OK, so fashion is not my strong suit. This is a terrible thing to confess here, but to me the clothes are mostly props. At best they help create a mood or a way to emphasize a subject's best features. I have no idea what the prevailing style is for any particular season, no interest in what may be in vogue and all I know about current trends is the cool outfits my models happen to have on sometimes when they visit, and half the time those turn out to be from a thrift shop. Most important to me is that the clothes not be distracting and I definitely believe in the principle that less is more. Often a lot less ;')
Not an attitude that assures sales I guess.
On the other hand, I think I have an excellent eye for beauty and style in the sense of an individual's distinctive look and way of expressing themselves. That may include the way that they dress but it's much more fundamental than how good this season's fashion looks on them. I also like the fact that my concept of beauty isn't as limited by stereotypes as much as most of my contemporaries (translate: people that read too many fashion magazines) and I hope to always bring out what is unique in my subjects. That means bringing out what is naturally most attractive about them rather than insisting that they conform to a set convention.
Compare my ideal to trends in fashion photography and you see why W magazine and I aren't doing much together these days. At one extreme is the tendency to equate beauty with perfection, where models look so sleek that they start to resemble all the other streamlined and superficial appliances of our modern culture. At the opposite end of the spectrum are anorexic waifs that look like addicts willing to trade sexual favors for a shopping spree. Sometimes (incredibly) you even see these looks combined like in the Maxim swimsuit issue. Photos that are actually very well done but disturbing because of their prevalence.
It's hard to tell where in the midst of all this is room for the sensuality and beauty that I love; models that look healthy, happy, sexy, strong, self-confident... all the positive traits I aspire to myself in other words.