'Secular Girl' by Victoire Simonney and Anna de Rijk Makes Real-Life Fashion Point

Model Anna de Rijk appears as a ‘Secular Girl’, reminding AOC of fashion stories from a decade ago — stories with an undercurrent and something to say beyond “buy me”.

If AOC could have one wish around fashion media, it would be for more ideas to be expressed in fashion pages, moving them beyond selling stuff, with no other purpose. I frankly don’t care if a high-end flower delivery services sponsors fashion stories. There’s no need to dumb everything down to a box of Fruit Loops.

The 2010 forward fall-off of “statement” fashion stories was dramatic to watch. Granted, AOC scans published work with a very critical eyes. Yet images as simple as these — photographer and stylist Victoire Simonney’s ‘Secular Girl’ is — caught our eye, prompting a visit to Sixteen Journal, where we read: “Victoire Simonney studies womanhood and identity in ‘Secular Girl’ story. Then on to Simonney’s IG.

As a deeply-political women’s rights and racial justice activist, I worry that the right-wing is winning — based on new laws in red states. As we speak, the Georgia state government is moving to take over voting in Fulton County in Atlanta — home to the largest Black population in the state.

America’s right-wing is trying to destroy confidence in voting in the US, while it pursue its authoritarian agenda. With its commitment to storytelling generally, Sixteen Journal [IG] becomes a relevant chef in the creative discussion.

As Conde Nast consolidates a new international magazine model and org structure, all is not lost. We ignore the gnashing of teeth and breast-beating going on certain fashion forums, who honestly want to go back to the ‘good old days’.

There are new opportunities for indy magazines and digital forms of fashion communication funded by both readers and also brands. And our own entrepreneurial wits.

We can call them advertorials with disdain, or view the synergy as evidence of old-fashioned, Italian-style patronage, funded by deep pockets ready to fund excellence and new ideas. I trust no one is arguing that government should fund fashion and style press. Therefore, the bills must be paid somehow.

Frankly, LVMH owns so many brands at this point, they could just buy Conde Nast. And no one would complain that the content is just an advertorial, because a different LVMH brand could appear in every shot.

Bottom line, AOC appreciates this simple fashion gesture and promotes the fashion story — however it came to be. We need a more thoughtful approach to fashion generally, as consumers embrace what were called cultural creative values — or the very real trend ‘wellness over wealth’, which we called out on Wednesday. Anne

Read: Athleisure Soars As Wellness Not Wealth Takes Center Stage Even in Luxury