India Vogue Crosses Class Boundaries

In relation to the fashion debate from the last post, here is a great article in NYTimes criticizing India Vogue for depicting pictures of lower-class Indians with designer clothes. Here is an example from the magazine:

"a child from a poor family modeled a Fendi bib, which costs about $100"

The argument from the editors of India Vogue was that they were using real people, not models (which would normally be celebrated) and people shouldn't take fashion "too seriously". Are we also not supposed to take the people depicted in the photos too seriously? Considering the magazine doesn't identify the people 

 in the photographs (only the accessories), maybe we're not. The article sited that nearly half of India's population lives on less than $1.25 a day.

Again, I would like to ask...how do you feel about these images?

"A man models a Burberry umbrella that costs about $200"

American Apparel Reports: Out of Afrika

                   
Thanks, American Apparel for giving me a perfect example of cultural appropriation. I know a lot of us have felt good spending money at American Apparel because all of the clothes are made in the U.S. But how do we feel about these images?