A glossy coat,over-sized eyes and shiny nose are officially in fashion,with the star of adopting the famous pose from Max Dupain’s 1937 photographSunbakeron the cover of the digital edition,although she could be playing dead.
The latest cover of In Style Australia’s digital edition features ‘Bluey’ star Chilli recreating Max Dupain’s famous ‘Sunbaker’ photograph.In Style/Ludo Studio
“Can we only use animated characters in the future?” Cullen says. “This was the easiest cover I have ever produced.”
In,Cullen writes about working on a cover shoot at another magazine and watchingGlee actor Lea Michele kick a shoe at the fashion director,making her cry. TheIn Style image was easier to create because there was no kicking,no photo shoot and no fashion.
“Ludo Studio,the creators ofBluey are very protective of their characters,so we weren’t able to add fashion to Chilli. I would like to imagine that she goes off to her job in airport security wearing a dress from Toni Maticevski.”
Other cartoon covers have crossed over onto the catwalk with collaborating on a special episode ofThe Simpsons for their spring 2022 collection andVice magazine publishing a photo shoot with models transformed intoBratz dolls in 2019.
“Every idea we had involved Chilli breaking the fourth wall and that doesn’t happen withBluey,”Cullensays. “This pose felt right. There’s even a moment in an episode of the series where the creators reference Dupain’s photograph.”
Chilli Heeler from ‘Bluey’ recreates Elle Macpherson’s 1986 ‘Elle’ magazine cover in the latest issue of ‘In Style’ Australia.Ludo Studios/ In Style Australia
Inside theIn Style issue Chilli crawls closer to high fashion in an image recreating the 1986 USElle magazine cover featuring Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson,with yellow zinc sunscreen and swimming goggles. The designer yellow swimsuit is daringly absent.
The show’s international success is reason enough for the cartoon casting,with Cullen used to publicity from the attention following in the run-up to the federal election. Instead,she says this was a moment to recognise motherhood.
“We are all going through what academics describe Cullen says. “It’s safe to say that mothers have really borne the brunt of the challenges of the past few years. We wanted to give Chilli the moment to recharge on the cover that all mothers probably need.”
While other magazines whittle away at taboos with printed editions,with the latest issue ofVogue Australia featuring members of the LGBTQIA+ community in time for World Pride,Cullen sees digital editions as a playground for risk taking.
“The digital covers are a great opportunity to show that fashion isn’t purely about celebrity and you can do things that you can’t risk with print,” she says. “We can start conversations and we can also have fun.”
Inside the issueIn Style reverts to its fashion roots with the year’s biggest sneaker trends,which is not much use for Chilli,as they still only accommodate human feet.
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