Shooting a ski story for a fashion magazine is more complicated than it seems. The latest cold-weather clothes must be shot for winter issues by early fall, when there is nary a snowflake sticking, except perhaps in the Himalayas. Scheduling leaves only a few options: shoot out-of-date fashion (not possible); publish an alpine adventure just as readers are preparing for summer holidays (also not possible); or shoot in the Southern hemisphere (now, there’s an idea).
Diana Vreeland figured it out. In 1969, she sent Veruschka and photographer Franco Rubartelli to Australia for a November issue story that sees Vreeland’s favorite model aggressively snowmobiling, perching on the ledge of fashion designer Norma Tullo’s chalet, and naturally pairing a Pucci tunic with K-2 skis. The story is actually one of Vreeland’s less extravagant assignments for Veruschka, which could find the crew decamping to India for a month at a time. By comparison, this single-girl shoot could almost be considered austere.
Suffice it to say that “Get a ski story in Vogue” found its way to my list of 2025 resolutions. |
