Georgia Fowler & Barbara Palvin by Markn for Numéro November 2017

Barbara Palvin & Georgia Fowler are caught inside the Matrix by Markn for Numéro, November 2017. Here we witness two of today’s most beautiful specimens put to page. Barbara brandishes herself in a willful kind of way, while, Georgia is enticed by her over-the-top display. Poetically cast, these separate roles are set to express ~ Two Sides of the Same Person. Innocence is enticed by the architecture of excess as extreme behavior is artfully portrayed.

Palvin poses with a confidence we can only dream about, while the words that float below are meant to strike hard. “As long as I am beautiful, I am more alive than others.” That’s not just highly offensive it is also a deeply corrosive and deceptive statement. Perusing the page we see another picture with a built in narrative attached. Below this image we read something that is far less offensive, one might even say… Sad. Standing in poetic reflection, we begin to see the masque start to crack. “They have a beauty in their life which makes me ugly.” I’m so struck by the positioning of this pose. Daring to defy decorum, she grabs at her breast, striking a severe stance. Seduced into a state of self obsession she seems to be caressing herself, but, just as the amore reaches a fever pitch… her posture changes.

Pulling us forward, Talluleh Harlech uses fashion as a tool of propulsion. Translucent fabrics float over her body as eclectic designs express themselves. Dripping in haute couture, she bends in a restless display of decadence. Statements capture a sense of cinema from feathers, herringbone, leather and lace. Modernity speaks as styles work to communicate, and couture compels us to comply. In one of the most striking hair shots of the season, Soichi Inagaki’s work can not be overstated. He’s created a nest of high coiffure, as if crafted by clay, that’s committed to the idea of split personalities. Fowler’s hair is kept clean and almost innocent, while Palvin’s dew is so outdone ~ we can feel the pull of it’s presence. So powerful is her hair it almost has it’s own character.

Lucy Bridge brings her mastery to the table, with makeup that more than mere strikes of shades. Here we see beauty used as a tool of temptation. Not one merely of seduction or satisfaction, rather a tool of change. Yet, as this shifts so does the cosmetic application. Makeup becomes a masque of mercy. Something you wear when the truth is too hard to face. If we maintain this as A Tale of Two Bodies Taken from the Same Person, then we can begin to amp up the imagination. Bridge keeps Georgia’s makeup clean, a reflection of her innocence, as Barbara’s beauty requires a more focused approach. Powdered to perfection, her palate gives off an eerie effect, leaving her features to explode. A black line is drawn over the brows and around the eyes, giving her an aggressive twist. Matching in kind, the lips are filled in with a matte, black finish making the mouth a dark target. The effect is extreme as her taste for avant-garde expression becomes but a dream.

I see Fowler as an innocent. Not seduced to the dark-side yet, but we’ve witnessed her deep descent. Evocative, provocative, powerful and real… Barbara uses her unyielding beauty to send a message of strength. There’s a wistful aire in her delivery that steps this story up from typical editorial faire. Each picture plays more like a scene from a film. Artfully displayed yet markedly maintained, it’s what they hold back that brings forth the power. Much is left to the imagination. A growing ache indicates there is hope. Georgia stares at her own image we get the impression all is not lost.