Brands and magazines are adapting to the Covid-19 epidemic by having models in quarantine do their own makeup, styling and photoshoot, by the means of selfies or FaceTime.

By Ludmilla Intravaia 

Even if we love to treat ourselves in fancy restaurants, we are satisfied, in these times of confinement, to eat canned ravioli, in our quarantined kitchens. Canned ravioli are OK, even good for some persons but from there to claim that they are delicious, isn’t it pushing the enthousiasm a little bit far ? So when the press describes as "splendid", "superb", "exceptional", "original", "touching", "poetic", "creative", "authentic" or "brilliant" the photographic fruit of the recent trend for homemade fashion editorials, one feels the urgent need to question this sudden rise of canned ravioli to the rank of gourmet delight.

Certainly, the top model Bella Hadid shows the most sculptural agility in high heels, socks and Dsquared2 bomber jacket, in the shots taken for Vogue Italy by photographer Brianna Capozzi, via the FaceTime videoconference application on her smartphone (click on the arrow to the right of the photo to see behind the scenes of the shooting).

Obviously, her sister Gigi Hadid appears sensually photogenic, in her total look Chanel, immortalized on her sofa by Leah McCarthy, her influential girlfriend with 136,000 Instagram followers, also for this special confinement serie "Far Away so Close" of Vogue Italy April issue (see here).

As for the confined models of the brand Zara, they did not hesitate to take selfies and to use self-timers, to highlight the pieces of the Spring-Summer 2020 collection (see here), in the hollow of their cozy interiors, conducive to social distancing.

Selfie stick, self-timer, camera control via internet, photo booth, robotic arm ... the trend to photograph yourself, remotely or through an interface, is not new and many have tried it with talent, successfully transforming the constraints of this exercice into aesthetic assets. Already, as described in the book “Pages from the Glossies” devoted to his most eloquent fashion images, Helmut Newton built a machine equipped with a motor, a timer and a mirror allowing the model to control her poses, before making her own portrait, while the star photographer was enjoying a drink at the local cafe. 

If the master's genius hovered over the self-portraits taken by his "Mister Newton do-it-yourself pin-up machine", the same cannot be said of the first results of these confined shootings. Mundane composition, flat light, lack of sharpness of the images ... those weak shots aren’t precisely screaming masterpiece, even if certain press articles do it for them. In its defense, the phenomenon, still in its infancy, has not yet had time to unleash its creative potential. But while a fashion photography with vernacular accents and prosaic intentions has not ceased to gain strength since the advent of social networks, the appearance of these first DIY fashion series raises questions about a possible weakening of the role of the photographer, the stylist and the makeup artist, as well as on the impoverishment of the photographic language and the capacity of spectators to appreciate its different points of view.

Picture above : Bella Hadid’s stay home shooting for the french brand Jacquemus Spring-Summer 2020 collection

And if the trend sets in as mentioned by Gigi Hadid on her Instagram account, evoking that "fashion is finding its new normal", aren’t the health risks taken by the delivery persons of the packages containing the clothes intended for the models and the consumerist propensity to push Internet users to continue buying non-essential products highly questionnable in those dark times ? 

* Continue reading on topics related to Covid-19 with the following Boudoir Numérique papers :

- Covid-19 : Join the Met Gala Challenge in confinement

- Covid-19 - Clara Daguin continues her work on light-up face masks

- Covid-19 : luminous mask by Clara Daguin 

- Covid-19 inspires fashion accessories to Fecal Matter 

- Covid-19 : Luminous mask by Chelsea Klukas

- Lady Gaga's visor-shaped headpiece catches the attention of fans