There was this article in the NY Times a few weeks ago about a fashion spread in Vogue India that showed “normal” Indian citizens posing with high fashion accessories. The thing is, the accessories they’re posing with were with hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars, while the Indian citizens portrayed make somewhere in the ballpark of $1.25 a day.

Some people are outraged by the spread, claiming that it was “tacky” and “distasteful,” while editor of Vogue India Priya Tanna thinks that people should “lighten up”, that “We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world.”Personally I side with Ms. Tanna on this one, mostly because I found the photos to be absolutely beautiful.

The subjects, though not identified, are all smiling and laughing. The baby above is modeling a $100 Fendi bibi, in the top photo the man is holding a $200 Burberry umbrella. Shabba. [kitsuine noir]