Amanda in Louis Vuitton by Virgil Abloh
The shoot's stylist, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, is getting a lot of well-earned praise for this shoot. Amanda Gorman seems like such a tiny person, but she packs a lot of power and presence, and I think the dress looks fabulous on her. I also love that they didn't slather her in a ton of makeup. I am not 100 percent sold on seeing this much of the bones of the set in this shot? Especially when you see this, and wonder what a natural background would have looked like with this gown. I actually really wish we could see that photo full-on, with nothing else in it. I wonder if the appeal here is that the background looks like an old-school scroll or piece of parchment.
Amanda in Dior
I think I feel warmly toward this because I like Amanda so much, and not at all because I'm blown away by any of the choices. The dress is pretty; I just don't care for how it looks against the beige wall.
I really love this. She also did a shot in a McQueen dress, and while I don't care for the frock there AT ALL, I think the pose is very balletic. Seeing what a gift she has for holding herself in these two pictures makes me curious why she's sitting or hunched in both cover choices. Obviously, I know showing her face was important to them and you can't see it in these, but I think there are ways around it. I again really wish we could have seen what the golden dress in the golden field would have looked like if the lens were pointed AT her. I also wish we could've seen her work the Vuitton. But! These are still good.
