Vogue Italia is one of those fashion magazines with an immense legacy (all thanks to the sheer brilliance of the late great Franca Sozzani). Since Sozzani’s passing, the Italian fashion bible has underwent some significant changes and is undoubtedly a shadow of its former self. From 2017 to 2021, Emanuele Farneti served as editor-in-chief, who was ultimately replaced with Francesca Ragazzi (the magazine’s current head of editorial content). Covers throughout Ragazzi’s reign have been extremely hit and miss – with last month’s Bella Hadid offering feeling like a total missed opportunity. For May 2024, Ragazzi welcomes Irina Shayk as cover girl, marking the Russian beauty’s third since 2017. The industry fave takes it to the racetrack, to the home of Ferrari in the Italian commune of Maranello to be exact. Irina shoots a look over her shoulder clad in Dolce & Gabbana, shot by photographer Theo Liu and styled by Anastasia Barbieri.
Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:
“I miss those days when I would see the cover and get really intrigued by the image, analyzing the backstory etc. All I see now is just an average-looking cover that will be forgotten. Sad,” sighed NicholasII.
“Horrible. That traffic light thing totally ruins the shot,” mikel instantly pointed out.
In agreement was Cocteau Stone: “From her head down to the coat there is a nice 70’s cinematic look. Then, from the head up, with that obstructive light system it quickly heads into corny 80s film territory!”
“Theo Liu’s photography is amateur beyond belief and I’m dumbstruck over how underwhelming Anastasia Barbieri’s styling is. The cover shot itself is hideous, far too zoomed out for my taste. This could’ve been fierce but it’s a FLOP,” chimed in vogue28.
Not everyone, however, was left so dissatisfied with the outcome. “It has a 70s cinematic allure, pretty Italian,” admired ivano.
“Love the cover and great to see Irina. She is beautiful,” enthused MModa.
“Feels refreshing in a way,” said Petrus.
See more of Irina Shayk as Vogue Italia’s April 2024 cover girl and share your own thoughts, here.
