Glamorous Fairytales
November 11, 2008 8:23 AM   Subscribe

Fashion meets classic children's fantasy: Vogue UK has photographed some amazing scenes inspired by the poems and other works of Roald Dahl, and featuring Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. For more, see Annie Leibovitz's fashion-filled take on the Wizard of Oz with Kieira Knightley as Dorothy. Also Vogue does Alice in Wonderland, also by Annie Leibovitz with many of the odder characters played by fashion designers. And, in a slightly more sweet vein, the same photographer uses many famous faces to illustrate Disney fairytales. Finally, and a bit darker, are these takes on fairy tales.
posted by blahblahblah (15 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is it just me, or is Tim Burton starting to look like Steven Van Zandt? Minus the headband.
posted by dammitjim at 8:32 AM on November 11, 2008


I think I like the fairy tales best. The photos on Roald Dahl seem to be focusing too hard on being arty and not enough on being close to the stories.
posted by stoneegg21 at 8:57 AM on November 11, 2008


The Vogue take on Wonderland has some nice details, the croquet match in particular is quite amusing, but as with most things Vouge I find it a rather soulless exercise in fashion. If you fine folks will tolerate a link to deviantART, I think this is a much more interesting and playful fashionable take on Wonderland, hailing from the Philippines of all places.
posted by CheshireCat at 9:33 AM on November 11, 2008


I enjoyed it muchly - good post! It's interesting to see fashion's take on Mr Dodgson's work without it being a music video.
posted by Sparx at 10:15 AM on November 11, 2008


I liked the Dahl-inspired ones, but not so much with Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. They're so fashion-focused. I mean, considering the source, that's what one should expect... but I'd rather it be more surreal and artistic.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 10:43 AM on November 11, 2008


The Disney ones have some inspired casting, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan, and Lyle Lovett as the March Hare/Oliver Platt as the Mad Hatter.

But I especially love Tina Fey as Tinkerbell!
posted by ericbop at 11:00 AM on November 11, 2008


I love this kind of thing. Allow me to throw in Ningawa Mika's photos of Kuriyama Chiaki (yes, yes, Go-Go Yubari) as Snow White, the Little Mermaid, etc.
posted by wintersweet at 12:41 PM on November 11, 2008


Argh, NINAgawa. Sorry. Haven't had coffee yet. (And I hope I didn't miss the link above already.)
posted by wintersweet at 12:42 PM on November 11, 2008


Oh man, Oliver Platt as the Mad Hatter. There's something sublime in that.
posted by Eideteker at 12:43 PM on November 11, 2008


3rding the great casting on the Disney ones. The Vouge Alice in Wonderland is a little ..odd ..and icy..and flat and not in a good way. I mean, does Karl Largerfield look pasted into every photograph he's ever in? Does he actually exist?

The Ninagawa Mika ones are really, really cool.
posted by The Whelk at 1:53 PM on November 11, 2008


I love the Roald Dahl ones. Perfect casting, too. The last glass elevator shot is beautiful.
posted by rachaelfaith at 1:59 PM on November 11, 2008


I love this kind of thing. Allow me to throw in Ningawa Mika's photos of Kuriyama Chiaki (yes, yes, Go-Go Yubari) as Snow White, the Little Mermaid, etc.

Aw. Protected entry.
posted by Amanojaku at 2:19 PM on November 11, 2008


More from Tim Walker in a similar vein: his recent Vogue shoot with Karen Elson titled "Soldier Soldier Won't You Marry Me" is the first thing you see on this page. Lots of other lovely stuff there too.
posted by tiny crocodile at 2:36 PM on November 11, 2008


As somewhat of a Dahl expert, I have to say WTF? Only about three of those photos have any connection to Dahl's work at all. See, I knew this is what would happen when Tim Burton remade Charlie. People who haven't read any of Dahl's stories now associate him with some generic Burton vibe of KOOKY and DARK and WEIRD, as if that sums up everything. (In my opinion, none of them are especially Burton-esque as written.) The only photos I really liked - and felt an actual connection to Dahl's work - were the Red Riding Hood one, the one with the giant peach, and the Glass Elevator at the end.

Yeah, I posted the same thing on my personal blog when I saw this the other day.
posted by web-goddess at 4:10 PM on November 11, 2008 [1 favorite]


Love it.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 5:10 PM on November 11, 2008


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