The Gentlewoman #19
Multiple front covers are everywhere today. They can be the result of a clever idea, but are often just a sign of an indecisive creative team. As The Gentlewoman launches its first split cover run, we asked editor-in-chief Penny Martin for the story behind the pair of covers.
Featuring portraits by Inez & Vinoodh of US artist Cindy Sherman, the two covers show how the double cover device can enhance a story. The two portraits are a before-and after pair, defining Shermans’s modus operandi and opening up her working process.
‘A double cover wasn’t planned, but as is often the case, when Inez and Vinoodh’s portfolio of portraits came in, there were several cover-worthy options,’ Penny explained, ‘when I read Heidi Julavitz’s profile, which documents something no one ever witnesses – the process of Cindy Sherman being transformed – it became clear we had the opportunity to not only show what the Great American Artist “really looks like” but to also pose the question of which persona is the true Cindy - “real” or constructed.’
The two portraits, along with their contrasting border colours, make a stunning pair of covers that will amuse Sherman fans and intrigue people less familiar with her work.
The Gentlewoman cover reveal is always an event and this one more than most. It’s the best use of the double cover I’ve seen for some time.
PS: newly promoted creative director Veronica Ditting adds that the orange-yellow colour was a specially mixed Pantone ink.
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