Karen Elson | Steven Meisel | Vogue Italia October 2011 | 'Winter's Edge'

We’ve had a bizarre response watching Steven Meisel’s video ‘Winter’s Edge’ for the October 2011 cover editorial starring Karen Elson. Besides Elson, the model lineup includes Guinevere van Seenus, An Oost, Delfine Balfort, Kristen Owen, Emma Balfour, Corinna Ingenleuf, Tanga Moreau, Gail O’ Neil, Evelyn Kohn, Caroline de Magret & Cordula Reyer with styling by Karl Templer.

Even though the women are not part female/part vulture, we can’t get references to Greek mythology harpies out of our mindset. And of course Grey Gardens comes to mind, the documentary and Broadway portrait of East Hamptonites Edith Beale and her daughter Edie.

Anne knew about Edith Beale upon her arrival in New York and first trip to East Hampton, where her hostesses’ house backed up against the Beale property. Searching for explanations to our Meisel response, a stop at GreyGardensOnline provides a bit of insight:

Responding to questions about why we care so much about these crazy women, the answer is that the two Edies are the ultimate ‘riches to rags’ American epic.

It has a mythic quality that echoes Greek tragedy.  It’s a fairytale told in reverse.  An over-the-top Gothic narrative.  A classic Tennessee Williams play set to music.  A soap opera of the mind.

Time and again, they projected a radiant sense of optimism and debonair self-assurance that could only come from being comfortable in one’s own skin.  They refused to see themselves as objects of pity.  This doesn’t mean that they had their heads stuck in the East Hampton sand; and it wasn’t an act for the Maysles’ cameras.  These women were strong individuals that repudiated nothing and refused to compromise anything.  Their personal liberty was a continuum.  If they could have extracted that dogged, authentic Beale essence and bottled it, they would have certainly been millionaires many times over.

via Vogue It