Anna Wintour + Alaska Fishcamp Fashion: It's What's in Vogue!







      I can hardly bear to hear the news these days. We must pray for the afflicted and persecuted---and there are many. And we carry on by loving those around us. And still finding ways to smile. This is one of the main purposes of fashion, I believe, especially certain magazines----absurdity, irrelevance and distraction. May I distract you for a few minutes (and maybe make you smile?)





      If you didn't get your copy of Vogue or GQ this month, no worries. I've got it covered. Here are a few images you might have missed:  








   Shortly after this shoot, realizing something was missing, they finally did it-----Vogue and GQ came to their senses and journeyed out to fish camp to discover real fashion. 

The shoot began under their direction. We started off as they directed us. You know: bored, miserable, no-reason-to-live-except-to-glower-at-the-camera . . .


























      But, we couldn't sustain this for long. We're models with a difference. For one thing, we wear clothes. Quite a lot of them. In the Alaskan bush, we believe fashion is defined more by what you're wearing than what you're not wearing. 

Because our clothes are more than ornamental. We actually do stuff. Like-------mend fishing net.





And we do this because this is not a set---we're actually working! 








         And, shoot us (with just a camera please), but occasionally we're happy, even when we're working!








Even sometimes in a storm.



                                    (Take that, GQ!)




And even when wearing dirty, strange, worn-out clothes






                                  (25 year old jeans)



and odd, useful hats.







And don't  forget the (reptilian) hip boots or knee boots. Always the boots!



           



       Of course, there are some things more important than style, though I know Anna Wintour wouldn't believe this---unless she came to our fish camp.


  



I think she'd fit right in---as soon as we got over an issue or two: Yes, Anna, you MUST wear a lifejacket!



 It will indeed make you look fat, but fat, floating and alive is so much more fashionable than, well, you know . .. 



          And we may not boast a vast, varied or individualized palette, but we find this hue particularly lovely, and visible on the water in storms:









   

      Of course, beauty is in the eye of the wearer and beholder. When I asked my two youngest sons and their two buddies from a nearby fish camp to dress like GQ, this is what we got:





Well, who doesn't need a makeover now and then?

      


          The fashion on your island, fish camp or neighborhood may look a little different than  mine, and I'm glad. As Quentin Crisp said, 

"Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are."


     Here is my final fashion advice, stolen from Iris Apfel:


 "I would advise you to be happy rather than well-dressed. It’s better to be happy.”

Yes, when we wear "happy," we're always in Vogue. 






Thanks for walking the fishcamp runway with me! What is your philosophy of fashion?

13 comments:

  1. I love this... thanks for levity... It will indeed make you look fat, but fat, floating and alive is so much more fashionable than, well, you know . ..
    "Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.” This is so true... I spent wasted energy for too long trying figure out “my style”... my go to... is mostly athletic clothing... one day some I showed up in “grown up” clothing and all my friends were making a fuss... I asked if they were shocked because I didn’t look dumpy... my friend response is no... I would call your look comfortable:) maybe that is a compliment.
    Yes, when we wear "happy," we're always in Vogue Yes... Yes...
    Getting ready to start my day... some comfortable clothes with a lots of happy as an accessory!!!

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    1. Fantastic! Me too. I'm wearing running tights an a bit T-shirt all day. So there, Anna!! (I might even actually go running in them!)

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  2. Love this! Happy is a choice isn't it? Same as joy! By the way, Leslie, what brand are those 25 year old jeans? I need some! And aren't you so lucky that you can still fit them? :)

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    1. HI Diane! Well, I doubt that right now I would fit those jeans (Still trying to recover from Jimmy and Joy's cooking.) But hopefully in another week or two I can! (They're Lee jeans.)

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  3. Fashion is a concept that...escapes me. Totally. As in, Anna Wintour?
    "It will indeed make you look fat, but fat, floating and alive is so much more fashionable than, well, you know . .. And we may not boast a vast, varied or individualized palette, but we find this hue particularly lovely, and visible on the water in storms" That made me chuckle. Thanks!
    Oh wait...one question...how do you get jeans to last 25 years?

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  4. Hi Cheryl! Let's see---the secret to 25 year old jeans: keep them in a place you only live part of the year. Sp---25 years old indeed, but only worn for parts of 25 summers. (Anna Wintour: have you seen the movie The Devil Wears Prada? She's the Meryl Streep character. But otherwise, she's the editor of Vogue and considered the most influential woman in fashion.)

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    1. Ah, I've seen that movie. So that's Anna Wintour.

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  5. Sorry Leslie, but I was really hoping for a shot of you hauling fish carcasses, looking ever so chic in that RED hat and bow ensemble. Of course you manage to make even Grundens look adorable!! Now someone please photoshop a smile on Anna Wintour...
    Winn

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    1. Oh, that makes me laugh, imagining that shot. We'll have to work that in on next year's shoot, Winn!

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  6. as a "golf shirt and khakis" kind of girl...I love this and can relate; when I 'dress up', it means I put in my one pair of earrings...haha
    Cathy

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  7. This made me smile and made my morning!

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  8. Love this - you all are amazing. Truly. I do not know how you do it, but I am so glad you do.

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    1. Diana, you'll have to ask Paul (Willis) about his time on the island. We had SUCH a wonderful week at the workshop. He and Sharon were amazing!

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