveyed in it’s purest form.

Jan Kralicek embraces the over-the-top theme, while still fulfilling the projection of each picture. This is a celebration of dynamic designs. Chaos corrals in a way that invites us to bathe in the glory of haute couture. Fashion fuels the scene with a blend of high-end fabrics and eclectic accouterments. Taking us to the edge, each clothing choice takes on a different character. This story combines disco infused funk with purple, velvet spunk, and a furry bear with a space queen in silver. Proving opposites really do attract. In one picture puffy sleeves swell up like a peacock, in another she dons a full nun’s habit.

The skin has a primal need to be exposed, as Kate Mur takes the face to a magical place. Style plays a stunning supportive role, but here, makeup is the star. Art evokes spirit while echoing an element of mysticism. Embarking on a vision of avant-garde excess, Mur maintains pure focus. The Eyes are the Thing… as shadow shoots over the lids, then flying out the sides in various forms. Colors are cast in chaotic appeal, there to make a dramatic entrance. Red covers above and beyond, while purple lines the lowers and dips down below. A linear connection is made allowing duel eyes wings to appear. The result is amazing. Yellow strikes the lids in ferocious form, matching in kind, stripes moving down her cheek sides. Flooded in a sea of pink, Anna cries golden tears surrounded by orbital embellishments.

Olivier Lebrun builds a bevy of coiffured nests, so exquisite, it’s hard to focus on the fact that it’s hair. The artistic intention of such a display, makes it so we care not which strands are real and which are faux. This is a tale of temptation. Caught in the reverie of tactile consumption, we feel as if we could just reach out and touch her. The mind plays games. The lines of humanity might seem straight, but, I maintain it’s the digress of crooked consumption that makes us who we are.