Fashion at the Graveyard 1997

Arsen Savadov snapped this photograph called Fashion at the Graveyard, and right away, I'm asking myself "what is fashion?" Is it about beauty, or commerce, or does it signal our attitude to life? Here, at the graveyard, we see the transience of life, and I wonder, did Savadov feel as uncomfortable as I do looking at this image? He's set up a fashion shoot among the graves with the model looking straight at us. I wonder about her feelings and I bet she’s thinking, "Am I disrespecting these souls? Am I honouring them?" She has such a striking presence! Her bare chest, the oversized shirt, and the way she's planted her feet. I am unsure whether she’s vulnerable or strong. The tension is thick, like trying to mix oil and water. And maybe that's Savadov's point: to get us squirming, questioning, and ultimately, thinking about fashion, death, and everything in between.