Consolation prize

When I first heard of Vogue Curvy and Vogue Black, I honestly thought they were new Blackberry phones.

Unfortunately, they’re not — they’re far worse.

The Italian Vogue recently launched two Web sites: one dedicated to full-figured women and another for black women. Editor Beniamino Marini said the sites are supposed to drive traffic to Vogue Italia’s main Web site.

He goes on to say there are no plans to make a print version of either Vogue Curvy or Vogue Black, but the sites serve as a way to address a growing market.

On one hand, Vogue Italia has formed a way to serve its full-figured and black clientele, but on the other, it does so in a way that marginalizes the two groups. And while both sites do feature articles from black and plus-sized U.S.-based bloggers, substance is found nowhere.

A quick tour through both sites reveals a lack of imagination and no real spark that would keep visitors coming back. And if you are reading it in English, you have to ignore all the spelling errors. 

Vogue Curvy currently features plus-sized model Toccara Jones as its centerpiece. Jones, who was voted off “America’s Next Top Model” during season three, went on to model for various advertisements and magazines and then appeared on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club.”

The site features a fluffy Q & A with Jones, who reveals that she likes watching football with her “girl-friends,” according to her Twitter posts.

And while Jones was actually photographed in Vogue Italia in July 2008, the date of publication isn’t prominently displayed.

Other curvy women on the site include Liv Tyler, America Ferrera and Christina Hendricks of the television show “Mad Men,” who have all received some sort of coverage in US Weekly or People about their weight, mainly on how they hate being singled out.

Of course, a Web site about curvy women in fashion would not be complete without the “I can’t believe you say she’s plus-size!” debacle.

The site is riddled with comments from viewers claiming size 7 isn’t plus-size, but because this site is still up and featuring size 7 women, Vogue Italia obviously disagrees.

Vogue Black has more affiliation with the print version of Vogue Italia, but also with a few quirks.

Tyra Banks gets her own section to rant about herself — how cliche. She already has “America’s Next Top Model,” “The Tyra Show” and www.tyra.com, all of which she mentions in a letter to her readers.

Now a space in Vogue Black? Fashion’s favorite imperialist still doesn’t know when to stop talking.

The site does highlight Vogue Italia’s Black Issue, which came out in July of 2008 and 2009 as a supplement to celebrate Black Barbies.

While Vogue Italia should be commended for reaching out to an under-served market, it does so in a way that says, “You couldn’t make it into the real Vogue Italia, but here’s the consolation prize.”

I’d rather take a Blackberry. At least it has BrickBreaker to pass the time until Vogue Curvy and Vogue Black offer something worth reading.