The original cover of Vogue Italia’s April issue showed a model wearing a blue-checked Louis Vuitton twinsuit.
But in the insanity of current events, Vogue brought out a different cover, in nothing but white.
This starkness is breathtaking, and at first glance, very sad, it seems like the bleaching out of joy and an admission that fashion is a thing of the past as Italy battles with the coronavirus.
However, beyond the emptiness, a brave new meaning emerges.
"White is rebirth, the sum of all colours, the light after darkness," the editor explains. "White is the colour of the uniforms worn by those who put their own lives on the line to save ours. It represents space and time to think, as well as to stay silent."
This cover looks to the light that beckons beyond the terrible moment. "Above all," concludes the editor's note, "white is not surrender, but a blank sheet waiting to be written, the title page of a new story that is about to begin."
