Sep/Oct - 11 —
Wonderland’s autumn offering is primarily a fairly matched heavyweight bout between celebrity and fashion, with the other usual players – music, design, culture- also stepping into the ring. Celebrity coverage includes the special feature on the wonderful Kirsten Dunst, about to make the transition from an already critically acclaimed star to a serious art house actress in Lars Von Trier’s latest offering. Matt Mueller’s interview/article brings us up to speed on both Ms Dunst’s latest project and simultaneously offers a recap portrait of one of the most interesting Hollywood actresses of her generation. At the same time, Miguel Reveriego takes the opportunity to capture an essential portraiture-cum-fashion-shoot, styled by Grace Cobb.
Kirsten Dunst was already working her magic as Anne Rice’s beautifully disturbing child vampire alongside Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt back in the mid-1990’s; remember the last time vampiremania came round? At roughly the same time, Alexander Skarsgård was also negotiating the perils of child stardom in his native Sweden. Now, of course, he is almost synonymous with his character in ‘True Blood’, the blockbusting television series epitomizing a more recent cultural craze for all things gothic and vampirical. Who better then than Skarsgård for the central male celebrity in this issue? Hermione Hoby poses her questions to Alexander as he braces himself to take those all-important steps from television to big screen. Bjarne Jonasson’s photos capture a suitably smouldering persona for a star about to be reborn.
As one expects from titles such as Wonderland at this time of year, the issue is packed with fashion; menswear and womenswear. As usual, much of it is framed in Wonderland’s relatively direct and crisp style; no much in the way of unnecessary nonsense or frivolous fuss, allowing the clothes to speak for themselves. It is worth noting, however, that the casting choices for a number of different fashion stories stand out: the faces of fashion in this particular Wonderland show a lot of charismatic beauty brimming with character and following a distinctly individual course instead of the usual homogenised looks churned out by model factories.
Also praiseworthy is Damon Baker’s feature on Walter Van Beirendonck, styled by Way Perry. Shooting the archive of the unique output of the most eccentric of the Antwerp Six it offers a unique insight into the creative position of one of the most important designers working over the last thirty years. Even if Walter’s defiantly un-commercial style and reserved personality mean that he seldom turns up in Fashion Week paparazzi photos, his influence –primarily in the creed of remaining true to one’s own signature- is felt in the work of entire cohorts of some of the top international designers of today, a direct result of his heading up the design education at arguably the world’s top fashion academy.
Needless to say, the issue is also brimming over with a satisfying feast of everything from top international art to the latest fashionable accessories.
October 2011 320 Pages
Emily Browning Jessica Chastain The Drums Trancy emin Tom Rord Lil B Paul Mccarthy
Huw Gwyther
Grace Cobb
Our Take —
Wonderland is a magazine with a style located in a distinctly British publishing tradition, though international in outlook. Its particular art direction has a clear link to the unique London style of publishing that arose in the 1980’s when magazines like Blitz, I-D and The Face burst onto the scene. And, indeed, its spread and tone of content – fashion, music, film, design, etc- also has strong links to that British heritage from the 1980’s which conflated the tradition of great music journalism with creative and experimental fashion and other forms of culture, significantly producing a new type of magazine that appealed to both male and female readers. Wonderland, though set up a lot later and entirely in touch with a contemporary readership, continues with certain lessons learned from that original trope: a content balance that speaks to both men and women; a spread of editorial that takes in fashion, music, film and celebrity; a stark graphic style that suits the identity of an almost hybrid magazine.
