OK folks, here we go. Today, off and on (because work and chores) I'll be conducting my annual ritual of live-tweeting my reading of the @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue. And I'll be bringing to it the same lens I have in previous years + a 2020 one. Follow this thread: 
Anyone following this thread might also like to watch my @BoF conversation with @imranamed from June featuring my four must-dos for the fashion industry to have a future post-pandemic: I'll be echoing those themes @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue
The first thing to note about this year's @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue, beyond its theme #VogueHope, is that for the first year in a VERY LONG TIME, it is not a gigantic doorstopper of an issue. Pandemic = less advertising and editorial.
Opening @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue to find another #VogueHope cover illustration. Presumably I'll find out more about the artists and the artwork as I read.
Off to a bad start, @lancomeUSA. 7 pages pushing 'younger skin'. Good on diversity, bad on #ageism. I want to give my money to a skincare brand that celebrates the skin I have now, on older models @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #LiveOlder #SayYourAge
My immediate reaction to @Prada: "People have money to spend on @Sothebys auctions?" @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
.@Dior has gone for the catalogue approach - featuring something we saw a lot of in last year's @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue and I'm sure we'll even see more of this year: CCD. Carefully Calibrated Diversity. #VogueHope
Full marks for 3 Black models out of 4, @LouisVuitton @LVMH. But to all @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue advertisers: this was your chance to do something very different, in 2020, the year of the pandemic and #BlackLivesMatter. Why didn't you?
.@chanel - carefully calibrated diversity, advertising like this was a year like any other. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
.@gucci is doing incredibly well, so figures they'd do more of the same - but @gucclove, what a missed opportunity to bring your eccentric brilliance and creativity to acknowledging 2020 in your ads. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #GucciTheRitual
More of the same with @YSL. You'd never know the world had changed completely. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
2nd skincare spread @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue, same deal. @esteelauder talking 'youth-generating' and 'more youthful' skin. I want to see older models, revelling in their age. Remember, this kind of #ageism makes younger women feel insecure #LiveOlder
.@TiffanyAndCo leads with the Black model. At least that's something. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
.@dolcegabbana advertising outfits that are definitively not designed for Zoom calls. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
#ValentinoEmpathy @maisonvalentino = posed, not demonstrated. But I WANT that @MariacarlaBosco leather bustier. Fun fact: @beyonce wears my @TOMFORD @YSL bustier for 'Yonce' (loaned to her stylist): thecut.com/2013/12/interv… Now when I wear it my nipples rest where Beyonce's did 😊
Oh look! As you go nowhere in the pandemic, you can monogram your @Fendi handbag so it makes you feel really good as it sits in your closet 😊 @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
I'm struggling with the creative choices here. @MIUMIUofficial @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Should you wish to lay out in the snow, this is the Bottega Veneta gown to do it in. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Kudos @McQueen for featuring a Black model, although I have a hard time conceiving of when anybody will be wearing these outfits out anywhere any time in the near future... @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Load up on these for your next Zoom meeting! @bulgariofficial @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Call me old-fashioned, but right now, when the world is desperately in need of warmth, empathy, human connection, and, yes, #VogueHope - wouldn't this be a great time to drop the po-faced/stern model expression approach? @Ferragamo @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue
This is a really boring skincare ad, but well done @clinique on not saying anything about 'youth' or 'younger looking skin' @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #LiveOlder #SayYourAge
Oh look! At last! We're finally through the ad jungle and heading into the editorial! @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Nope, spoke too soon. Back to the ads. @RalphLauren went to town on diverse model casting (although, as always, not body diversity) but the 'back to school' feel of kids in fall clothes is jarring when that's a huge issue now @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #Septemberissue
Same old same old, @maxmara. If you're not going to innovate in your @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue ad approach, then why not at least cast an interesting model vs standard white blonde? Why not (shock horror) an OLDER WOMAN? Even, a REAL-LIFE OLDER WOMAN?
