the_oracle: (better than you)
[personal profile] the_oracle
   To prove that I'm a big ol' nerd, we're going to disect one of the things about the new Sweet Valley Confidential US cover that is driving me INSANE.

The lavaliere.

Behold:
Photobucket
  It's very sparkly and very pretty on its own. This much I agree on. However, it is not *the* lavaliere. It's not even close.

This is the lavaliere in its original glory:
Photobucket

  BEHOLD. It is ridiculously simple in that it's a simple gold bar pendant. Google search that and you'll find quite a few things that are pretty much right on target (and even more that aren't.) It survived Margo trying to whack Lizbeth and was still prominently displayed until #115 when the illustrated versions of the Daniel twins took up residence above the SVH logo on the books.

Like so:
Photobucket
  Right. There. Couldn't miss it if you looked for it at all. (Which you probably didn't but hey. It's there between the E in Francine and the P for Pascal if you needed help.)

Anyway.

This?
Photobucket
  This is a key. How in the... why... what?


Look. From the aforementioned google search. Tiffany's, even.
Photobucket

OR
Photobucket
  See? Simple. This isn't my favorite but it's still closer than a friggin' KEY. (And I love key necklaces something crazy.)

    Odds are good that the magical lavaliere was given by Ned and Alice to the gruesome twosome because it would go with *everything*. It might not always be the best choice *coughLIZcough* for a given outfit, but it wouldn't look out of place with a tank top (see Secrets) and it worked well enough with the dress Margo and Liz wore to Lila's NYE party. And you know Lila's dress code. How is this hard to grasp?



With that out of the way, we return you to new!cover glory.

US:
Photobucket

   Congrats, art department. You've airbrushed them into non-people. I'm getting the re-launch of The Vampire Diaries from the front cover and I've got to agree with people on the back cover. It's vaguely porntastic and the more you look at it, the stranger her upper lip and nose begin to look. See? Now you can't unsee it either.

I will say that if the back cover picture looked less like wax melting, I would love it. It's not perfect (even if you fixed the previously discussed flaws) but it sets the tone. Mystery! Sex! Bad sex, even! And blondes doing bad things to one another. I get it.

UK:
Photobucket
   I... still don't know how to feel about this one. I've had less time to come to grips with it. I think the red and the pink clash, but it's not the first time they've used the combo (and Playing with Fire is a pretty well known SVH cover so...). It needs something tweaked to make it not so... "intern in the basement threw this together as a mockup"-y. I will say the models are very pretty, but the lack of a background is making things weird. White space! *is ded*

Thoughts? Opinions? Votes for me to be committed?

Date: 2010-10-31 01:43 am (UTC)
luxken27: (SVH - Smiling twins)
From: [personal profile] luxken27
I like the style of the UK cover more than the US cover, but I don't really like the models they chose o.O I think it's prototype art and most likely subject to change...whereas the US cover is just kinda tragic. I agree with everyone else that the 'Jessica' model just looks frikkin' weird (and since when did Jess have curly hair? Wasn't that Liz's bag back in book #63?), but I kinda like the 'Liz' model.

Eh, I dunno. I never knew what a lavaliere was supposed to look like to begin with, so I didn't even realize the necklace was supposed to be one :P

Its not like a shitty cover is going to stop me from buying this, LOL. (And you wanna talk disappointing covers...the BSC reissues have been so bleh that it's practically a crime! The best part of any of this girl series books were the awesome cover illustrations that drew you in in the first place!)

Date: 2010-10-31 02:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gossip-oracle.livejournal.com
It took me years to figure out that a lavaliere did not have to look like the ones the twins had. *That* was my tragedy.

I think the UK models are pretty. I don't see them and think "WAKEFIELDS!" but honestly? I really doubt I'd see anyone not rocking the 80's hair and think "Wakefields?" so... I'll admit that much. I'm hoping they alter both covers, but I'm thinking the US one is set. UK has wiggle room.

And yes. They could have done a pink background and just stamped "Sweet Valley Confidential" and I'd have bought a copy... or two. Getting to bitch about the cover art is just gravy.

Ugh. The BSC covers. On the one hand, I like trying to figure out how the covers correspond to the stories. On the other hand, I'd get just as much joy out of that being a game on the website and having super awesome(ly bad?) artwork to oooh and ahhh over. Kids these days don't know how bad they've got it.
(deleted comment)

Date: 2010-11-01 05:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gossip-oracle.livejournal.com
But it must be fancy! The sparkle was to prevent people from noticing wax!Jessica melting.

Oh. Wait. That didn't work. Maybe it was so that something would sparkle? The magpie effect on the population.

Special, special covers. Special.

Date: 2010-10-31 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] notemily.livejournal.com
Wait, where is the key photo from?

Date: 2010-11-04 11:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cordys-charisma.livejournal.com
UK cover rUles in odd way. looks like porn mag cover kinda.

Date: 2010-12-15 02:11 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I am still attached to the original double love drawings...they should have found the artist and had him age them. No models seem to fit or compare to those old drawings!! :(

Date: 2011-04-05 04:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] livfreeverse.livejournal.com
In an FP google image search the other day, I came across this picture of her http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/i/partypictures/03_21_11/francine-pascal,-elizabeth-stribling.jpg taken at some function she attended last month in NY...anyways, if you look closely... FP appears to be wearing none other than the very same lavalier, that the Jessica model - on the front cover of SVC - seems to be wearing.
Further noseying, uhem researching :P sees her adorning the same laviere w/in this picture http://spin1038.com/wp-content/files/2011/03/francine-pascal-240.jpg here - taken just before SVC's official press release last year (July)...and right above all the official St. Martins' info - within the SVC's dust jacket's back flap - you'll see how the laveliere designs credited as being part of her daughter Jamie's jewelry collection: http://jamiestewart.com/jewelry/necklaces.htm (item # 112B Butterfly Lace Lavaliere) So...i'm guessing that this whole slight of having the lavaliere looking not quite as we know it to be, isn't an error on their parts; more so, it's a way of paying homage & tribute to Jamie, who passed away around 3 years ago. Hope this info, kinda clears up your headache Ms. Imp...it definitely cleared up mine :P xx

Date: 2011-04-07 02:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gossip-oracle.livejournal.com
Ahhhh. That does clear it up. It was a deliberate change made for a very sweet reason. Thank you for mentioning that! I feel less cranky about it now.

Date: 2011-04-07 07:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] livfreeverse.livejournal.com
no probs :0) also, came across this & thought you might want to check it out too...it's an article where she talks about it a bit more; which was published today http://racked.com/archives/2011/04/07/francine-pascal.php

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the_oracle: the cover image from Double Love, classic SVH (Default)
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