Magazine-Cover Retouching, Russian Style (Update: Or Not)

The outstanding new blog Jezebel has gotten a lot of well-earned publicity for their publication of the original, unretouched Faith Hill photo that eventually would wind up — looking very, very different — on the July 2007 cover of Redbook. But compared to Russian Vogue, the crack team of photo manipulators at Redbook are pathetic amateurs. Check out this month’s Russian Vogue cover, for their “rock & roll� issue, and just try to guess which not-at-all-Russian rock singer it is in that glammed-up, slinky photograph.

Give up? So did we. Join us after the jump to learn who got turned into a Russian doll by Russian Vogue.

Who is that on the cover? PJ Harvey. No, we’re not kidding. (Oh, it turns out we’re kidding; see below.) The cover photo accompanies an article on the English art-punk singer-songwriter, who, while totally hot, usually looks … um … a little bit different.

Update! Those wise women over at Jezebel have word that this is an actual Russian model, not Harvey at all. We guess this is one of the many dangers present in not knowing Russian. Sorry, Russian Vogue! But PJ Harvey is still hot.

Update! Turns out we know a Russian! New York’s Michael Idov explains that, like Jezebel says, the model is Eugenia Volodina, but her name does not appear on the cover of the magazine, nor does it anywhere in the photospread within, in which Volodina is playing PJ Harvey. Idov translates the full text of the accompanying story:

“hed: HER OWN PJ

“The ‘90s rock diva PJ Harvey again inspires designers and photographers to glamorous shoots. The British singer became the symbol of alternative music and created her own inimitable style. Her every public appearance is a theatrical performance. When she doesn’t sing rock in a light dress, she signs the blues in ultra-short shorts. PJ stays true to herself even today. But nothing’s to stop you from trying the superstar’s image on yourself. Photos by Chad Pitman.�

Photo on right: Getty Images