60-odd pages into @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue and FINALLY we have an advertiser speaking to our new reality versus pretending it's 'business as usual'. Well done @Nordstrom @micaiah_carter @Renellaice @Sarrjamois
Also, I really want this @MELODYEHSANI top. @nordstrom @petracollins @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
There comes a point in a girl's #LaborDay Monday when she really should get out of her pjs and take a shower 😊BRB - live-tweeting of my reading of the @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue will resume shortly.
I don't want to get rid of my wrinkles @neutrogena. I love them, because they're emblematic of a life well-lived. I want skincare that celebrates them, not eradicates them, and makes younger women aspire to have them
@condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #LiveOlder
@condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #LiveOlder
We're living in a new world, @Versace. Your home country is one of the hardest hit. How are you going to reflect it? @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Only the second ad in @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue so far to give any indication of our new reality. @saks, if you care about the fashion community, how can you rally the industry to help the workers who've lost jobs? #LaborDay
Kudos for the Black model @EtroOfficial, but her waist size (which I'm willing to bet has been retouched) just reinforces how much I yearn to see body diversity in @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue. Now THAT's something that would give me #VogueHope
The Voice Of Anna. “Hope may be hard to find in a moment of crisis, but it also feels more essential than ever. It’s part of our shared humanity, a source of delight and inspiration, and keeps us focused on a brighter future.” @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
.@Hermes_Paris' prices are so stratospheric, I guess there will always be a .001% consumer for what they make, so they don't feel they need to change their approach. Other than reflecting that consumer (note the Asian model) @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Delighted you want to resume the journey towards Universal Humanism, @Cucinelli. Would love to see you reflect that in ads that reflect our shared humanity and don't reek of privilege. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Last year's @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue ads featured Carefully Calibrated Diversity but with white models leading/front and center. This year more ads are leading with the Black models - like @MichaelKors #VogueHope
Kudos for the Black model, @HoltRenfrew, but every year in the @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue you fail to do what you should - capitalize on your competitive Canadian difference #VogueHope
Pleased to see @VeraWang fronting her own ads, sorry to see the next DPS was standard issue. The @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue was the perfect platform for designers to speak to us in their own voices with their own messages of #VogueHope
Great, @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue, but stop 'commissioning Black artists' vs hiring, welcoming and promoting Black talent. When you promote and pay Black editors/designers/photographers/CEOs, guess what? Black artists get booked naturally, not specially. #VogueHope
"It's time to have fun with fashion." Is it, though, @NeimanMarcus? You've just declared bankruptcy yourselves - maybe a different approach in your ads for our times would be appropriate? @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Given our new reality, if I were a fragrance brand, I'd be creating ads about the emotional benefits of smelling great for yourself and the role of scent in lockdown. My consultancy services are available. @marcjacobs @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
OK, pace slowing down from here on in, folks, because finally we're at @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue EDITORIAL and I get to actually READ! First up in #VogueHope: @nygovcuomo Sage Grace Dolan-Sandrino @tim_cook @melindagates @billieeilish
YES, @melindagates: 'There is no shortage of thoughtful, committed women on this planet, but there has long been a shortage of opportunities for them to exercise their power and influence through official channels.' @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Great to see @karawalker_art's stunning work in @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
The @rosalindfoxfox photo accompanying @serenawilliams on pandemic life with @OlympiaOhanian @alexisohanian in #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue is WONDERFUL. We need many more depictions like this as the norm in ads, editorial, aspirational publications like @condenast @Voguemagazine
Time to take this party outside. Moving my reading and live-tweeting of @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue to #theskyapartment roof terrace. #skyapartmentlockdown
Nice partnership with @RebeccaMinkoff @JasonWu @ilove_libertine featuring all Black models, @maybelline. But why would you not hire Black makeup artists to design makeup for Black models? @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
This is a BEAUTIFULLY written piece by @RavenLeilani. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Setting aside art directional issues 🙂 this @avocadomattress @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue reflects what I urge brands not to do - the classic 'Gotta be diverse, let's feature a bi-racial couple'. Why not just show a Black couple? Or a Brown couple?
