Save the Elephants

I sat down with a big pile of new magazines and papers yesterday and before I even got to any editorial, I was discomfited by the new Hermes ads in which elephants (how original!) with colorful painting around their eyes were used as props.

A few minutes later, the inspiration for this – Avedon’s famous “Dovima with Elephants” popped up in the New York Times “Evening Hours” section, seen being admired by an anonymous viewer at the Park Avenue Armory Art show. I believe a print in this size now sells for close to $1 million.

Moving on through the Times, the Sunday Magazine (praised by me last week for their Ryan McGinley portfolio) committed double imitation – not only using elephants as props for an 8 page fashion spread, but stealing the title “Trunk Show”, from Bruce Weber’s infamous elephant tribute shot in 2005 for W Magazine. (In Weber’s shoot at least the pastiche was front and center as some of the biggest names in fashion created original couture for the elephants themselves. And Weber, a known animal lover, donated the proceeds to a charity whose mission is to help save Asian Elephants.)

But enough with the elephants – O.K.?


Avedon's "Dovima with Elephants".

From the New York Times Magazine.

Chanelephant fashion by Karl Lagerfeld - shot by Bruce Weber