“It’s About Stripping Down In An Elegant Way,” Stylist Jessica Diehl On Dressing Caitlyn Jenner

Earlier today Yahoo News’ Katie Couric sat down with Vanity Fair Fashion & Style Director Jessica Diehl, who was in charge of outfitting Caitlyn Jenner for her cover story, and contributing editor Buzz Bissinger, who wrote the accompanying 22-page story, to get the scoop on what it was like to shoot the already-iconic story with photographer Annie Leibovitz.

“With Annie, there’s always a deeper thought involved in any picture she takes,” Diehl said about the image chosen for the cover,”what do we all really want to know? we want to know what Caitlyn looks like, is the body good? does she really look like a woman? And all these questions are over and done now. There’s no need for further intrusiveness.”

Caitlyn Jenner and Jessica Diehl behind the scenes at their Vanity Fair shoot. Photo: @jdiehlpoynter/Instagram

And while “there’s no need for further intrusiveness,” that didn’t stop Bissinger from asking Caitlyn if she had had surgery. “She had 10 hours of plastic surgery,” said Bissinger, “that was the end of Bruce and the beginning of Caitlyn. I asked her (about the operation), she said, “I haven’t had it, (…) If i have it nobody is finding out.”

Although many people have commented about the overt presence of Photoshop within the pages of the magazine, Diehl is quick to dismiss the claims. “Of course there’s always a tiny but of skin tone adjustment, or something like that, but Annie’s biggest thing is that we set up a shoot where there would be no Photoshopping needed,” she added, “that’s also the point of us posting behind the scenes movies and pictures, to show that there is no need for (the photo manipulation).”

“We wanted her to feel all the joy and excitement of dressing up, and dressing down, playing with hair and makeup, all the things that she’s dreamed of,” Diehl said of the classic old-Hollywood feel of the images, “timeless is always a thing that we strive for, but it was more about stripping down in an elegant way and letting her just be Caitlyn.” All in all, the perfect way to make a debut.

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