Bruce Weber Turns “How to Read” Into a Very VMAN Lesson
Bruce Weber gives reading a very different kind of study session in “How to Read,” a cheeky editorial from VMAN #17. The Spring 2010 story brings together models Benedict Tufnell, Joey Slomowitz, Bart Grivvy, Matt Raimo and Josh Truesdell, with styling by Deborah Watson and grooming by Regine Thorre.
The concept is simple enough to make the joke work: books, boys and the sort of relaxed group chemistry Weber has made such a recognizable part of his fashion photography. Instead of treating the page like a stiff lesson in menswear, the editorial lets the models lounge, read and crowd into the frame together until the whole thing feels less like school and more like somebody’s very photogenic afternoon off.
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Bruce Weber turns books, group chemistry and Spring 2010 menswear into one of VMAN #17’s cheekier editorial lessons.
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The story also fits neatly into the larger structure of VMAN #17, with editorials built around a string of “How To” ideas. “How to Read” sat alongside features with titles like “How to Keep It Cool,” “How to Accessorize” and “How to Hang Out,” turning the issue into a loose guidebook filtered through fashion rather than a literal instruction manual.
Weber’s contribution is very much his own. The pictures rely less on sharply separated solo portraits and more on bodies sharing space, casual gestures and the slightly mischievous feeling that the models know the assignment is supposed to be serious but have no intention of behaving too seriously about it.
And that is what keeps the editorial from becoming a one-note visual pun. The books give it the premise, but the cast gives it its rhythm. Tufnell, Slomowitz, Grivvy, Raimo and Truesdell read as a group rather than five separate model bookings, which makes the sequence feel more like a little world than a stack of disconnected fashion pages.
Bruce Weber’s “How to Read” for VMAN #17
It is earnest enough to put reading at the center of the concept, but stylish enough to make sure nobody mistakes the lesson for homework. We approve.
Source: VMAN #17. This archived INYIM post was restored and lightly reformatted for readability.
