Vogue shot its September cover at Condé Nast’s offices

Back to life back to reality?

On Thursday, Vogue unveiled its September 2021 issue, featuring a host of models including Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber.

But rather than filming in an exotic location (hard to rock in a pandemic, no doubt) or an expensive studio, the brilliant decided to keep things closer to home, instead photographing the catwalkers in the offices of the One World Trade Center by Vogue.

With models posing among cubicles, clothes racks and even the magazine’s own employees, the cover shoot looks straight out of “The Devil Wears Prada” – or perhaps the 2009 documentary “The September issue “.

Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond is pictured leaving editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s office, flanked by her assistant duo while model Anok Yai perches on a desk at Tom Ford.

Wintour herself makes an appearance on a computer screen, possibly indicating that Condé’s art director spent much of her time on Zoom calls.

The timing of the photoshoot is a bit ironic – earlier this week, Conde Nast gave in to a months-long battle with the owners of the WTC, agreeing to repay nearly $ 10 million in overdue rent. (Maybe they’re just trying to make the most of their space in the downtown skyscraper?)

Also leading the September issue are Ariel Nicholson, the magazine’s first transgender star on the magazine’s cover, as well as Sherry Shi, Precious Lee and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit historic beauty Yumi Nu.

Writer Maya Singer detailed the evolution of the modeling industry in the accompanying article, writing “tectonic shifts” in the way catwalkers are launched these days, especially when it comes to diversity. and inclusiveness. She also described a new class of models who speak more openly about their personal opinions and stand out for their personalities, not just their looks.

“When you do a casting, the question is always, ‘Can she wear the clothes?’” Designer Christopher John Rogers told Vogue. “But it means something different than it was before. It’s not about a particular look or even a particular identity that someone represents – you adopt a model for what she does. as part of who she is, her story becomes part of the fantasy.

Gerber, 19, noted that mom Cindy Crawford “always had a lot to say – she just didn’t have Instagram.”