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Fashion

McDonell: Kim and Kanye on Vogue cover poses controversy for fashion aficionados

Vogue is the bible of fashion.

Anyone and everyone in the fashion industry looks to its glossy pages for trends, forecasts, style tips and just to look at the magazine’s beautiful clothes. Being on its cover is literally one of the most prestigious things that could happen to a person.

Those who grace the cover of Vogue are the crème de la crème of the fashion and celebrity world: Taylor Swift, Kate Upton, Princess Diana, Jennifer Aniston.

And now we can add Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to that list. The pair dons the cover of Vogue’s April 2014 issue in a white, silk wedding dress and a black tuxedo.

What were you thinking, Anna Wintour?



Well, according to a March 21 article in UsMagazine, she was thinking: “Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue, one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it.  I think we can all agree on the fact that that role is currently being played by Kim and Kanye to a T. (Or perhaps that should be to a K?)”

There’s been speculation about whether Kim would ever land a Vogue cover; there have been rumors that Wintour was not her biggest fan and that Kanye had been pushing Wintour to have his fiancée be in the magazine in some way.

However, it seems that several magazines were fighting over getting to have the duo on their covers — New York Magazine said that other magazines competing for the pair included Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar. I’m not exactly sure why there are so many magazines fighting over one of Hollywood’s most famous pairings, but they are all entitled to have whomever they choose on their cover.

While I respect Kim and Kanye as entertainers, I don’t think that they fit the image of past Vogue cover stars. The celebrities that I associate with Vogue are classy, sophisticated and mature superstars.

When I think of Kim and Kanye, all I can think of is the drama-filled episodes of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards back in 2009.

Kanye has more than once been known to let his anger get the best of him, and both he and Kim have each been in sex tapes. Do we really want this to be what the younger generation who reads this magazine to look up to?

The pair has stepped up their maturity levels in the past two years or so, though. Kim formed her new fashion line, and Kanye released a new album, proving that both of them know how to take their careers seriously. And with the birth of their baby girl, North, the two have shown that they’re capable of taming their wild sides.

Although I’m not a big fan of the two celebs, I do have to admit that their spreads within the magazine are simply gorgeous. It shows them in a more sophisticated, subdued light that we are not used to seeing.

The couple, along with their daughter, North, posed for photographer Annie Leibovitz in a wedding-themed spread. Kim showed off multiple gorgeous white gowns while Kanye donned a number of suits. North joined her parents in the shoot, wearing a few adorable dresses.

While Kimye might not be my cup of tea, I guess I have to trust Wintour’s judgment on this one.

I mean, she is the queen of the fashion industry.  Who can argue with that?

Alexis McDonell is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears every week in Pulp. E-mail her at admcdone@syr.edu and follow her on Twitter at @AlexisMickD.





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