Conveyors featured in Vanity Fair fashion spread

One doesn't normally associate conveyors with haute couture, but apparently the legendary portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz finds them an appropriate combo. For Vanity Fair's September 2012 Annual Style Issue, Leibovitz photographed Natalie Massenet, founder of the online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter, in the company's new 250,000-square-foot DC in Mahwah, N.J.

Massenet is attired in a stunning floor-length fuchsia gown, with a shiny new spiral conveyor to her right and various other conveyors, chutes, and work stations in the background. The former model and fashion editor is standing atop a Dematic belt conveyor ... surrounded by safety labels warning of the potential dangers of climbing on or tripping over the equipment.

The safety implications notwithstanding, we have to admit it was pretty exciting to see material handling equipment featured in the photo—anything that shows consumers what goes on in warehouses and DCs is a good thing. Perhaps rubber belts will be the next big thing in runway design?