Playboy Magazine, July 1988: Cindy Crawford Pictorial Review
July 24, 2023 in Models & Actresses Photos by Charlotte Sinclair
The July 1988 issue of Playboy Magazine is memorable for featuring one of the most iconic supermodels of all time, Cindy Crawford. Famed photographer Herb Ritts masterfully captured her beauty in a series of scintillating summer-themed shots that capture the spirit of the season perfectly.
As the magazine put it, the pictorial is "just as blistering as the July weather itself." Herb Ritts, renowned for his work with celebrities like Madonna, Kim Basinger, Tina Turner, and Brigitte Nielsen, showcases Crawford in a variety of delightful, disappearing bathing suits.
Cindy Crawford, already a familiar face from her appearance in the 1988 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, lights up the pictorial with her unmatched beauty and magnetism. The model's stunning features combined with the skilled lenswork of Ritts, causes the pictorial to sizzle with the heat of summer.
Crawford's debut in Sports Illustrated caused quite a stir, but it was her unmistakable face that made her a global sensation. In the first three months of 1988, she was featured on almost every top women's magazine cover, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Mademoiselle. However, she has always maintained a modest and grounded view of her success, stating, "If I don’t like the way the shots turn out, I don’t bother to buy the magazine."
Originally from De Kalb, Illinois, Crawford started her modeling journey during her high school days. After one year of college at Northwestern, she moved to New York to focus on her modeling career, signing with the prestigious Elite agency. Her appearance in Playboy was, in part, inspired by fellow Elite model Paulina Porizkova's own spread in the August 1987 issue. She was also drawn to the impressive work Ritts did with Brigitte Nielsen in the December issue.
The Cindy Crawford pictorial in the July 1988 Playboy Magazine is a testament to the model's timeless beauty and Ritts' exquisite photography. The unique blend of Crawford's charm, the summer theme, and the remarkable photographic skill makes this pictorial an unforgettable feature of the magazine's history.