Every year, I'm fascinated by the brands who spend HUGE $$$ to be in @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue but then don't create ads appropriate for the environment and just run their usual everyday ads. Does this work for you, @garnierusa @RAI_News @sallyhansen? #VogueHope
Oh, @TomFord. My god, ever since your @gucci days. You know you can be so much more creative than this. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
.@FreePeople, if you're going to spend this much money, it'd be great if you'd give us some idea of what you stand for. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
.@BALENCIAGA certainly seems to have captured the spirit of lockdown, even if unintentionally. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Now this is a really great, topical, timely feature: cool, fashionable masks. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Another excellent editorial feature - Vogue Voices. Fascinating, not least because you can see very quickly who is the future of fashion, and who is still living in the past. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue @virgilabloh @brandicedaniel @hfrmovement
I'd really like to see what a @jasonwu @brizo kitchen actually looks like. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Delighted to see this terrific profile of @AuroraJames @brothervellies @15PercentPledge in @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #BlackLivesMatter
Love the Black real world model, @Unilever @Dove; hate the manufactured armpit insecurity. 'When underarms are healthy and protected, your confidence shows.' No, when we're paid what we're worth and promoted into leadership, our confidence shows. #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Nice collaboration, @LizSwig Rashid Johnson. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #BlackLivesMatter
A pleasingly down to earth piece by Lynn Yaeger on dressing for the pandemic, lockdown and Zoom. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Great profile of Jonathan Majors @LovecraftHBO. We want this coverage of brilliant Black talent to continue as the norm, @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Aaaahhhh. A nostalgic little throwback to old school @condenast @voguemagazine. Of course it's by @hamishbowles. #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
These fall into the 'Really? You spent all that money to be in @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue and you couldn't be bothered to tailor your ads to the context and the audience?' category @GEICO @OGXBeauty @LoveMyPhilly
We're gonna need some backup on that claim, @moschino. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
If you were going to spend $$$ on 4 consecutive pages in @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue @hampdenclothing AND hook up with @charlestoncity to try and entice visitors, you could have done something much more creative. My consultancy services are available. #VogueHope
I have absolutely no idea what @ChloeFashion is trying to tell us here. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
These fall into the 'Pandemic? What pandemic?' category. @condenast @voguemagazine #voguehope #septemberissue @AlbertaFerretti @isabelmarant
This falls into the 'Complete, total and utter waste of the cost of a double page spread in @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue' category. @OnitsukaTiger @OnitsukaTigerUS
Kudos for creating a #VogueHope thematically customized ad, unlike so many, @cartier @condenast @voguemagazine #SeptemberIssue
Great and very important message, @LEVIS. Would have liked to have seen a more cohesive and impactful ad for it. @condenast @voguemagazine #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
This is a really nice feature. Images of #VogueHope from @condenast @voguemagazine editors all around the world #SeptemberIssue
THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING IN #SeptemberIssue. When I say it's not about diversity, it's about humanity: reflecting the world as it really is - THIS IS WHAT I MEAN. The people who work in the industry wearing the clothes. How @condenast @voguemagazine should ALWAYS look #VogueHope
This wonderful portrait just demonstrates how much we need to see MANY MORE AMAZING OLDER WOMEN MODELLING FASHION in @condenast @voguemagazine. #LiveOlder #SayYourAge #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
Love the proliferation of Black models - at long last, @condenast @voguemagazine - but I want to see just as many OLDER and body-diverse Black models, and older and body-diverse, including disabled, women generally. #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue
The last ad in #VogueHope #SeptemberIssue #untiljusticeisreal Justice is real when the team editing and making creative decisions at @voguemagazine reflects the world we live in. Because then @condenast won't even have to think about representing diversity. You'll just be diverse
Thanks for joining me, folks! Please watch my @BoF session with @imranamed for what the fashion industry needs to do to own the future: To hire me to consult to help your brand, email cindy@ifwerantheworld.com. @Threadreaderapp unroll
