It's gripe time. I just finished the June 2009 Harper's Bazaar (I know, I know - finals), and am pained by what I saw. To point out though, the Abbey Lee by Greg Kadel ed was the one saving grace. Abbey posed her ass off, it was gorge and sumptuous, and the curly mane was a great touch. "The Jonah Hills" was just horrifying. I recall a few years ago when Elle was obsessed with staging editorials "inspired" by pap shots, with even Steven Meisel giving it whirl in Italian Vogue, but that was then. Trucker hats and Ed Hardy anything have no place in Harper's Bazaar, no matter how hard they try to be "cheeky" in their presentation. And btw, Bazaar, they last time it was remotely appropriate for a fashion magazine to incorporate them was 2003.

Thanks for putting me off Jonah Hill, who I've always enjoyed. Were those douche-y "texts" for real? LA trash style aside, I can't say how over I am of Riley Keough as a model. She has no awareness of her body, she's short yet unsignificantly looking (and usually appears 5'4", particularly here), and unlike a real model, Keough relents the throwup outfits to wear her. And was she chosen to resemble Lindsay Lohan? Cuz the resemblance is creepy on p. 134. What a terrible way to show the divine Chanel Paris-Moscou pieces. To me, Ed Hardy should be kept out of the same room as Chanel. Lastly, what a strange choice to go with a Marie Claire-level photographer like Ben Watts...but then again, this was supposed to look as if caught by one lacking sophisticatioin or skill. I don't understand how Katie Mossman could go from the excellent Abbey Lee ed to the this. Ugh, Harper's Bazaar, what the hell were you thinking?

What is with the recent editoiral downturn of styling looks or accessories against crazy, cluttered, and obtrusive backdrops? What do these stylists and photogs have against pleasing the eye? I can absolutely appreciate ugly-beautiful, and images that credit clothes that you're unable to even make out, but they don't here. I'm speaking of the insane-print Steven Meisel ed from Vogue Italia Dec 2007 and even the May 2009 French Vogue ed. with Eva Herzigova by Walter Pfeiffer. I enjoyed it to a point, but couldn't linger too long on each page or my eyes would have crossed. In Bazaar's case, it was that gleamy accessories ed photographed by Robin Broadbent. The bags and jewelry were lost in a pool of metal pieces, and I couldn't risk blinding mysel trying to isolate the wares from the mess.