Hockey star Sean Avery is "guest editing" MensVogue.com this week, which means that, technically, he is the one who decided to print a picture of himself shirtless (above) for the slideshow accompanying his essay about life as a Vogue intern. The essay itself details Avery's love of fashion — especially women's fashion, which he finds "especially interesting — there are so many options, and they can tell more of a story." Go ahead and make the gay jokes, Avery has already heard them. And they don't stop him from bragging that he added a "leopard-print Alexander McQueen vest" to a photo shoot he worked, and that it "pulled the outfit together."
Avery is also not apologizing for a fashion obsession that "started innocently enough with my first tie-dyed Chip & Pepper shirt at age 12 has evolved over a decade and a half into a closet full of Dries Van Noten, YSL, Dior, and Costume National, to name just a few." He also cops to wearing "dinner attire" of "jeans, limited edition Nikes, a Raf Simons dress shirt, and a bow tie."
But Avery is a little embarrassed about a recent accident in the Condé Nast cafeteria in which he attempted to load up two trays at once and ended up spilling beef stroganoff on some hapless but unknown coworker (she fled). (He's sorry! He wants to buy you a new outfit! Twelfth floor!)
Then there's this strange assertion:
Here's what it comes down to: I make millions of dollars a year at a "job" that I consider to be pure fun. The people at Vogue don't have that kind of salary. What they do have is a group of people working creatively and relentlessly because of their strong passion and love for fashion. I would challenge you to find another workplace — outside of sports or nursing — that has that.
Ah, yes, nursing: That place for people with "strong passion and love for fashion." Someone should put together a photo spread!
[Men's Vogue]
