No Photoshop in April French Marie Claire! Plus French Elle Launches Plus-Size Issue

First, Louis Vuitton sent curvaceous women down the runway during Paris Fashion Week. Now, it seems our friends across the pond are embracing curvier women in editorial as well.


Enter the April issue of French Elle. The entire book is dedicated to the full-figured fashionista. It will include spreads with voluptuous models and tips for curvy fashions from plus-size focused bloggers.


The cover features model Tara Lynn, who also appeared in V Magazine's Size Issue, in a gorgeous white curve-hugging jumpsuit. Inside, the site promises an editorial with Lynn in everything from sexy swimsuits to body-skimming dresses.


Though my gripe about the isolated, "special" plus-size issue still remains, I'm thrilled to see the French celebrating curves. Their culture is notorious for shunning voluptuous shapes. If they can embrace plus-size fashion, that means the industry is truly shifting. Now if only we can get regular, and not just special, coverage of full-figured fashion...

And a curvy figure isn't all that the French are embracing. French Marie Claire is championing natural beauty by ditching Photoshop for their April issue. 

But don't get too excited! Though subtle flaws like an ill-fitting strapless dress on Cover girl, actress Louise Borgoin, are left untouched, old tricks like overexposure are still utilized to make the celebs/models seem unattainably perfect. Here's a quote from photographer Benjamin Kenare via Stylelite about the pre-Photoshop techniques used:

Turning the pages of the April issue of French Marie Claire I see that the photographers had to use the old technique’s [sic] before Photoshop existed…

Burning out the skin using overexposure, soft light, adding a half blue filter to whiten the skin, pulled back images, large smile’s for celebrities so their nasal labial folds are hidden, pulled back hair with hands stretching the skin and smoothing the wrinkles. Using grainy film and converting the images to black and white to neutralize the skin tones.

I'd still rather tricks like overexposure and soft light than a model photoshopped to look like a twelve year-old. 


The fashion industry has had a notoriously rocky relationship with Photoshop. Most recently, Ralph Lauren had a public battle with model Fillipa Hamilton, who claimed she was airbrushed to look dangerously thin. And we all saw a mysteriously thinner and paler Kim Kardashian on the cover of Complex Magazine.

What do you think of French Elle and French Marie Claire embracing natural beauty and women of all sizes? Is the industry finally making real strides to celebrate everyday women?


Discuss.


Kisses,


Coutura

MAGAZINE GLAM: Gisele Shows Off Post Baby Body for Vogue! Plus Lala for Latina and Gabourey in French Elle

Hey Glamazons!

It is just us or are magazines stepping their game up this Spring? With ad sales declining and audiences moving online, publications are pulling out all the stops to stay afloat in uncertain times.

And we just love devouring the compelling cover stories and gorgeous fashion pages they're churning out as a result.

The most intriguing story to me, is Lala Vazquez on the cover of the April issue of Latina. 

The story is fascinating, not just because she dishes about her relationship with Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets, but because she speaks on her controversial essay for Latina.com about identifying as black AND Puerto Rican. Here's an excerpt via NecoleBitchie.com: 

“The essay,” she says solemnly. “The responses hurt.” She’s speaking of a first person piece she recently wrote for Latina.com on being Puerto Rican, in which she explained that, since childhood, people have often assumed that she is black. “Which I am!” she says, almost yelling. “But I am also 100 percent Puerto Rican and I’m proud of that. People got it twisted and thought I was saying, I’’m Puerto Rican. I’m not black. That isn’t what I was saying. It’s just that when I tell someone I’m Puerto Rican, I don’t want to hear someone say, ‘You ain’t Puerto Rican. You black.’ As if I can only be one or the other. Do I look like Jennifer Lopez? No. Clearly, I’m a black woman. However you want to define that, that’s what I am. And I’m also a Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican woman. Period.”

Deep. And by the way, her photos are just stunning!

Equally gorgeous is another hot mom, Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who recently launched a skincare line. On the cover of the latest Vogue, Gisele shows off her impossibly amazing post-baby bod after giving birth to her adorable new son with New England Patriots' quarterback, Tom Brady, named Benjamin Rein. 

For the April Shape issue, Gisele dishes on her son's name (she almost named him 'River'), her life as a new mother and how she shed all those pounds---she only gained thirty by the way. She claims it was yoga, and she lost the weight in no time due to muscle memory. If we could all be so lucky...

Here are Gisele's gorgeous photos and behind-the-scenes video from the shoot via the Huffington Post:

Next, It Girl actress, Gabourey Sidibe, continues her magazine run after nailing the cover of the V Magazine Size issue with a shot in the latest French Elle. I think Gabourey looks beautiful, as usual, but am not a fan of the edgy direction they took with her hairstyle. Is it supposed to resemble devil ears? Odd. I live for the lips necklace she's wearing though! 

I hear Gabourey has an upcoming role in the new Showtime Series, "The Big C," and couldn't be happier. Check out her shot below.

What do you think of the upcoming covers? Gisele's post-baby bod? Lala's Puerto Rican/Black essay? Gabourey's Devil Ear hair? Discuss.

Kisses,

Coutura