38 DECEMBER 2017LACHLAN BAILEYhere was a sense of nostalgia on the runways at the
most recent collections. Perhaps in these scary and
confusing times, designers are keen to remind us of
when life was more simple. It’s a feeling echoed in
New York-based photographer Lachlan Bailey’s
shoot with Margot Robbie in the yard of a home in
Long Island, which deliberately looks like it could
be the Australian backyard of his Melbourne
upbringing. The cover image somehow reminds me of the coastal
holiday we Australians all long for at this time of the year, no matter
where in the world we find ourselves.
Margot exemplifies values we cherish in our national psyche: she is
straightforward, down to earth, light-hearted, self-deprecating, honest
and optimistic. Her unbreakable bond with her friends and business
partners (as you will read in Sophie Tedmanson’s interview, from page
162) is the modern equivalent of the relationship we call mateship.
On the cover, Margot is dressed in Alexander McQueen; the print on
the silk organza is inspired by the beauty of a ramshackle garden that
broke with traditional rules of planting. Her tough crystal-encrusted
McQueen boots add an unexpected but relaxed edge to the gown.Editor’s letter
VOGUEEDWINA McCANN EDITOR-IN-CHIEFFor me, Margot embodies the confidence of her generation to speak
up and wear it their own way. Thanks in part to the transparency
allowed by social media, her generation will define feminism for a post-
Weinstein era. Jamila Rizvi discusses what comes next in the push for
gender equality in her story, ‘What’s next for women?’, from page 218.
Being December, it’s time to think about party dressing, which we’ve
covered with statement sleeves (from page 50), the best accessories, and
dresses that shine (from page 210). Fashion features editor Alice Birrell
explores our changing attitudes to occasion wear in ‘Night shift’ (from
page 206). Her story starts with a quote about modelling from 1972, the
year I was born, which now sounds archaic in its objectification of women.
When it comes to changing attitudes and communities, the waves can go
unnoticed when a tide is coming in gradually, but when a tsunami hits,
things will never be the same again. And that is a good thing.
The year of 2017 has had its challenges, surprises and disappointments,
but there have also been watershed moments. So while our anxieties
might mean we feel nostalgic for a safer past, not all was better then for
women, as we have discovered. I am excited about what is yet to come.
And about the wonderful young women, such as Margot, who will take
the best from the past, leave the worst, and move us into the next decade.T
Margot Robbie in ‘Mad about Margot’, from page 162.