Lucky Magazine Responds to Criticism

By Tenisha Mercer
www.HairNista.Blogspot.com

Something went wrong -- very wrong -- at Lucky Magazine.

I have a few hunches, but I'm not sure if it was after the shutters of the photographer's camera or at layout (I suspect it was Photoshop gone mad) but the cover of Kerry Washington turned out a frosty pink mess. It was more like, WHO is that?

Complaints flew on the Internet -- and for good reason.

Why mess up OUR girl like that? The cover went viral -- and not in good way. After all, we are #Gladiators in these parts.

Now, Lucky Magazine Editor in Chief Eva Chen is defending the cover in a WWD interview:

Vogue's Anna Wintour approved it (doesn't make it any better): "Anna as the artistic director was definitely aware of our cover selection and was very supportive. Anna always provides me with guidance. As editor in chief, it comes down to my decision — and Anna agreed.”

Her take on the criticism: “I realize that when you put something on social media, it’s meant to be a conversation. [...] I’m still pretty new to this [being an editor in chief]. It’s only been four months, but I’ve been active in social media for a while now. Anything on social media is up for debate. Conversation is a good thing.”
I'm shocked this cover flew through the ranks unscathed. What, were they smoking meth that day?

Geez.

For all its jacked-upness, though, Washington's interview was actually good. Here are some excerpts.

Liv's style:
“People always come up to me and say, ‘Oh, I want Olivia’s closet,’ and I’m like, ‘Me too!’  Even for me, I think it’s a real danger to compare yourself to someone on a television show. There are shows where every time you see the character she’s in a different piece, and it’s like a fashion event,” she says. “I didn’t want that. I wanted Olivia to be a real person. We will always buy new pieces, but on every episode we try to use at least one piece that you’ve seen before, whether it’s a suit jacket or pants or a pair of shoes.”
Her take on fashion: 
“In my mid-20s, fashion intimidated me. But when I went to the shows, it suddenly occurred to me that it was the same as going to a gallery opening or to the theater…It is a moment to take in the work of a particular artist and decide how you feel about it.”

Tracee Ellis Ross and E! critic George Kotsiopoulos were her ashion mentors:
“They really taught me a great deal. They would give me the names of designers to watch or magazines to buy. And I started to develop a language around fashion.”
What she wears at home: 
“I can run into Madewell and J.Crew and be good for a few months. I’m not a formal person. I have a lot of jeans. And I have tons of sneakers, whether they’re the custom Nikes that you can make online or the Isabel Marant wedges. That’s the Bronx in me, for sure.”
How she chooses her red carpet gowns: 
“I always strive to be appropriate, I know that how people dress says a lot about what they believe and how they walk in the world. So I’m very aware when I make choices that those choices say things. I know whether a gown is the correct gown for the Met Ball or at the MTV Movie Awards or at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”

Her wedding band: "I never wanted to have a ring that I would feel uncomfortable riding the subway with. My wedding band and engagement ring are the only things I can say that I wear every day, I pin them to my clothing on set. That way, I always have them with me.”
What she makes for Thanksgiving:
“My mother’s birthday is close to Christmas, and I like to cook around the holidays. It’s really a special time. I’m usually in charge of the veggies—I have a brussels sprouts dish that I make. And my mom and I bake this Jamaican rum cake together.”