One image and one alone channeled Caitlin Jenner’s momentous coming out, so gettingย it right was vital — as was keeping it secret. Misdirection, subterfuge and (gasp!) actual shopping were all unusual parts of the production process.
“Normally we go to, I don’t know, Valentino or Armani, and say we are shooting a cover and ask if they can give us some clothes (to borrow),” said Vanity Fair’s fashion and style director Jessica Diehl in an interview on the magazine’s website. “For this, I had to go into stores incognito … and buy stuffย …ย It was like Vanity Fair: Off the Rack.”