I'm not the biggest fan of posting up long chunks of magazine editorials (although I love looking at other peoples blog post on fashion editorials...) but I think that this one, from this months Dazed and Confused, is one of the better concepts for a menswear shoot that incorporates the military trend with some fairly hard-hitting and witty statements.
I am however a really big fan of the notion that, in life, there's a very thin line between comedy and tragedy, so thin that sometimes the two bleed into each other and that there's no place that we can see this better than in war. Three generations of my family have served in the armed forces and, judging from the stories I've been told, it's a theory that might carry an iota of truth.
Wool as blood, the limbs and faces of childish dolls as masks and scars, severe corseting and reining in and vomiting out the trimmings or military costume. The poses are stiff, full on or three quarters profile, like an actual military portrait. While it's a bit risky to run in a mainstream magazine, it's the risks that make life (and editorials) interesting. If you like what you see, go buy a copy of Dazed and peruse the rest of the editorial *blatant magazine pushing alert*
Photos from TFS
Photos - Richard Burbridge
Styling - Robbie Spencer