Vogue Greece January 2024 'the Animal Issue' by Richard Phibbs with Kris Grikaite
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With the arrival of the New Year, many AOC friends — and certainly Anne herself — look towards 2024 and our November presidential, federal and state elections with a great deal of apprehension.
And then out of nowhere, one of the world’s best-known animal whisperers arrives. He brings images that convince us all to breathe deeply and focus on Vogue Greece’s January 2024 ‘the animal issue’. For a little while, the angst lifts.
Top model Kris Grikaite is visually at peace with creatures more devoted to humans, than we are to them in most cases. From an evolutionary standpoint, animals have been forced to change their behaviors in ways that humans would never consider.
Kris is wearing Gucci in the peach and black ensemble above. Anne is besotted with the image below of Kris wearing Louis Vuitton.
The words of Richard Phibbs [IG] are so simple and very real, as he creates a visual fashion parfait in which these homeless senior shelter dogs find themselves on the cover of Vogue. Phibbs is absolutely devoted to animals, in case you haven’t followed my constant commentary on this subject.
Phibbs says:
“Once abandoned and discarded like rubbish, we at @voguegreece elevated them and bestowed upon them the dignity that they’ve always deserved.”
Even the rooster is elegant, as one person points out on Richard Phibbs’ IG. The photography is exquisite, but Richard’s images usually are in that top-rung category of excellence.
These images have voices. And just as we speak of a collective unconscious in the psychoanalytical beliefs of Carl Jung, there’s a quantifiable, collective unconscious among animals. Elephants have been well-researched on the subject of shared ancestral memory, of remembering old routes through the African wildnerness from 20 years prior. Many of the problems between elephants and farmers stem from these exact memories. The old route through what is now cultivated farmlands are embedded in the minds of elephants. Chaos and death can ensue.
Another IG comment is about #6 below:
”Those eyes in #6 will break you. If one is not moved, i question if one is alive.”
Nicholas Georgiou styled the shoot and he is equally impacted by the experience, as the rest of the cast. We learn that all of the animals are looking to be fostered or adopted.
“The Vogue Greece January issue welcomes the New Year in the sweetest and most caring way, with an issue dedicated to our love of animals. Famous photographer @richardphibbs, a known advocate of animal rights, captures @kris_grikaite with animals that now live in shelters waiting to be fostered or adopted.”
The animals are not sedated or harmed in any way, abiding by all international agreements around animal welfare.
Yes, as Phibbs noted, these are not young pups — and AOC uses the term broadly. It’s impossible to achieve these high-quality, rich-with-empahy images without Phibbs, in particular, but also Kris demonstrating a favorable energy towards the animals.
I have to believe the photographer is coaxing them as much as Kris. Probably more. I’m sorry, but these animals really connect with Richard.
It’s all simply a wonderful gift to humanity, Vogue Greece. You will cause a positive opportunity for us all to appreciate — but also reflect — on the gift the entire team has given us with “the animal issue.” Beautiful. Thank you so much to all who worked on this project. ~ Anne
