Modeling For Magazines and Fashion Catalogs
The most prestigious type of print work is editorial work, or modeling for magazines. Editorial work includes fashion stories that showcase the latest style trends-the newest look in coats, the must-have shoes for spring, or the new suits for fall. The other major type of editorial work is beauty-related, which means anything having to do with skin care, hair care, makeup, or cosmetic procedures such as facial and massages.
With editorial fashion shoots, equal emphasis is placed on showing the clothes and creating beautiful photos, such as the images found in popular fashion magazines such as Voque, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, etc. Fashion magazines establish the visual standards-the style of photography, the types of models, the graphics-for the fashion industry as a whole. Because of the creative license they enjoy, magazines are the launch pad for many new and innovative ideas. Magazines are where new fashion ideas come alive, whether they involve clothing, makeup, hair, or lifestyle trends.
If fashion designers decide that miniskirts should be revived, for instance, that idea won't take hold in consumer's mind until a magazine features them in a story. Mins can be in every store and catalog, but few people will buy them until they see them on some fabulous model in "Elle" or "Glamour", or "Seventeen". Once one of these magazines gives minis the stamp of approval, consumers realize that minis are back in fashion and are much more likely to go out spend their money for a fashion purchase.
Celebrities now share a lot of the editorial work with models, both in traditional fashion magazines and in celebrity magazines. (The latter have become a new, important source of fashion information, chronicling what the stars are wearing. Each magazine tend to use models who embody its idea of the ideal woman. Vogue uses models who exemplify the modern, style-conscious woman. For almost a decade, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, and Linda Evangelista-three models who exude sophistication, class, worldliness, luxury, and decadence-dominated the pages of Voque. When a recession hit in the early 1990's, however, that image was no longer marketable. Enter Kate MOss and the grunge look, along with the idea of pairing down and living a more bohemian lifestyle. When the economy grew stronger, Christy, Claudia, and Linda came back bigger than ever. Today the highest profile actresses and celebrities have replaced models on Voque cover (although the hottest models are still featured in its fashion stories.)
