italian vogue forgoes the ol' photoshoot razzle dazzle (but just this once)

Did you guys see this: Italian Vogue won’t publish (editorial) photos in their January 2020 issue, relying instead on illustrations from painters, artists, and even an erotic comic artist for the magazine’s covers. Definitely stunt-y, but still kind of cool — I’m especially curious about how the whole workflow for the magazine changed when staffers didn’t have to wrangle photographers, models, travel logistics, etc. for once. 

Even though this creative decision is just a one-time thing, I also wonder if there’ll be any general movement toward a more low-fi aesthetic for traditional glossies, like something along the lines of what The World of Interiors pulls off with a tiny staff and budget. I do think (maybe mostly for sentimental reasons) publications like Vogue have some kind of artistic duty to create the most glamorous images in the world for the rest of us to look at, but surely in a universe equipped with extremely good photoshop and the ability to easily access a diversity of creative talent, we’re moving away from the ol’ glitzy & exotic photoshoot razzle dazzle standby??