Jack White & Karen Elson in Vogue

I love Jack White.

I love The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Them Crooked Vultures… One of my all-time favorite movies is Coffee & Cigarettes (more for Tom Waits, but I can’t deny my excitement upon seeing Jack White so close to a Tesla coil).

When I got the note that he was a) in Vogue this month with his b) wife c) Karen Elson – I had a Chex Mix of emotions. Jealously, elation, shock, anticipation, back to jealousy, a little guilt, and more anticipation.

The shoot, photographed by the ever-talented Annie Leibovitz, is absolutely stunning and kind of makes me want to run off and Bonnie & Clyde it up in Nashville (where White & Elson live, also where the shoot was).

I also didn’t know that Karen Elson was an aspiring musician… This is what I get for not caring about celebrity gossip/news. She performed at SXSW this year, and has now (as of yesterday!) released her debut album, titled The Ghost Who Walks. It’s described as “spooky alt-country” which makes me kind of want it right now.  Another term used to describe some songs on the record: “Murder ballads.” Can I please have this?

The accompanying article, written by Jonathan Van Meter, is also excellent. He spoke to Elson regarding her album, the transition between modeling and becoming a musician, and of course Jack. There was one line that really stuck out to me:

Being a model had always felt like a fluke, a “lightning strike,” as she likes to say, something she did not choose, and so she began asking herself, “What do you really want to do with your life? Are you going to betray the things that are inside of you?”

Such a good point.

And now, some really, really big – really, really, high quality pictures from the shoot. Leave a comment telling me how hard it was to pick which one would be your desktop. Click for full size.

And my absolute favorite…

HOW SO HOT, KAREN ELSON? HOW SO HOT?

All photos are from the June issue of Vogue, and shot by Annie Leibovitz. PICK IT UP. And read the article – this ain’t Playboy.

Edited to add: This amazing video of a live performance by Karen Elson, singing the title track, A Ghost Who Walked.

{ httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmFQfgdmyzY }