JAV Museum

Western review: In Vogue (2023, Vixen)

Promotional image

In Vogue is a 2023 film from director Julia Grandi and Vixen Media Group that is a crossover of three of their best known brands: Blacked, Tushy and, of course, Vixen.

Kelly Collins with the Eiffel Tower behind her

Set in Paris, the film primarily tells the story of Kelly Collins, an aspiring model who just can't catch a break. Shy and inexperienced, she is unable to get any work, despite numerous auditions. That is until she meets model-turned-recruiter Apolonia Lapiedra, who invites her into her agency.

Apolonia helps Kelly sign a modelling contract

At the agency, her fellow models are it girl Christy White, the snarky Momota Emiri (a.k.a. Mizukawa Sumire, who puts on a brilliant performance that is all too brief) and Vanessa Alessia, who Kelly forms a slightly bitter rivalry with.

Kelly, Christy and Emiri in the dressing room

As expected of this studio, this film's cinematography is lavish, and I appreciated the use of music and how it was paired with the visuals. The story was pretty good, with over half an hour of non-sex content. That you see certain events told from the perspectives of different characters is a refreshing idea.

Christy and some guy pose on the catwalk, with a screen displaying the Black Tape Project logo behind them

The standout performance comes from Vanessa, who does a fabulous job of portraying the prima donna who fucks her way to the top. Her facial expressions are always a source of entertainment.

Vanessa makes a shocked expression

The cast hails from a wide range of countries: Russia, Spain, Greece, Japan and the Czech Republic. However, this gives rise to the one thing that lets this film down: the fact that it's very difficult to understand some of the cast members' accents. Sometimes there are subtitles which are a great help, but other times there aren't, and I really struggled to make sense of what they were trying to say. No wonder studio Dorcel relies so heavily on dubbing!

Kelly at a cafe with a croissant

On the whole, though, In Vogue is a superb film that is a delight to watch.

★★★★ 4/5