Revisiting 'Water & Oil': One of Franca Sozzani & Steven Meisel's Most Provocative Collaborations

Revisiting 'Water & Oil': One of Franca Sozzani & Steven Meisel's Most Provocative Collaborations

The fashion world is grieving the death of Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia. Sozzani created the most activist and in-your-face political statements in Vogue Italia.  Not all fashionistas appreciated her activist voice. Sozzani's infamous Italian Vogue editorial 'Water & Oil', September 2010 photographed by Steven Meisel is among her most controversial. Sozzani was making a political statement about the BP oil spill.

In honor of Franca Sozzani, we republish that editorial featuring Kristen McMenamy in much-expanded image sizes but with the original commentary. In moving AOC from Squarespace V5 to V7 a year ago, none of the comments transferred with the original articles. But I recall that the arguments were fierce! ~ Anne

{Written Aug. 7, 2010}: "Italian Vogue’s Kristen McMenamy oil-spill environmental disaster photos have created a firestorm of controversy about the motives of the magazine and whether or not the fashion shoot is in ‘poor taste’.

I’ve read endless comments from presumably American readers, and they are generally negative about the Italian Vogue Sept 2010 BP oil spill photos.

Comments are that the photos are tasteless, trivialize the events in the gulf to the point of mockery and represent a big-businesses attempt to exploit the tragedy. In the case of Italian Vogue and Kristen McMenamy, the big-business bad guy is Conde Nast, not BP.

From my perspective, I fail to see how these photos glamorize the BP Gulf oil disaster. They are disturbing, provocative and dreadfully ugly." Read on.